RTHK: Afghan president Ghani leaves for Tajikstan A senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said on Sunday that President Ashraf Ghani had left the capital, Kabul, for Tajikistan, capping the Taliban militants' lightning push for power. Asked for comment, the president's office it "cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani's movement for security reasons". A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani's whereabouts. American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by chopper after a swift advance by the militants, who were poised to run Afghanistan again 20 years after they were toppled by US-led forces following the September 11 attacks on the United States. Taliban fighters were reaching the capital "from all sides", a senior Afghan interior ministry official told Reuters. But there were no reports of fighting and the group's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they were waiting on the outskirts and were in talks with the Western-backed government for a peaceful surrender. "Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed," he said. Representatives from the two sides were due to meet in Qatar on Sunday, Fawzi Koofi, a member of the Kabul negotiating team, said. A source familiar with the matter said they would discuss a transition of power and US officials would also be involved. Before news that Ghani had left Kabul, a palace official said he was in emergency talks with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and officials from the Nato transatlantic alliance. Power would be handed over to a transitional administration, the government's acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, tweeted on the Tolo news channel. "There won't be an attack on the city, it is agreed that there will be a peaceful handover," he said without elaborating. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2021-08-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Quick Search Handle Group Module Full Search Help AMP Random link Active Poll Who are the Amiga scene's key elements? Original Suppliers Trainers Crackers Swappers and Traders Musicians Graphists Coders Sysops and Co-Sysops Group Organizers See the results OneLiner ? Oneliner is now off. Tired of all this non-sense. btw who the hell sent an amiga to korea? WIZKID WAS GOOD nobody says "WizKid was good" or "found a new border fx" x-( the only non-vousti comment ever made is "vousti go away" nobody says anything though, vousti time is better can you stop vousti? Vousti, go play elsewhere, please. open a blog or something. thx vousti do you want a hug? Dolnad trump was here Dolnad trump was here too many days since any talk. even vousti may be dead Brazil, you must type any word on "Quick search" part, select "module" & click "Search" In time, you will know the tragic extent of my failings... Where do I find the songs to download? vousti needs to stop taking over this oneliner, seriously where am I? [url] [url] [url] [url] my loving girlfriend and i are gay GOTTA BLOW MY NOSE ON YOU! *SNIFF* Argentina, stop that "toxic masculinity" bullshit! I will never know. Who am I? "settle what you are" algo music suxx Ojala los moderadores lo detengan. Database Stats 160113 modules 17422 composers 909 interviews 3240 pictures 111 logos L atest N ews Amiga Music Preservation (AMP), a non profit association, is running the biggest and most comprehensive database ever about amiga music and amiga musicians. All the composers of the amiga deserve to be remembered and to have their work preserved. We tried all we could on our own but although it's growing all the time, now we seriously need you to help us one way or another. Additions & modifications history 01.01.2021 (11:50) - 2021 - by Asle Hello to you all, So there it is ! It's 2021 now. To everyone, and in the name of AMP team, I wish, to all of you, all the best for 2021. What a strange year this 2020 has been ! Again, I would thank, as usual, everyone who has sent us information and/or material to enrich the collection. Quite a lot of people, again this past year, did send us material ! and that's really appreciated. News-wise, 2020 had its share of events. We migrated again to a new server where several issues awaited us . We went off the air this past year for a couple of weeks. But all in all, we are still around and up there sharing tracked material Be safe. The AMP team 3 comments Write Comment Hello to you all,So there it is ! It's 2021 now.To everyone, and in the name of AMP team, I wish, to all of you, all the best for 2021.What a strange year this 2020 has been !Again, I would thank, as usual, everyone who has sent us information and/or material to enrich the collection. Quite a lot of people, again this past year, did send us material ! and that's really appreciated.News-wise, 2020 had its share of events. We migrated again to a new server where several issues awaited us. We went off the air this past year for a couple of weeks. But all in all, we are still around and up there sharing tracked materialBe safe.The AMP team 09.09.2020 (13:37) - Forum registration - by Monty A few people have notified us of problems with forum registration, turns out something was wrong with the forum configuration. Problem should be fixed now. Thanks. 2 comments Write Comment A few people have notified us of problems with forum registration, turns out something was wrong with the forum configuration.Problem should be fixed now.Thanks. 03.08.2020 (18:02) - Server move - by Asle Hello, We are back online after a few days off. We have been changing the server's location. We expect to be off briefly in the coming days (no date yet). Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe 2 comments Write Comment Hello,We are back online after a few days off. We have been changing the server's location.We expect to be off briefly in the coming days (no date yet).Thank you for your understanding.Stay safe 19.05.2020 (09:02) - Jeroen Tel - by Curtcool In co-operation with Nah-Kolor, AMP are now happy to make the gathered Amiga works of legendary games composer Jeroen Tel (of Maniacs of Noise) available to the public. Today it is his birthday, so, happy birthday Jeroen - and good luck with the new album. In 2019 Nah-Kolor made "Time Will Tel", a musicdisk of the best tracks Jeroen did on Amiga - go download it on pouet (youtube link should be available shortly) http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=82435 Just to make things easier, go download the modfiles of Jeroen Tel, of course including the mods from "Time Will Tel": http://amp.dascene.net/detail.php?detail=modules&view=8113. 4 comments Write Comment In co-operation with Nah-Kolor, AMP are now happy to make the gathered Amiga works of legendary games composer Jeroen Tel (of Maniacs of Noise) available to the public. Today it is his birthday, so,Jeroen - and good luck with the new album.In 2019 Nah-Kolor made "Time Will Tel", a musicdisk of the best tracks Jeroen did on Amiga - go download it on pouet (youtube link should be available shortly)Just to make things easier, go download the modfiles of Jeroen Tel, of course including the mods from "Time Will Tel": 14.01.2020 (11:49) - We appreciate your support! - by Curtcool ...and ... finally ... we use it as well. In other words, we are happy to announce that all of the support (in the form of modules and collections) that you have provided us with via the (now defunct) amp ftp over the past few years have been sorted and all the tunes not already in the collection has been added. Thank you very much for your support, all of you and sorry for the delay. As the changes and modifications list shows, quite a lot of stuff was added in the past few days and weeks, including quite a lot of real, old, 1990's Amiga modules from known and not-so-known demoscene composers - or in other words, the core of AMP's reason to exist. So, enjoy! 10 comments Write Comment ...and ... finally ... we use it as well.In other words, we are happy to announce that all of the support (in the form of modules and collections) that you have provided us with via the (now defunct) amp ftp over the past few years have been sorted and all the tunes not already in the collection has been added.As the changes and modifications list shows, quite a lot of stuff was added in the past few days and weeks, including quite a lot offrom known and not-so-known demoscene composers - or in other words, the core of AMP's reason to exist.So, enjoy! 01.01.2020 (19:58) - 2020 - by Asle And .. here we are, it's 2020 already ! So, to everyone, and in the name of AMP team, I wish you all the best for this new year. This is an opportunity to thank, as usual, every individual who has sent us information and/or material to enrich the collection. Wayyyy to many, yet again, to list you all here. As far as news go, 2019 was an eventful year, for sure. We migrated to a new server, switched ftp to a cloud, had our share of panic moments when we went off the air for a couple of weeks, etc. Hopefully, it'll be smooth sailing for 2020 The AMP team 4 comments Write Comment And .. here we are, it's 2020 already !So, to everyone, and in the name of AMP team, I wish you all the best for this new year.This is an opportunity to thank, as usual, every individual who has sent us information and/or material to enrich the collection. Wayyyy to many, yet again, to list you all here.As far as news go, 2019 was an eventful year, for sure. We migrated to a new server, switched ftp to a cloud, had our share of panic moments when we went off the air for a couple of weeks, etc. Hopefully, it'll be smooth sailing for 2020The AMP team 25.06.2019 (19:00) - We reached 150.000+ modules - by Crown Today is a new milestone for the Amiga Music Preservation Website as we now host more than 150.000 musics. It took 19 years and a lot of time and efforts from truly passionate people. On behalf of the team (Asle, Curt Cool, Monty) I want to thank all supporters and contributors for making it possible. There are still tons of Amiga music to be preserved so please keep providing us with missing modules, information, etc. so that we have 20+ years of work. Have a lovely day! The AMP Team 1 comments Write Comment Today is a new milestone for the Amiga Music Preservation Website as we now host more than 150.000 musics. It took 19 years and a lot of time and efforts from truly passionate people.On behalf of the team (Asle, Curt Cool, Monty) I want to thank all supporters and contributors for making it possible.There are still tons of Amiga music to be preserved so please keep providing us with missing modules, information, etc. so that we have 20+ years of work.Have a lovely day!The AMP Team 31.03.2019 (21:15) - new server and collateral changes - by Asle To all our users, Going back a few weeks ago, we have migrated AMP to a new server (taking care of PHP7 mandatory upgrades and the like). The announcement is only made now since we have had various difficulties here and there. You can see one of the consequences in the Forum. The old design wouldn't fit anymore with this way more up-to-date version. The second main consequence is the FTP which had to go. The way our new server is set up wouldn't let us easily create an FTP sever. We opted for a cloud solution (Nextcloud). That way, whoever wants to send us something needs only to drop that "something" on cheers Sylvain for AMP staff 3 comments Write Comment To all our users,Going back a few weeks ago, we have migrated AMP to a new server (taking care of PHP7 mandatory upgrades and the like). The announcement is only made now since we have had various difficulties here and there.You can see one of the consequences in the Forum. The old design wouldn't fit anymore with this way more up-to-date version. The second main consequence is the FTP which had to go. The way our new server is set up wouldn't let us easily create an FTP sever. We opted for a cloud solution (Nextcloud). That way, whoever wants to send us something needs only to drop that "something" on https://amp.dascene.net/upload/ cheersSylvain for AMP staff 01.01.2019 (02:05) - 2019 - by Asle In the name of AMP admins, I wish you all a happy new years 2019. This new year message was lost in space in recent years but then, I thought it was nice to show there's still some life around here, so here we are. It was a bit quieter than the previous years, activity wise. Still, about 3600 musics were added. and the usual bunch of updates happened as well (music and musicians, of course). I must, once again, thank way too many people to make a list. You all know who you are. A special, thank you, however, to all musicians/coders who provide us with the original material (MOD) when applicable. While it is still not a common practice, it certainly is VERY much appreciated when it happens ! I hope we still stand when celebration time comes next year. And until such time, I wish everybody all the best, once again, for 2019 Cheers Sylvain 5 comments Write Comment In the name of AMP admins, I wish you all a happy new years 2019.This new year message was lost in space in recent years but then, I thought it was nice to show there's still some life around here, so here we are.It was a bit quieter than the previous years, activity wise. Still, about 3600 musics were added. and the usual bunch of updates happened as well (music and musicians, of course).I must, once again, thank way too many people to make a list. You all know who you are. A special, thank you, however, to all musicians/coders who provide us with the original material (MOD) when applicable. While it is still not a common practice, it certainly is VERY much appreciated when it happens !I hope we still stand when celebration time comes next year. And until such time, I wish everybody all the best, once again, for 2019CheersSylvain 09.09.2018 (10:10) - New AMP logos - by Crown We have received a new logo from Yomaru Kasuga (thanks a lot buddy, we love it) and as you probably know we get crazy when we receive your GFX creations. So if you have some talent in designing logos please send them to us! For your information, we have created a specific topic in the forum: You can also browse through all logos that we have received over the years: Looking forward to see them rolling. 2 comments Write Comment We have received a new logo from Yomaru Kasuga (thanks a lot buddy, we love it) and as you probably know we get crazy when we receive your GFX creations. So if you have some talent in designing logos please send them to us!For your information, we have created a specific topic in the forum: /forum/index.php/board,21.0.html You can also browse through all logos that we have received over the years: /logos.php Looking forward to see them rolling. 29.08.2018 (14:09) - Login to the Forum - by Crown Hi, If you happen to have lost your PW to the Forum, please use the following link to retrieve it: We had an SMTP issue that prevented it to work which has now been corrected. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. The AMP Team 0 comments Write Comment Hi,If you happen to have lost your PW to the Forum, please use the following link to retrieve it: http://amp.dascene.net/forum/index.php?action=reminder We had an SMTP issue that prevented it to work which has now been corrected.Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.The AMP Team 01.02.2015 (15:31) - Protracker tutorial - by Asle Our friend (and outstanding musician) It's all The first three episodes are already there at the time of writing this news. 3 comments Write Comment Our friend (and outstanding musician) Wasp is working on a global tutorial of "how to use protracker" on YT.It's all here The first three episodes are already there at the time of writing this news. 10.12.2014 (10:15) - Thanatos (Daniel Dimitrijevic) passed away - by Crown We were just informed that Daniel Dimitrijevic (AKA Thanatos) sadly passed away on January, 2nd, 2014. I had had the pleasure of meeting him back in 1991, at the Iris New Year Conference, in company of Doh. We send our warmest condolences to his widow. 1 comments Write Comment We were just informed that Daniel Dimitrijevic (AKA Thanatos) sadly passed away on January, 2nd, 2014. I had had the pleasure of meeting him back in 1991, at the Iris New Year Conference, in company of Doh. We send our warmest condolences to his widow. 01.01.2014 (13:45) - 2014 - by Asle And here we are. Yet another year has come and gone. 2013 was nice, but it's now 2014. The usual "log" of what happened, here, follows: 7200+ musics added ~400 musics were updated 1100+ authors were added and/or updated 100+ groups were added and/or updated 50+ pics were added News wise, Crown has made some appearances throughout the year and 2014 could see his come back . Curt Cool is lost somewhere in Australia. Nothing much to report for the others. That's about it. Remains to wish you all a happy new year 2014, that, in the name of all AMP team. 1 comments Write Comment And here we are. Yet another year has come and gone. 2013 was nice, but it's now 2014.The usual "log" of what happened, here, follows:7200+ musics added~400 musics were updated1100+ authors were added and/or updated100+ groups were added and/or updated50+ pics were addedNews wise, Crown has made some appearances throughout the year and 2014 could see his come back. Curt Cool is lost somewhere in Australia. Nothing much to report for the others.That's about it. Remains to wish you all a happy new year 2014, that, in the name of all AMP team. 30.12.2013 (23:13) - demozoo - by Asle At last, It still has rough edges, but it's already looking great. So, all the best to you, Menace, and your team for this nice looking project I'll try to follow what's happening. PS: And, of course, linking musics from AMP is more than welcome. Should something be done on our end, please, tell me/us. 0 comments Write Comment At last, demozoo is open to public !It still has rough edges, but it's already looking great. So, all the best to you, Menace, and your team for this nice looking projectI'll try to follow what's happening.PS: And, of course, linking musics from AMP is more than welcome. Should something be done on our end, please, tell me/us. Update: 15-08-2021 | 16:14:13 Laos has seen a surge in new COVID-19 cases while the number of infections in Cambodia has rebounded partly due to the inflow of workers returning from neighbouring Thailand. A woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Photo: AFP/VNA) Laos has seen a surge in new COVID-19 cases while the number of infections in Cambodia has rebounded partly due to the inflow of workers returning from neighbouring Thailand. The Lao Ministry of Health on August 14 confirmed 226 new infections in 24 hours, including eight cases of community transmission and 218 imported cases quarantined upon arrival. It said that the surge of new cases is mostly due to workers returning from Thailand while some community transmission hotbeds have recorded more infections. Savannakhet province has seen the largest number of infections in Laos, with thousands of patients since July, mostly workers back from Thailand. Facing that fact, the Lao Government ordered the provinces with many cases to discuss and devise mechanisms for assisting one another to deal with the rising patients and people under quarantine. They were also asked to expand quarantine sites and hospitals to receive workers returning from other countries. The number of COVID-19 cases in Laos has amounted to 9,894, including nine fatalities. In Cambodia, the number of infections bounced back on August 14, after 12 consecutive days of decreases. The countrys Ministry of Health on August 14 announced 598 new cases recorded in 24 hours, including 187 imported ones, a daily figure higher than the previous day and forecast to soar on the coming days. As of August 14, Cambodia posted 84,860 cases of COVID-19, including 79,654 recoveries and 1,666 deaths. Thousands of Cambodian people in Thailand have flocked to their homeland after the two countries border was reopened on August 13./. VNA Flower trade booms as love blooms on Chinese Valentine's Day Xinhua) 13:30, August 15, 2021 KUNMING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Yunnan Province, China's main supplier of flowers, reported robust sales in the run-up to this year's Qixi festival, or the Chinese Valentine's Day, on Saturday. The Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center has traded over 80 million stems of fresh cut flowers since Aug. 3, when the region's major flower auction market started to prepare for Qixi, compared with over 40 million in the same period last year, said Ni Wentao, deputy head of the center's auction branch. The center saw a new daily record on Tuesday, with 9.31 million flower stems transacted, Ni said. A large supply, a short stocking period and stable prices are the main features of the Qixi flower market this year, said Zhang Tao, head of the center's logistics branch. Yunnan in southwest China is among the world's top producers of fresh cut flowers. It produced 14.7 billion stems of fresh cut flowers last year. Despite the impact of the pandemic and extreme weather, sellers and experts have noted a strong momentum in China's flower industry, as expanding production keeps up with the country's growing appetite for flowers. He Wei, general manager of a local flower company, said the firm sent out more than 10,000 parcels a day in the days leading up to Qixi, compared with 3,000 on a normal day. "The demand has been strong recently," said He. The Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, celebrates the legend of the annual meeting between the mythological figures of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Hong Kong reports 2 new imported COVID-19 cases Xinhua) 13:32, August 15, 2021 HONG KONG, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the tally of total confirmed cases to 12,032. A total of 46 cases have been reported in the past 14 days, including an untraceable local infection, with the rest imported, the CHP said in a statement. Hong Kong's vaccination drive has continued to make steady progress. Since the launch of the government inoculation program in late February, around 3.67 million people, or 53.9 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, including around 2.85 million fully vaccinated. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Only 65 survivors of Nanjing Massacre remain Xinhua) 14:34, August 15, 2021 Survivor of the Nanjing Massacre Xia Shuqin (front) attends the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) NANJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven survivors of the Nanjing Massacre have passed away this year, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. Their deaths reduced the total number of registered survivors to 65, according to the memorial hall. The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the city on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed close to 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II. In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. The Chinese government has preserved the survivors' testimony, recorded in both written documents and video footage. These records of the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 2015. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) Chinese man ditches city life to help fellow villagers vanquish poverty Xinhua) 14:55, August 15, 2021 GUIYANG, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The annual per capita income of Qingkou, a remote mountainous village in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has increased from 2,000 yuan (about 308 U.S. dollars) in 2014 to 12,000 yuan in 2021, thanks to Zhang Ling, 36, who spearheaded this gratifying change. Located in the city of Bijie, the village had long been plagued by poverty. In the past, the villagers were only able to earn a living by farming or working outside their hometown. In 2014, Zhang successfully started a business in the city, but later he chose to return home to help his folks get rid of poverty. Elected as the village director in 2017, he sought a solution to fighting poverty and eventually found a way to create wealth -- kiwi farming. The soil in the region is weakly acidic, which came as a natural advantage to kiwi plantation. However, villagers were initially skeptical about his idea as they reckoned that the land should be used for planting something that can fill their bellies. To dispel their doubts, Zhang persuaded his relatives and friends to grow kiwi fruits in 18 hectares of land as an example. The high altitude and large temperature difference between night and day in the region resulted in a good yield. The harvested fruits not only tasted good but also sold well that very year. The sweet outcome convinced the villagers that kiwi farming can be financially rewarding and they started to follow Zhang. Within a few years, the once barren hills were embellished with fruit trees including more than 120 hectares of kiwi plantation. The local produce was soon registered with the trademark "Qinkou" and it started to generate wealth for the villagers. Witnessing the village transform, Zhang knew he made the right decision of giving up urban life and taking a more challenging path. Fifteen years ago when Zhang was admitted to a university, the good news made his parents worried as they could not afford the tuition fees. It was donations from villagers that allowed him to get out of the mountains and attain higher education. "When you grow up, come back and help us," one of the villagers had said to Zhang, and these words were etched in his memory. After graduation, Zhang worked in many cities and gradually made his fortune. When he drove back to his hometown in 2014, the village still had no roads. His car got stuck in the mud and was pulled out by young men from the village. When he walked into the rural primary school, he was greeted by a dilapidated campus. He saw that second and fourth grade students were crowded into one room. Moved by these heart-rending scenes, Zhang decided to donate 50,000 yuan. But, the school leader said that donating money to children cannot solve the fundamental problem. The school leader's words evoked pensive emotions in Zhang. He knew it was time for him to pay back the villagers' goodwill from a dozen years ago and lead them to march toward a better life. With years of concerted efforts, Zhang's village was lifted out of poverty in 2019. Like Zhang, a growing army of young Chinese, with their professional skills and novel ideas of management, have returned to their hometowns, leading fellow villagers in building a more prosperous, beautiful and livable countryside. In late 2020, Guizhou announced that its last nine poor counties had shaken off poverty, marking the elimination of all 832 registered poor counties from China's poverty list. As China announced victory over poverty, rural areas, particularly those newly rising above poverty, have marched on a new journey toward vitalization. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) History repeats itself for virus tracing amid US faking proof to attack Iraq, Syria 15:47, August 15, 2021 By Xin Ping ( Global Times Illustration: Liu Rui/GT The whole world is role playing a detective story. The case is about the origins of a deadly and highly infectious virus that spreads across the world. The humanity has been fighting hard while aspiring to have the mystery resolved. But the call for truth has been mixed with some disturbing noises. As every detective story goes, the more extensive a probe is, the ever closer one can get to the truth. The same logic can be applied to virus tracing. The more open and transparent every country is in responding to public concerns, the more assured the world is that efforts are made in the right direction. However, one country stands out. The United States has walled itself off from outside questioning, clammed up about its early cases and shushing its own people daring to speak out. At the same time, some people in the US, even without any scientific background, are obsessed with selling only one version of the storyline: the blame is on China! While wasting time and energy running after the wrong target, more innocent lives are lost. Such hysteria from the US reminds us of some characters in detective stories. They voluntarily "lead," instead of "participate" in investigations; they jump to conclusions before evidence is collected; they are ultra-confident about their judgment and eagerly push it through. They may cheat some people for some time; they cannot do it all the time to everyone. In the end, all the evidence proves that the real culprit is exactly the one most fervent about blaming others. Critical thinking requires us to look into an individual's history and background to rate his/her credibility, understand the perspective and analyze the intention before believing what he/she says. The profiling of the US should follow similar steps. A look into the US track record is necessary to concluding whether its "investigation" into China is legitimate and what the US is actually up to. If history could teach us anything, we should know the US would make things up to prove its "presumption of guilt" is right. The US launched the Gulf War, infuriated by the "testimony" of a 15-year-old nurse claiming she witnessed Iraqi soldiers had taken babies out of incubators and left them dead on the cold floor. That girl turned out to be the daughter of the US ambassador to Kuwait and resided in the embassy instead of the hospital. A similar drama was directed prior to US-led airstrikes against Syria in 2014. The US and some Western countries funded "white helmets" to make a fake video that incriminates Syria of using chemical weapons against civilians. Since 1940s, the CIA has hired more than 400 journalists worldwide to plow or produce intelligence reports in the Operation Mockingbird. The US arrested and detained several Chinese students because they "looked suspicious," only to release them without enough evidence. If there is a ranking according to the involvement in biological warfare, the US definitely comes on top. After the World War II, the US sent germ warfare experts at Fort Detrick to Japan for several years to learn about Japan's practices. Their mentors included Ishii Shiro of Japan's Unit 731, which committed brutal atrocities against humanity in Northeast China. Rather than condemnation, the US expressed interests to the Japanese war criminals. It paid 250,000 yen to obtain data and documents on the Unit's germ warfare, and concealed Ishii Shiro and Unit 731 from the world and even made Ishii Shiro a bio-weapon consultant at Fort Detrick. In September 2001, several Americans were killed by letters laced with anthrax, just months after a bio-war drill was conducted in the US After running out of those who can be accused, the intelligence finally looked at the unique code on the envelopes - RMR-1029, which refers to the containers of anthrax at Fort Detrick. But that revelation came out long after the US waged the Iraq War. Clouds are shrouding Fort Detrick even till this day. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been global concerns about the nexus between the unexplained pneumonia outbreaks and EVALIs (electronic cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury) with the biological lab. No explanation has been offered yet. If detective stories could offer a clue, then those who repeat their alibis are trying to conceal their guilt, and those who go all out to blame others are to run away with crimes. The US must give explanations about questions related to itself, stop any manipulation out of political motives, and cooperate with all other countries in the human endeavor to conquer the challenge. (Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji) The last three Newton Boys taken in 1972. The Newton Boys were from Uvalde and robbed banks and express cars in the 1920s. Press Release August 15, 2021 De Lima welcomes US Senate Resolution condemning unjust detention of women rights defenders, including her Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima welcomes the proposed US Senate Resolution condemning the detention of women rights defenders and journalists around the world, including her, and calling for their immediate release. De Lima, a known human rights defender here and abroad, said she is grateful to the nine US Senators, led by Sen. Bob Menendez, for their collective and unceasing efforts to fight injustice and the breakdown of the rule of law by filing Senate Resolution (SR) No. 342. "I am deeply humbled by your determined call for accountability from the US government to act with solidarity over the plight of politically persecuted women across the world, myself included," De Lima said. "Despite the political persecution we are subjected to, we, women fighters, are still very fortunate to have champions like you who are at the forefront to make sure that we obtain justice and are able to keep on advancing our common goals for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law," she added. SR No. 342, authored by Sen. Menendez, along with fellow US Senators Ben Cardin, Tim Kaine, Edward Markey, Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, Chris Van Hollen, Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons, "expresses the sense of the Senate regarding the practice of politically motivated imprisonment of women around the world and calling on governments for the immediate release of women who are political prisoners." In the Resolution, they cited De Lima as among the women around the world who "face enormous risks when seeking to advance human rights and pursue progress for their communities." "Senator Leila de Lima remains unjustly imprisoned in the Philippines for her vocal criticism of extrajudicial killings carried out during President Duterte's 'war drugs,'" the Resolution read. They said that the US Senate supports women who are unjustly or wrongfully detained around the world, stressing that "a government should never detain its citizens for exercising the rights of freedom of assembly, association, and speech." They called on governments to "immediately and unconditionally release these political prisoners." The 9 US Senators pointed out that "the United States Government, in all its interactions with foreign governments [should] raise individual cases of women political prisoners [and] press for the immediate release of such political prisoners." Aside from De Lima, among the women cited in the Resolution, include Zhang Zhan, a citizen-journalist sentenced to 4 years in prison for reporting on COVID-19 in Wuhan; Rahile Dawut, a professor of traditional Uyghur culture; and Maryia Kalesnikava, a prominent Belarusian opposition leader abducted and charged with incitement to undermine national security for her pro-democracy advocacy, to name some. Just this month, De Lima also extended her gratitude to 11 US Senators who urged the Biden government to condemn the Duterte administration on its blatant human rights abuses and violations, including her continued unjust detention. (30) Access the copy of Senate Resolution No. 342 here: https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2021/08/07/167/142/CREC-2021-08-07-pt1-PgS6013.pdf Dalondo Moultrie is the assistant managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail him at dalondo.moultrie@seguingazette.com . Saudi Arabia has handed over more than 900 new housing units within Al Wahda suburbs in Dammam to citizens under its ambitious Sakani housing programme. These include 649 out of 674 residential units under Nasaj Town project and 286 out of 728 units under Mad project in the Eastern Province. With 90 per cent of the work completed on the remaining units, the project is set for handover as per schedule, said the statement from Sakani. A key real estate initiative, Sakani was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Housing and the Real Estate Development Fund to support Saudi citizens to own their first home. The Waja suburb, which is spread over a 10 million sq m area, will boast more than 20,000 housing units, that can accommodate 100,000 people. Strategically located, the project is a 25-minute drive away from a number of vital places in the Eastern Province, including King Fahd International Airport, Dammam Corniche, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran besides a 15-minute drive to Dammam station. According to Sakani, this comes as an extension of the programme's keenness to continue delivering housing units in partnership with real estate developers according to the specified timetables in order to enable Saudi families to own the first home. It is in line with the objectives of the Housing Programme, a key intitiative of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 - to reach 70% ownership in the next 10 years. "The eastern region was witnessing the implementation of about 34 housing projects that provide more than 22,000 various housing units out of 144,000 housing units distributed in 101 projects provided by "Sakani" to beneficiaries in various regions of the kingdom, in addition to a set of housing options and services within easy electronic procedures with immediate entitlement," said a spokesman from Sakani. With the possibility of reviewing various housing options, in addition to the 223 housing schemes that provide 180,537 residential plots, Sakani customers get benefit from the real estate advisor service, choosing model designs for self-construction beneficiaries in addition to issuing building licences electronically, electronic assignment of housing support between spouses, electronic financing service and other things.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai Customs has launched a comprehensive guide for all the services and facilities it provides to enable traders and businesses, who selected Dubai as their preferred investment destination, to increase their trade and boost revenues. The guide will be introduced to the participants and exhibitors of EXPO2020 Dubai, a WAM report said. Within the national efforts and preparations to fulfil the requirements of the bold plans and agendas including the UAE Centennial 2071 and the 50th year Jubilee, Dubai Customs has built a sophisticated smart network of channels that adds a big value to any business activity. These included the Smart EXPO2020 Customs Channel, dedicated to serving the exhibitors at the global event. The channel was part of the UAEs nomination portfolio in 2013 to host EXPO2020 in Dubai. Customs centres at Jebel Ali and Al Maktoum International Airport will help complete all EXPOs customs transactions around the clock to ensure streamlined and quick customs processes, following directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Smart EXPO Customs Channel will facilitate all customs transactions for the participants in EXPO2020 Dubai," said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs. "We have many outstanding services that can help advance trade and investments including the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, which was launched at the federal level to enhance external trade. There are now 80 companies who are members of AEO whose external trade reaches AED20 billion ($5.44 billion). Dubai Customs has also launched the Cross Border e-commerce platform to woo more business and investments into the emirate. It is the first of its kind in the region and it aims to raise businesses share in e-commerce local and regional e-commerce to AED24 billion by 2024. Participants can now benefit from the second phase of the iDeclare App and the AI potential it has. The app enables users to learn about the commodities they need to declare, simply by taking a photo of the item, which will then show the HS Code and any customs charges required. Users can also learn about the services and amenities available at Dubai International Airport, including restaurants, free zone, exit gates and others. The app helps the passenger pass through the red lane and complete their customs transactions in less than four minutes. "All these facilities will not compromise on security. We have in place a number of advanced systems and programmes that will help further secure the borders and streamline trade activity. These include the Smart Risk Engine, the Smart Auditing System, the Integrated B2G Business Channel and the Smart Workspace. These sophisticated systems will help ensure 97.8% of customs transactions are completed automatically without human intervention." Last May, Dubai Customs organised the 5th WCO Global AEO Conference in cooperation with the World Customs Organisation and the UAE Federal Customs Authority. The conference saw the participation of nearly 100 speakers and 12,000 specialists from 160 countries. It was the first AEO conference to be held in the region.-- TradeArabia News Service ME Dubai, the only hotel to be designed both inside and out by the late Dame Zaha Hadid, has unveiled its portfolio of suites for the new season. Located in the heart of the Burj Khalifa district, in The Opus by Omniyat building, ME Dubai welcomes guests with a combination of art, cuisine, fashion and music. Each of the suites is characterised by curves, sharp angles and bold materials, a testimony to Hadids design style, a statement from the hotel said. Dame Hadid was a British-Iraqi architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Boasting Instagram-worthy views of the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubais skyline, the hotel's collection include Suite ME, the Personality Suite, the Passion Suite, the Chic Suite among others. All the suites at ME Dubai are equipped with latest technology including integrated LED TV, smart light and sound systems. A member of the Aura Team will be on hand to ensure guests have a comfortable stay filled with cultural and dining experiences, said the hotel. The hotels spa, Wellness by ME, offers a range of massages and expert treatments from an array of well-known brands. The spa also offers a couples room for those wishing to share their blissful serenity. ME Dubai is the first ME by Melia in the Middle East.-TradeArabia News Service The UAEs Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is intensifying its efforts to ensure the safety and security of the maritime sector as well protect the rights of seafarers on board ships in the UAE waters and ports. This is in line with the Cabinet resolution number (71) for 2021, regarding marine wrecks and violating ships in UAE waters or calling UAE ports, which will come into effect from September 15, 2021, a statement said. The Ministrys efforts support the UAE Governments ongoing efforts to protect the UAE waters and marine environment, and reduce marine wrecks that may cause incidents. The resolution obligates ship owners and operating companies to adhere to implementing it. It provides a legal framework for all government agencies concerned with safety and protecting the marine environment in coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. These entities include the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the competent judicial and legal authorities, and the local government entities concerned with dealing with marine wrecks and debris in their waters. The resolution with its provisions and articles constitute a legal reference for all stakeholders to protect their rights. It obliges all UAE flag ships and foreign flag ships in UAE waters or calling UAE ports to fulfill their obligations. Eng. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure in the UAE, said: The UAE is a globally-leading maritime hub, with over 25,000 ships calling its ports. This position is supported by the countrys strategic location at the gateway to the Arabian Gulf, the largest oil reserve in the world. The UAE also overlooks the Arabian Sea, which is at the heart of global trade routes. All of this requires us to pay great attention to the safety of our waters and waterways, which are the main artery for the movement of cargo ships coming to our ports, which are the top commercial gateway in the region. Al Mazrouei said that as per the resolution, the Ministry will make the UAE a centre of maritime excellence, a benchmark for best practices and a zone free from violations that harm humans or threaten the environment. The UAEs global position in the trade and logistics sectors will help in mainstreaming these practices as they will be binding for everyone who deals with the global supply chain through the UAE ports. Al Mazrouei added: In addition to the active ship movement in the waters of the UAE, which ranked 13th globally in the efficiency of seaport services index, it enjoys a unique geographical nature with a coastline extending more than 1,650 km. The UAE has more than 230 islands, many of which are habitat to rare aquatic life. Thats why, we must take proactive measures to protect these vast areas and extended coasts, and contain anything that could cause marine debris, especially violating and abandoned ships. We monitor the UAE waters to ensure that there are no violators, in line with the Cabinet resolution." He emphasised that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure places people at its top priority. Thats why, it is keen on protecting the rights of seafarers, and does not tolerate any violations by ship owners or operators towards seafarers. This includes their financial rights, working with dignity and living in favourable conditions. Eng. Hassan Mohamed Jumaa Al Mansoori, Undersecretary of the Infrastructure and Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, explained the strategic importance of this resolution for the UAE being a member of the Executive Council of the International Maritime Organisation in Category B. According to the Cabinet Resolution, the ship shall be considered in violation and legal action will be taken against it if the ship owner or operator fails to pay the salaries of seafarers for two or more months. Thus, neglecting the rights of seafarers may cause ships to be seized or sold, whether they carry the UAE flag or any other flag. The rights of seafarers cannot be compromised, and the UAE waters are off limits for those who do not provide them with comfortable working and living conditions, he said. Al Mansoori added: "We will get the support of all stakeholders in the UAE maritime sector to form a united front to protect the environment and the rights of seafarers. Thats why, we will organise the Maritime Leaders Forum, which will bring together all stakeholders in the industry including government and private organisations, ship owners, ship agents &operators, legal experts, classification societies, and port authorities, to reach the best solutions that guarantee the marine sectors compliance with the procedures for protecting the marine environment and ensuring no infringement on the rights of seafarers." Sheikh Nasser Majid Al-Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Infrastructure and Transport at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said: The pandemic caused significant losses to the global economy, and reduced international trade by more than 20%. This prompted some ship owners and unprofessional charter companies to infringe upon the rights of seafarers to save operating expenses, or neglect maintenance work for their ships. This caused some of these ships to become marine wrecks; blocking shipping routes and cargo ship transit channels towards the main ports, as well as impeding the docking of ships. Therefore, the UAE has taken a proactive step by issuing this resolution, to ensure that these types of vessel cannot reach the countrys ports or territorial waters; eliminating the root of problem.TradeArabia News Service Agthia Group, a leading regional food and beverages company, said that the 2021 date marketing season for Al Foah, the worlds largest date receiving and processing business, would run from August 7 to October 28. Prices will be applied as per the date marketing policy approved for seasons 2018 through 2022, the company statement said. The pricing policy is aimed at improving farmer income and ensuring commercial revenue sustainability through encouraging them to promote date quality for highly-valued varieties and thereby making the UAEs date among the most competitive and top quality worldwide. The Group further revealed that Al Foahs centres are prepared to welcome around 17,000 farmers from across the UAE and provide state-of-the-art equipment and mechanisms to procure, sort and grade dates. In the 2020 season, Al Foahs centres processed more than 100,000 tonnes of dates from all over the UAE, topped by the Khalas variety and the highly-valued Fard. Alan Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Agthia Group, said: We look forward to receiving strong volumes during this dates marketing season. The advanced facilities at our centres clubbed with the value-added services we provide will secure the best returns on investment and guaranteed income for farmers. We are determined to extend our high-tech, sustainable dates sourcing approach to more farmers across the country as they open the doors to robust markets offering solid added value. To enable a successful and safe experience for all attendees, preventive measures have been set to be followed at all Al Foahs centres, including, but not limited to, providing a 7-day valid negative PCR test result on the Al Hosn application. These procedures are in line with the precautionary measures adopted by the UAE to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, which contributed to the continuity of services and businesses in the vital sectors of the state, including the date palm sector. Al Foah also offers a suite of services to make sure that farmers are served easily and safely through several communication channels such as the farmers' electronic portal, Al Foah application, toll-free number, SMS messages, social media and other media. Farmers will be able to use the portal to update relevant data and renew date supply agreements, among others as well. TradeArabia News Service Red Sea Farms, a Saudi Arabian AgTech business and a leader in commercial farming of produce using primarily salt water and sunlight, has successfully closed its latest funding round, exceeding the target of $10 million investments. Strong confidence raised $16 million from leading Saudi, UAE and USA investors. This oversubscribed pre-series A investment in Red Sea Farms cements confidence from international, regional and local investors in the burgeoning Saudi and Middle East AgTech sector, a company statement said. The increased investment accelerates Red Sea Farms ability to expand their Saudi and Middle East operations as well as exploring growth opportunities in the US where growing conditions are harsh. An initial investment of $10 million came from a group of Saudi and UAE investors including the Aramco venture Waed, the Saudi government-owned Future Investment Initiative, Institute, KAUST and Global Ventures, a UAE venture capital group. Interest was subsequently received from AppHarvest and Bonaventure, investors from the US who have provided $6 million, the statement said. AppHarvest is an applied technology company building some of the worlds largest indoor farms in Appalachia. The company combines conventional agricultural techniques with cutting-edge technology and is addressing key issues including improving access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a home-grown food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The Companys 60-acre Morehead, KY facility is among the largest indoor farms in the US. App Harvest uses recycled rainwater in their greenhouses, in contrast to Red Sea farms focus on solar and salt-water growing systems that can be quickly and easily scaled in marginal agriculture climates such as the Middle East. Bonaventure invests in companies with a strong initial product-market fit as evidenced by customer adoption and revenue traction, clear trajectory for developing sustainable competitive advantages, and management teams passionate about solving problems for their customers and capable of scaling their businesses. Ryan Lefers, Chief Executive Officer of Red Sea Farms, said: Red Sea Farms is thrilled to have substantially exceeded its target for the current funding round. We look forward to working closely with our investors and our Red Sea Farms team to accelerate plans to roll out our technology in Saudi, the Middle East and North America. Potential investors are already exploring opportunities to be part of Red Sea Farms next round of fundraising during 2022, reflecting the growing trend for investing in sustainable projects that contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as meet environment, sustainability and governance principles. TradeArabia News Service Ebrahim K. Kanoo, the exclusive distributor of Toyota vehicles in Bahrain, has announced the arrival of the new Toyota Fortuner. For over 15 years, the Fortuner has grown in global recognition for outstanding durability and smooth performance over a wide range of terrains. The latest edition of the SUV features a host of design enhancements, driving technologies and performance, for discerning drivers who seek a practical family SUV that complements their lifestyle. The Fortuner is available in three grades, 2WD and 4WD systems, and two drive modes: Eco and Power. Powered by a 2.7-litre engine delivering 164HP, as well as a 4.0-litre engine producing 235HP. The new Fortuner incorporates an enlarged mesh-pattern grille, front angular shape bumper and redesigned aluminium wheels that define its sporty identity. Signature styling elements including the updated LED headlamps and sleeker LED tail-lights solidify its striking looks and enhance everyday functionality. Internally, the cabin embodies exceptional levels of convenience and comfort through its updated speedometer, 6-speaker CD audio system compatible with Apple Car Play and Android Auto as well as different seating arrangements that reflect a modern attitude. Safety remains a top priority for the new Fortuner that hosts an advanced safety system. This is complemented by advanced safety technology such as Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). In addition, the car features a comprehensive array of safety features to protect its occupants, such as SRS airbags for front passenger and drivers knee airbag. The model is available in eight distinctive colours. -- TradeArabia News Service ACWA Power, a leading developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants, has announced the financial close for the 1,500 MW Sudair Solar plant, a key project under the Public Investment Fund (PIF) renewable energy programme. The launch of the Sudair Solar project was announced at the inauguration of Sakaka PV project in April 2021, under the patronage of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Energy Mix Affairs for Electricity Production and Enabling Renewable Energy Sector, and in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Energy. A specialised Saudi technical team at the Ministry of Energy selected the Sudair project site and carried out the engineering requirements and preliminary studies of the project with the aim of achieving the highest levels of efficient energy production and contributing to shaping the circular carbon economy, which the Kingdom adopted during its presidency of the G20 last year. Sudair solar is testament to the kingdom's continuous efforts to reduce emissions resulted by the energy sector. Additionally, the Ministry of Energy utilises its Renewable Energy Program and Local Content Development Program to enable the prosperity of this promising sector and its supply chains through various initiatives such as mobilizing private sector investments and encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors to create a competitive national market for renewable energy. ACWA Power also announced that Sapco, a fully owned company of Aramco, has joined the consortium with ACWA Power and Badeel, a company fully owned by PIF. The consortium, led by ACWA Power, embodies the strategic importance of the Sudair Solar PV project, the first project under PIFs renewable energy programme. The programme aims to support Saudi Arabias ongoing energy transition and diversification, and to deliver 70% of the countrys renewable energy under the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP). ACWA Power - in which PIF holds a 50 per cent stake - and Badeel will each own 35 per cent in the special purpose vehicle Sudair One Renewable Energy Company, which was incorporated for the project; with Sapco holding a 30 per cent stake. Renewables and Utilities sector is one of the 13 priority sectors that PIF identified as a key focus area in its Strategy 2021-2025. The strategy focuses on unlocking the capabilities of the private sector, and aims to increase local content contribution to 60 per cent including PIF and its portfolio companies, in addition to expanding opportunities for local companies to partake in the fund's projects. Aramcos investment in the Sudair Project is its first participation with PIF in its renewable energy programme; reflecting the companys efforts to advancing sustainable energy solutions within its operations and Saudi Arabia, where a variety of low-carbon energy solutions are being deployed. With an investment value of SR3.4 billion ($906.54 million), Sudair Solar PV project, which is located at Sudair Industrial City, is set to become one of the largest single-contracted Solar PV plants in the world and the largest of its kind in Saudi Arabia. A 25-year power purchase agreement for the plant was signed with the Saudi Power Procurement Company, with the tariff being among the lowest for solar PV projects globally. Using bi-facial modules with tracking technology, the plant is set to deliver highly efficient performance and be capable of powering 185,000 homes, while offsetting nearly 2.9 million tons of emissions per year. The financing for the project is based on the principles of limited recourse project financing, with the senior debt structured as a soft mini perm facility with a tenor of 28 years and both conventional as well as Islamic tranches. The financing structure also features a set of equity bridge facilities provided by local and international banks supporting the sponsor groups equity investment in the project. The financing group includes Mizuho Bank, Riyad Bank, Korea Development Bank, Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp), Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation, and Standard Chartered Bank as senior lenders and Mandated Lead Arrangers. The equity bridge facilities are provided by Bank Al Bilad, Saudi British Bank and SMBC International. Mohammad Abunayyan, ACWA Power Chairman, said: "Underpinned by our ambition and determination to continue driving the transformation of the Kingdoms energy sector, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and pride following the signing of agreements for the first project under the PIF Renewable Energy Program. "Todays milestone marks progress in achieving the goals of Vision 2030 and the requirements of the National Renewable Energy Program launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; guided by the directives of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; and reinforced by the unparalleled support of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy, to accomplish this ambitious vision." - TradeArabia News Service Emirates customers visiting Dubai, and travelling through Dubai, anytime during Expo 2020 Dubai running from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every flight ticket booked with Emirates. The special offer is valid on all return tickets that include a flight to or through Dubai, for travel dates between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022. The offer is applicable to tickets purchased in First Class, Business Class and Economy Class and extends to tickets booked through Emirates for flights on flydubai and customers travelling to anywhere on Emirates global network with a connection time of at least six hours in Dubai. One-way ticket holders whose journey originates outside the UAE are entitled to receive the complimentary Expo Day Pass if travelling to Dubai or onwards to other destinations if the minimum connection time is met. The special added-value offer applies to all fare types including Special, Saver, Flex and Flex Plus. For more information on this promotion, please visit the dedicated offer page. Travellers with upcoming travel plans and are already in the UAE, including UAE residents, are also eligible to receive a complimentary Expo Day Pass as long as their itinerary includes a journey back to Dubai during the six-month period that coincides with Expo. As Premier Partner and Official Airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates will soon launch various Expo-themed packages to allow its worldwide customers to enjoy the excitement of the 182-day event and experience what its host city of Dubai has to offer. Mile-A Minute offer Customers will also earn 1 Skywards Mile for every 1 minute spent in Dubai between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022. Existing and new Emirates Skywards members who sign up for the programme before 31 March 2022, can avail the offer on Emirates.com, and will earn up to 5,000 Miles. The offer is applicable on all Emirates flight tickets purchased between 1 August 2021 and 31 March 2022, for travel during Expo 2020 Dubai. Emiratesmarketed, flydubaioperated flights with an Emirates (EK) flight number are included in the offer. Emirates Pavilion Travel and aviation enthusiasts can visit the Emirates dedicated pavilion to experience the future of commercial aviation in UAEs centennial year 2071. At the centre of the pavilion, visitors can expect to engage in immersive experiences that will provide a glimpse into the future of aircraft cabin design, how the flying experience is being redefined, as well upcoming lightweight materials and technologies that will improve flying performance and fuel economy for a sustainable future. Visitors are also offered the opportunity to design an aircraft and engage with interactive exhibits that introduce the principles of flight. TradeArabia News Service dnata Travel Group (UK & Europe) and appointed Ailsa Pollard as Chief Executive Officer, who will start in her new role on November 1, 2021. She will report in to the previous holder of the role, John Bevan, who now oversees all aspects of dnatas global travel business as Divisional Senior Vice President for Travel. Ailsa will assume responsibility for all of dnata Travel Groups UK-based brands (Gold Medal, Travel Republic, Travelbag, Netflights and Sunmaster) as the head of a leadership team and workforce numbering nearly 800 people. As a key member of the leadership team for dnata Travel Group, part of the Emirates Group, during the last 12 years, shes held a variety of senior roles. These include, Vice President - Business Development and Strategy, heading the team that oversaw the acquisition of and holding board positions on many of the businesses that now form the Groups UK portfolio; and four years as Senior Vice President - Emirates Holidays, in which she oversaw the brands global operations across 36 markets. Most recently, as Senior Vice President - Transformation (Global) & Consumer Businesses (ME&I), she had responsibility for the dnata Travel consumer travel brand in the UAE, and overseeing a complete strategic review and transformation of dnata Travel Groups global portfolio of brands through COVID, driving operational efficiencies and strategic clarity to support the delivery of its post-pandemic vision of reconnecting a better world. John Bevan said: Were delighted that another part of the dnata Travel family will now be able to benefit from Ailsas expertise and leadership. Ive had the pleasure of working with her for a number of years and know our team in the UK as well as our valued industry partners will enjoy working with her and will go on, together, to achieve great things. These are challenging times for all UK travel businesses, and need clear headedness, agility, honesty and commitment to navigate. Ailsa has all of those qualities, as well as decisive strategic vision, a passion for the customer and operational know-how. Our UK organisation couldnt be in safer hands. Ailsa Pollard said: Im looking forward to working with the UK team to emerge stronger from the pandemic. I know how tough the last 18 months have been on our people, our brands, our customers and our partners, but we have very strong foundations and the support of a global business on which we can collectively build an exciting future. TradeArabia News Service Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, the first of its kind in the region and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan, hosted a group of children from SOS village, an organisation that supports orphaned children, on a trip to the waterpark. The visit was part of a charity event organised on the occasion of International Youth Day as well as several other initiatives aimed at enhancing Saraya Aqaba Waterparks contributions to its community. During their visit, the children enjoyed various rides, slides and experiences offered at the waterpark. The Saraya Aqaba Waterpark team put together a fun-filled itinerary for the children to enjoy in the waterpark. In addition, the team organised several activities and competitions for the children, capping off their visit with a plethora of themed prizes and gifts to commemorate the visit. Chris van der Merwe, General Manager of Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, said: As an organisation, we are deeply committed to social responsibility and giving back to our community, and as such we were delighted to welcome the children from SOS Village at Saraya Aqaba Waterpark. Our teams rallied together to organise a fun-filled day for the children of SOS Village and it is incredibly rewarding to be able to draw smiles on their faces, sending them home with wonderful memories. Saraya Aqaba Waterpark officially opened its doors to guests in July this year, offering more than 25 rides, slides and experiences, in addition to family-friendly eateries and shopping outlets. Situated within the stunning Saraya Al Aqaba Residential City, Saraya Aqaba Waterpark spans an area of 28,500 sq m. A uniquely themed waterpark, guests can enjoy a bevy of memorable experiences courtesy of rides and attractions inspired by Jordans most iconic landmarks including Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, Jerash and many more. Saraya Aqaba Waterpark was developed by Eagle Hills, the largest developer in the Kingdom of Jordan and is currently managed and operated by Farah Experiences, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based Miral Asset Management. Farah Experiences is also the manager and operator of world-class theme parks and attractions on Yas Island including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and CLYMB Abu Dhabi. -- TradeArabia News Service 'Pakistan - The Hidden Treasure' Expo 2020 campaign was launched on Pakistans Independence Day in Dubai on the evening of August 14 with dance performances and unveiling of the Pakistan flag on Burj Khalifa. The crowd, which gathered at the Dubai Fountain area to see Pakistans flag on the worlds tallest building, witnessed cultural performances with high energy moves and dances on the song 'Hum Aik Hain' (We are One) giving a peek into the countrys participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. The performance was also a dedication to Expo 2020 Dubais vision of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, according to a statement. It carried well-integrated messages as the nation plans to showcase its vast opportunities in tourism, commerce & investment to global audiences during the six-month-long mega expo. The Pakistan Pavilion is designed to take visitors through a poetic narrative on the past, present and future revealing its rich history, culture and traditions, as well as the potential and possibilities for the future.-TradeArabia News Service WKCTC Employees Recognized During In-Service Event By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - West Kentucky Community and Technical College faculty member Corey Wadlington and Melissa Burgess were among six employees recognized during the college's recent fall faculty and staff in-service activities.Wadlington of Hopkinsville, the dean of the science, math, and computer information technologies division, received the Phelps Award, named in memory of Finis Sargent Phelps and Florence Grubbs Phelps. Established in 1991, the award emphasizes quality, promotes academic excellence, and rewards competence in teaching in the liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Wadlington, who has worked at the college for 17 years, has also served as a professor of mathematics and an assistant dean for transition education. He has held various leadership positions on several boards and commissions throughout his career, and he haspresented at several national and international mathematics conferences over the past year. In 2003, he was awarded the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Kentucky Colonel. Wadlington earned both a bachelor of science and a master of arts degree from Austin Peay State University. He also earned a graduate certificate as a chemical dependency counselor from Union College and completed graduate studies at Southern Illinois University and Murray State University.Burgess of Almo, the Pharmacy Technology and Health Science Technology program coordinator, received the Paducah Junior College Faculty Award, which was established in 1999. The award recognizes quality, competence and excellence in teaching in a technical field. Burgess has been a certified pharmacy technician for 12 years and a licensed veterinary technician for 23 years. She currently holds the position of President of the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association. Burgess, who has worked at the college since January 2016, was also recently awarded the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council Roy Kemp award, a nationalpharmacy technician educator award for excellence. She has presented at several conferences and is a member of pharmacy boards and committees including the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy's Public Health Committee, Kentucky Board of Pharmacy's COVID19 Pharmacy Playbook Taskforce and Medical Reserves Corps. Burgess earned a master of science degree in agriculture from Murray State University.Heather Rottmann received the WKCTC Adjunct Faculty Award. A native of Metropolis, Ill., Rottmann has worked at the college for 25 years, from coordinating the tutoring center from January 1997 - 1999 to her current position as an adjunct faculty member in the WKCTC math department. Rottmann has taught developmental math courses and transfer math courses of all varieties at the college. She also currently teaches at Vienna High School. Julie Thompson, math department coordinator, said Rottmannhas strong/positive relationships with her students and her students perform well on student learning outcomes for their respective courses, she strives to learn more about current technologies and teaching strategies and communicates with publishers to be sure her students have the best materials available. Rottmann earned a master of arts degree in teaching, mathematics for Murray State University.In addition to these awardees, Kelly Paul of Murray, Geelyn Warren of Paducah and Lorry Beth Wilson of Wickliffe were recognized as 2021 WKCTC Award of Excellence recipients.Paul received the faculty award. An English instructor, she has been a full-time faculty member at WKCTC since 2018, and had previously been an adjunct instructor for eight years. Paul also serves as the college's liaison for online instructors. She has participated in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System's (KCTCS) Optimizing Online Learning (KOOL) Academy. In 2020, she was recognized by her peers with the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Award for her online English 102 Writing II course for interaction/collaboration, course design, assessment and learner support. The national award recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the best in technology and learning. Paul earned a master of arts degree in English from Murray State University.Warren received the support staff award. She has worked at WKCTC since 2009 and has served in various capacities including a student affairs assistant and coordinator of financial aid prior to her current position as the coordinator of institutional research. Warren's job responsibilities include generating reports/providing training with the extensive database reporting software, analyzing/preparing reports, graphs charts, maintaining data integrity/security, coordinating/administering surveys, reports and questionnaires, and preparing special reports for outside entities. A graduate of WKCTC in 2008, Warren also earned both a bachelor of arts degree in organizational leadership and a master of science degree in business informatics/data analytics from Northern Kentucky University, and she is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Kentucky.Wilson received the administrative staff award. As the West Kentucky College Academy Director, she is responsible for dual credit enrollment at WKCTC, which includes advising dual credit students, monitoring their progress and working directly with high school counselors as well as home school parents. She serves on various committees and boards including the Dual Credit Peer Team (current chair), Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), Dual Credit Enrollment Advisory Panel, Kentucky Dual Credit Task Force and Commonwealth Education Continuum. She also serves as the commissioner of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). Wilson earned a bachelor's degree in business management, two master's degrees, one in guidance and counseling, and a doctorate degree in higher education/P20 leadership, all from Murray State University. Francis' appeal at the Angelus for the martyred Afghan population who are living in these hours of anguish because of the surrender to the Taliban. On the Solemnity of the Assumption, Mary's humility as a secret for reaching up to Heaven. Closeness also to earthquake-stricken Haiti. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Joining together in prayer that Afghanistan may find peace "in full mutual respect". Faced with the anguish of the civilian population over the surrender of the government in Kabul before the Taliban, Pope Francis made an appeal today from St. Peter's Square at the end of the Angelus. "I join in the unanimous concern over the news coming from Afghanistan - he said - I invite you to pray with me to the God of peace so that the din of arms may cease and solutions may be found at the table of dialogue. Only in this way will the tormented population of that country - men, women, elderly and children - be able to return to their homes and live in peace and security in full mutual respect". The appeal for Afghanistan came on today's Solemnity of the Assumption, during which the pope invited the faithful to turn their gaze to the humility of Mary. Introducing the Angelus prayer, the pontiff indicated this trait as the true secret of the Virgin. "The human eye - he observed - seeks greatness and is dazzled by what is flashy. God, on the other hand, does not look at appearances, but at the heart and is enchanted by humility." "Looking at the Assumed Mary, we can say that humility is the way that leads to Heaven. The word humility - the pope recalled again - comes from the Latin term humus, which means earth. It is paradoxical: in order to reach the top, in Heaven, one must remain low, like the earth." Francis invited everyone to make this teaching their own through some questions: "How humble am I? Do I seek to be recognized by others, to affirm myself and be praised, or do I think of serving? Do I know how to listen, like Mary, or do I just want to talk and receive attention? Do I know how to be silent, like Mary, or am I always chattering? Do I know how to take a step back, to defuse quarrels and discussions, or do I just try to excel?" "Mary - continued the pontiff - is the full of grace precisely because of her humility . For us, too, humility is the starting point, the beginning of our having faith. It is fundamental to be poor in spirit, that is, in need of God. He who is full of himself does not give room to God". Recalling the definition of the poet Dante in Paradise, who defines Mary as "humble and high more than a creature," Pope Francis dwelt on the days of the full of grace, which "were not very striking. They often followed one another in the same way, in silence: externally, nothing extraordinary. But God's gaze always remained on her, admiring her humility, her availability, the beauty of her heart never touched by sin." This is a great message of hope for all. "For you," Pope Francis concluded, "who live tiring and often difficult days. Mary reminds you today that God is also calling you to this destiny of glory. These are not pretty words, this is not an artfully created happy ending, a pious illusion or a false consolation. No, it is pure reality, alive and true as Our Lady assumed into Heaven. Let us celebrate her today with the love of children, joyful but humble, animated by the hope of one day being with her in Heaven". Along with the people of Afghanistan, Pope Francis also expressed his concern for also to the Caribbean island of Haiti, struck yesterday by a devastating earthquake with hundreds of victims. "I express my closeness - he commented - and may the solidarity of all may alleviate the consequences of the tragedy." On this Feast of the Assumption, he also dedicated his thoughts to those who cannot go on vacation because of their difficult conditions: "the sick, the elderly, the imprisoned, the unemployed, refugees, people who are alone and in difficulty, may Mary extend her protection to each one". Finally, he invited everyone to visit a Marian shrine on this Solemnity of the Assumption to venerate Our Lady. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. As a contemporary Romanian tragedy of bureaucratic manners, "Beyond the Hills" is full of moments familiar to anyone who's seen the best of the recent Romanian films such as "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu." There are always forms and paperwork to fill out, and those overseeing that paperwork ooze contempt for their victims, or disinterest in doing things correctly. The monastery's financial difficulties are rehashed through frequent discussions of buying on credit, the need for gas money, the no-win options available to those (such as Alina's thick-headed brother, who works in a car wash) who need a place to live. The first time an ambulance is called to the monastery, the nuns are told it's too far, and that they should instead pray for the increasingly violent Alina. Eventually hospitalized, Alina is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but she is told she can't stay because of overcrowding and renovations. "She needs to be kept away from stress," the paternalistic doctor (a mirror image of Papa, back at the monastery) informs Alina's keepers. The fatalistic Romanian sense of humor informs every frame of "Beyond the Hills." 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The saga of the laptop has been buried, and now another one surfaces. This time it allegedly contains videos of indelicacies on other wild binges by the president's son. The younger Biden claimed that someone took the controversial laptop in a Las Vegas hotel with others. It was not the only time he was out partying and kept content that would be considered inappropriate if leaked to the media. Hunter Biden expresses concern about losing another laptop 51-year old Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, is in the limelight again. In January 2019, he told a prostitute that one more of his laptops was taken by Russian in an alleged video reported the Express UK. I feel like Hunter whines to hookers a lot about his problems. Does he not know most people do that on Twitter all day and its 100% free? https://t.co/fNYKiYepIc Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) August 11, 2021 The Daily Mail claimed, they have the video where the binging first son said that he spends a lot of cash during a wild party. Hunter said that more than one person was involved in the raucous part that lasted several nights. He even said it's a crazy party, him expecting many people, but each night, nobody showed up noted the Paradise. Later Hunter's third laptop was stolen by Russians while dazed from booze and partying, not knowing it was gone. Read Also: Hunter Biden Sex Tape is it Legit? Chinese Website Claims Footage of VP's Son Not False Based on the story, the first son related how the laptop got lost. Hunter recalls going to the hot tub alone, which hangs on the edge over a see-through top floor, even said it was ridiculous. Hunter remembered sitting in the tub, relaxing with the lights out. He also remarked that passing out from a binge did not happen often. After getting knocked out earlier, a few people remained from the party, he noticed upon waking up. There was one guy called Miguel, who was getting his stuff in a hurry, and Pierce, his 'friend' from the party. Apparently, the partygoers were ejected, which caused a commotion, leaving the hotel room in disarray and prompting clean-up from the wild festivities that caused the huge mess. He added the two were about to leave when he got up. There was a 35-year old Russian woman, described as attractive and brown-haired, caught Hunter's attention. While passed out, she stayed, and no one was calling emergency services. They were not sure if the first son was dead or alive initially. Next, he mentioned several unidentified people, a dealer with two partners, who took the missing laptop, which was what they wanted. Hunter became agitated after he spent a lot to give the party of the lives. Lost laptop have info of US President Joe Biden What worried Hunter Biden more are the explicit videos stored on the supposed stolen laptop and more revelations about his dad. He admitted to having filmed himself in compromising positions that would damage his father's reputation. Stating what will be seen is the craziest video taken while caught in explicit detail. The first son added that computer cam got everything done during the wild party. But he always placed a passcode to protect it. Then, someone pretended to be looking for it, then got the computer and took it. Hunter's third laptop was stolen by Russians, as he claimed, and was unaware of it. He previously lost two other laptops which might have contained sensitive information concerning his father, President Joe Biden. Related Article: Hunter Biden Scandal Reports Have Been on the News Only After the Election @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Binance's notification of the suspension of its Korean service / Screen capture from Binance's homepage By Lee Min-hyung Korea's cryptocurrency market is undergoing a major reorganization to shift focus onto stablecoins and some large-cap cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum amid the introduction of toughened financial regulations. Under the Special Financial Transaction Information Act, which will take effect Sept. 24, cryptocurrency exchanges will have to report Korean investors' activities on their platforms to the Financial Services Commission (FSC). As it is unfeasible for overseas crypto exchange operators to meet the regulatory guidelines from the Korean overseer, a group of major foreign exchanges are on track to shut down their businesses here ahead of the introduction of the act. Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, was the first major overseas exchange to announce its decision to suspend part of its business here. The exchange notified Korean investors Friday that it would discontinue its trading services for local users here. Binance noted it would "proactively comply with local regulations" by discontinuing services here such as Korean won payment options, trading pairs and Korean language website support. Binance's decision to leave Korea amid the toughening regulatory hurdles here is expected to speed up the reshuffle of the domestic crypto market, causing minor cryptocurrencies to continue to lose ground, while at the same time enhancing the foothold of stablecoins. The Bank of Korea (BOK) also backed up this argument noting that stablecoins having valuations that do not fluctuate much, as their prices are linked to a fixed asset or fiat currency such as the U.S. dollar would expand their presence. gettyimagesbank gettyimagesbank By Lee Min-hyung Korean banks are expanding their commission profits by offering real-name bank accounts for their affiliated crypto exchanges. With large-cap cryptocurrencies showing signs of a strong rebound, sources said that the banks will see more profits in the third quarter of this year. For now, three lenders Shinhan Bank, NongHyup Bank and K Bank have signed partnerships with four local crypto exchanges, allowing users of the operators to engage stably in crypto trading even after a new cryptocurrency regulation takes effect next month. The banks had so far ended up gaining slight commission returns through the partnerships, placing emphasis on generating marketing effects by gesturing to investors that they are friendly to the emerging crypto market. A U-2S reconnaissance jet lands at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 10. Yonhap South Korea and the United States will kick off a major summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner on Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, after North Korea vowed to punish the two countries when they started a preliminary training last week. The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will not include outdoor drills, and the size of troops involved will be minimized in consideration of the virus situation, the JCS said in a statement. The decision to go ahead with the exercise was made in consideration of "the COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of the combined defense posture and the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace," the JCS said. North Korea is expected to bristle again. When the South and the U.S. started a preliminary exercise on Tuesday, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un blasted the drills as an "unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid." Kim Yong-chol, a senior North Korean official handling inter-Korean relations, also issued a statement the following day pledging to make the two countries "realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice." Pyongyang has long railed against such exercises, denouncing them as a rehearsal for invasion, though Seoul and Washington have stressed that they are regular ones that are purely defensive in nature. "It is an annual command post exercise centered around computer simulations that is defensive in nature," the JCS said. Since Tuesday, North Korea has been refusing to answer the South's regular phone calls via liaison and military hotlines in an apparent protest against the military exercise. The lines were restored late last month following a yearlong severance after President Moon Jae-in and the North's Kim agreed to improve their chilled ties amid little progress in nuclear negotiations. During the nine-day exercise, some of the drills will be conducted under Full Operational Capability (FOC) conditions "to maintain the progress on the conditions-based transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON)," according to the JCS. The two countries have been working for the OPCON transfer of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul, though no specific deadline has been set. An FOC test is a crucial step to check if South Korea is on course to meet conditions required for retaking the OPCON. It was supposed to be held last year as part of the allies' combined training, but the two countries failed to do so due to the COVID-19 situation. (Yonhap) President Moon Jae-in paces burning incense in an urn to honor the remains of legendary Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do, at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. The remains arrived in Korea on the occasion of the 76th National Liberation Day, 78 years after his death in Kazakhstan. Yonhap The remains of Hong Beom-do, a historic Korean independence fighter, were brought home from Kazakhstan on Sunday, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian nation. President Moon Jae-in received and honored his remains at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, as Korea marked Liberation Day to commemorate the anniversary of its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Hong, who served as general commander of Korea's independence army, is a historic figure in the nation's fight for liberation. He is especially famous for leading a historic victory in the Battle of Fengwudong, called Bong-o-dong in Korea, in northeastern China against Japanese forces in 1920. He spent the end of his life in Kazakhstan, forced to migrate there under then Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin's policy. He died in 1943 at the age of 75. His remains had been buried in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda. Moon formally requested cooperation for the repatriation of the remains during his summit talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the Central Asian nation in April 2019. The two sides initially agreed on the return of Hong's remains in 2020, the centennial anniversary of the Battle of Fengwudong. But it was put off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, Moon dispatched a special delegation, led by Patriot and Veterans Affairs Minister Hwang Ki-chul, to bring the remains home on a KC-330 special military aircraft. Moon made a nighttime trip to the airport, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook, to observe the national flag-draped coffin unloaded from the plane by an honor guard in a solemn ceremony. Moon and Kim then burned incense and paid silent tribute in front of the coffin. As the aircraft carrying the remains entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ), it was escorted by six fighter jets -- the F-15K, F-4E, F-35A, F-5F, KF-16D and FA-50 -- in a show of "utmost respect." The late general will be laid to rest at a national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday following an official mourning period. The Kazakh president is scheduled to make a two-day state visit to South Korea from Monday, during which he will hold a summit with Moon. Moon said in his Liberation Day speech earlier in the day, "I am very pleased that my administration's diplomatic efforts to repatriate his remains have come to fruition." He added, "I am deeply grateful to Kazakh President Tokayev and the Korean diaspora there for all of their cooperation, both emotionally and materially." (Yonhap) A postcard from 1912 / Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff On July 10, 1883, Korean authorities arrested an international ring of counterfeiters on a small island off the coast of Jemulpo (the former name of today's Incheon). The seven men four Koreans and three Japanese were found with several thousand units of counterfeit money (in Korean coins) and the tools of their nefarious trade. The four Koreans accused of the crime were sent to Seoul where, after a summary investigation, they were beheaded. Their corpses were left in the streets for several days, a gruesome example of the fate awaiting anyone else foolish enough to commit a similar act. As for the Japanese, they were held at the Japanese consulate until they were transported to Nagasaki aboard the British steamship Nanzing. Their arrival was duly noted by the editor of the local English-language newspaper who speculated that, "Probably the Korean government will press for a heavy sentence to be passed upon the offending Japanese." It isn't clear what punishment if any the Japanese counterfeiters received. I imagine those caught counterfeiting Japanese coinage would have been executed, but crimes committed in Korea against Koreans seem to have received lighter punishments. Most of these early counterfeiting operations in Korea seem to have been small involving only a couple of American dollars' worth of Korean coins. The islands near Jemulpo seem to have been especially favored by counterfeiters. An American newspaper correspondent and his Korean money in 1904 / Robert Neff Collection Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong, left, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, right, arrive at the Korea Furniture Museum in Seoul to attend a meeting, July 4, 2019. Korea Times file By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong was freed from jail on Aug. 13 after the government granted him parole. Leaving the Seoul Detention Center last Friday, Lee offered a public apology, saying, "I apologize for causing people great concern," and adding, "I am well aware of the concerns, criticisms and expectations on me." In line with Lee's apology, President Moon Jae-in said the same day that he is aware that there are pros and cons to releasing Lee, but added that he is seeking the public's understanding in accepting the decision as it is in the nation's best interests. The President's remark can be interpreted as suggesting that Samsung, which is active in a wide range of businesses, from chip-making to drug manufacturing, will play a significant role in improving the country's edge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee is being asked to keep pace with the pending issues the government wants to address, such as facilitating the COVID-19 vaccine supply. However, there are other industry views that Lee should focus more on strengthening the group's own competitiveness, so that Samsung's entire organization does not lose its focus. Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong speaks with reporters after being released from prison at the Seoul Detention Center, Aug. 13. Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul Following Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong being released from prison Aug. 13, attention is being paid as to whether the leader of the country's largest conglomerate will play a role as a "special vaccine envoy" to help deal with a supply shortage here. President Moon Jae-in said the justice ministry authorizing the parole was "a choice for the national interest," which could be interpreted as him expecting the Samsung chief to play a role in facilitating the supply of COVID-19 vaccines. Early this year, the government signed a contract with Moderna for 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, but the U.S. biotech firm halved its planned shipment for this month, citing production problems, causing a major disruption in the government's vaccination schedule. Researchers work on vaccine development at SK Bioscience's lab in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, last October. Courtesy of SK Bioscience Chinese entities engaging in 'illicit activities' to acquire key data By Kim Bo-eun Korea's largest organization of bio firms is issuing warnings against practices by Chinese entities attempting to steal technology vital to COVID-19 vaccines amid the pandemic. Concerns are growing as governments and private companies are rushing to secure patented technology on developing vaccines, some of which are willing to engage in "illicit activities" to acquire key data. The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (Korea Bio) alerted its 400 member firms last Friday about the ongoing offense against mRNA vaccine-related biotech companies here, by unspecified third parties. The organization said member companies have become the primary targets for various forms of attempts to obtain their trade secrets. These attempts have been seen in the poaching of employees by offering a significantly higher level of pay. Technology theft has also taken place through cyberattacks and phony offers from paper companies. The lobby group notified member companies via email about the latest incidents, and warned them to take precautionary measures. Korea Bio said that a Chinese company hired an employee of a local firm who was a key R&D worker, by offering two to three times the worker's annual pay. By hiring the employee, the Chinese entity was able to acquire documents on key technologies. The Chinese firm ended up producing the same and other similar products, which resulted in the local company's sales and market share falling. The bio organization said that another Chinese entity had attempted to steal key documents by establishing a paper company. The entity reached out to a local bio firm, proposing to set up a joint venture. The Korean company signed a contract but later found out that the Chinese firm had been a paper company that had been misrepresenting itself. Korea Bio also added that local bio firms have become subject to cyberattacks by entities located overseas. These cyberattacks began in the latter half of last year via malicious emails, ransomware and attacks on websites. The organization said key documents containing technological secrets have been stolen through cyberattacks. Theft of vaccine-related documents has been targeting not only local firms but entities around the world. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) stated last December that vaccine documents of Pfizer and BioNTech, which makes one of Pfizer's vaccines, were obtained by cyberattackers. The EMA said that the cyberattack led to the theft of local biopharmaceutical giant Celltrion's documents containing information on its Regkirona COVID-19 treatment. "Given the fact that we hold key technologies, we are keenly observing the situation for possible problems," a representative of a major biopharmaceutical firm said, Sunday. The latest attempts have led the government to devise measures for protecting local technologies related to key items, such as vaccines, semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries, which are being treated as matters of national security. Moves are ongoing to set up a law that will mandate government approval for the sale of a company holding key technologies. Currently, companies with technology that was developed without state R&D support can be sold without any such approval process. Government approval is also set to become necessary when companies based abroad make investments in local entities that hold crucial technologies. In addition, lawmakers are seeking to set up legal grounds that will enable local companies to set up contracts with R&D personnel, banning them from moving to an overseas-based rival firm. Talibant militants waving Taliban flag on the back of a pickup truck drive past a crowded street at Pashtunistan Square area in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in this still image taken from social media video uploaded on Aug. 15. Reuters-Yonhap Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government, officials said, as Afghans and foreigners alike raced for the exit, signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan. The beleaguered central government, meanwhile, hoped for an interim administration, but increasingly had few cards to play. Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women's rights rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. Helicopters buzzed overhead as part of an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Several other Western missions were also preparing to get staff out. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure. Instead, the Taliban swiftly defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military. On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but apparently remained outside of the city's downtown. Sporadic gunfire echoed at times though the streets were largely quiet. Workers fled government offices, and smoke rose over the city as embassy staff burned important documents. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatar's Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are "awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city." He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government. But when pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government. Taliban negotiators headed to the presidential palace Sunday to discuss the transfer, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, an official said. Abdullah long has been a vocal critic of President Ashraf Ghani, who long refused giving up power to get a deal with the Taliban. The president appeared increasingly isolated. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him without a military option. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them as "tense." Acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan sought to reassure the public that Kabul would remain "secure." The insurgents also tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldn't enter people's homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they'd offer an "amnesty" to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. "No one's life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the insurgents said in a statement. But they also warned no one to enter the area around the capital. Despite the pledges, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing. Rapid shuttle flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began a few hours after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad -- which had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands. The U.S. decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel, and an official said Sunday that American diplomats were being moved from the embassy to the airport. The official, who was not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity, said military helicopters are shuttling between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions. Internally displaced families from northern provinces, who fled from their homes due to the fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces, take shelter in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 14. EPA-Yonhap Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin / Reuters-Yonhap Malaysia's embattled leader will offer his resignation to the king Monday, a minister said, potentially spelling an end to his 17-month-old government and plunging the country into fresh turmoil. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has faced mounting pressure to step aside after losing his parliamentary majority, and over his administration's handling of a worsening coronavirus outbreak. He made a last-ditch attempt to cling to power Friday by urging opposition MPs to support him in exchange for institutional reforms but his offer was rejected. Minister Mohamad Redzuan Yusof told AFP that Muhyiddin informed lawmakers from his party during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur Sunday that he would tender his resignation. "He will hold a final cabinet meeting on Monday, then he will head to the palace to submit his resignation letter," said the minister in the prime minister's department. "We did try to convince him to stay on, but he said: 'We do not have the number of MPs.'" Muhyiddin told the meeting it would be up to the king who has publicly criticised his government to accept his resignation or not, the minister added. Malaysia's constitutional monarch formally appoints the candidate whom he believes commands majority support in parliament as premier. There has been speculation that, should he step down, a new government will be formed without elections due to concerns that polls could worsen the virus outbreak. But, with no clear successor as prime minister, there are likely to be days of political horse-trading ahead as MPs seek to form a workable coalition. Muhyiddin came to power in March last year without an election at the head of a scandal-plagued coalition following the collapse of a two-year-old, reformist government led by Mahathir Mohamad. But his government was beset by turmoil from day one it had weak parliamentary support, its legitimacy was constantly questioned, and Muhyiddin faced a serious challenge from opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim. Pressure mounted after a group of MPs from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the biggest party backing Muhyiddin, publicly withdrew support. The leader claimed some among them were angered because he refused to use his position to influence corruption cases against them. This includes former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in jail last year over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal. He is free on bail while appealing. James Chin, a Malaysia expert from the University of Tasmania, warned a change of government could impact their cases. "Najib and others facing corruption charges will not face any time in jail as long as UMNO are in the new government," he said. (AFP) Senior Secretary Department of Construction Management, School of the Built Environment Position Summary This position serves as secretary for the Department of Construction Management, School of the Built Environment. Under general supervision of the School Director this position relieves the supervisor from routine administrative tasks and provides essential frontline assistance to students in the School, faculty and guests. Supervise, train and evaluate student clerical assistant. Assist School Director with course development. Record and distribute minutes. Assist with industry partner visits. Order supplies and balance budget. Support student organizations in the School including the Master of Technology Management in Construction Management specialization. Under general supervision of the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs, this position is the university point of contact for the Ph.D. in Technology Management consortium. Essential Duties, Tasks and Responsibilities Greet visitors, answer telephone, make appointments for director, set up meetings, act as liaison between director and faculty and other administrators and other college office contacts, plus outside contacts. Screen problems and discuss with director. Provide needed material/information for directors meetings/appointments. Compose correspondence for director and faculty. Compose mail merges, various reports, presentations, policies and procedures. Sort and distribute department/school-related mail. Balance budget and P-Card transactions. Create requisitions, invoices, receipts and transfers in the universitys financial management system (FMS). Assist director in schedule development. Work to resolve time and room conflicts in schedule. Cancel classes or request new sections. Monitor the wait list for closed classes. Compile book orders on-line and request desk copies. Create and maintain independent study and special needs courses each semester for undergraduate, master and Ph.D. students. Track and register all Ph.D. students in the consortium into BGSU courses. Supervise student clerical assistant in daily routine of the office, duplication of syllabi, exams/quizzes, class handouts, distribution of student evaluations, faculty grids and advising times. Hire and approve student timesheets. Attend faculty meetings, board meetings and other department/school-related meetings and record and distribute minutes and agendas (as needed), send to faculty via e-mail and post as needed. Prepare forms for merit and tenure and promotion review. Order and maintain office/computer supplies, request service for copier/printer, laptops and projectors. Work with new full and part-time faculty in setting up offices (telephone, email, keys, etc.). Inform them of office policies, forms, copying, and final exam schedule. Support student groups in the School, with activities and events. Order supplies, food, vans, hotels, etc. for student group activities as they arise. Support and assist industry partners on their visits to campus to interview, instruct, support, etc. Email necessary information to industry partners before and after their visit to keep them informed with student contacts, events, etc. Liaison between contractors industry partners, students and department/school to make these processes run successfully. Support and assist faculty and students within the department/school by placing work orders, ordering supplies, maintaining equipment, typing, filing and other duties to keep the department/school in good working order. Maintaining grant budgets for faculty as needed. Is the main point of contact for all Ph.D. students in the Ph.D. in Technology Management consortium. Gains guest application from the student, registers the student in courses, contacts students with information needed, such as room contacts for final dissertation presentations, etc. Initial contact with potential graduate students in Construction Management specialization. Compose emails, create admission files, register graduate students for classes. Create independent study courses as needed. Assist with questions from pre- graduate students to post-graduate students. Assist graduate students in posting their final thesis to OhioLink and final project to ScholarWorks. Work with all college graduate students on GSO (Graduate Student Orientation) activities. Prepare GA contracts and coordinate with GAs regarding their assignments. Open and close department office at University-appointed times. Support the school in full-time faculty and adjunct faculty hiring processes, including coordination of candidate interviews/visits as needed Interact with and support other college staff as needed, and Deans Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor. This list of essential duties, tasks and responsibilities is not all-inclusive; individual will perform other related duties as assigned. Essential Competencies Knowledge of basic mathematical skills Knowledge of basic reading skills Ability to carry out verbal and/or written instructions Ability to effectively communicate, verbally and written Detailed-oriented and highly accurate Ability to work effectively in a team environment Ability to interact effectively with students, faculty and/or staff or the public and represent BGSU appropriately Knowledge of basic computer skills Ability to access and maintain document imaging systems, including scanning and filing documents Ability to accurately receive and disburse cash whether currency, credit cards, checks or other payment forms Ability to operate computers and peripheral equipment such as printers Knowledge of computer skills, such as MS Office, presentations, spreadsheets and/or database entry/query Ability to work in changing environment Ability to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities Ability to query, run reports and modify data in financial systems Ability to draft office correspondence Diversity Statement In addition to your cover letter and resume, you will be required to upload a written response to the diversity and inclusion question listed below. The Diversity Statement should not exceed 1 page that is double-spaced with 1-inch margins, using 12pt. font. Is there a way you envision diversity and inclusion playing a role in this position? Please explain your answer. Minimum Qualifications: Experience One-year related experience Education High school diploma or GED required. Salary Full-time, Classified staff position available. Pay Grade 25/$15.63. Full benefit package available. Deadline to apply: extended to August 27, 2021 To Apply For a complete job description & to apply for this position visit https://bgsu.hiretouch.com/ or contact the Office of Human Resources at (419) 372-8421. BGSU. AA/EEO/Disabilities/Veterans. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Bowling Green State University, please call 419-372-8421. recblid zyne9lt3k1o4npphx3bus683mwes5y The United Arab Emirates largest airline, Emirates, has announced that it will resume its flights to South Africa after several months of inactivity due to travel restrictions. The move comes in accordance with the UAEs easing of travel regarding 12 countries and is expected to accelerate travel and tourism for South Africa. In addition to flight resumption, Emirates has announced that the airline will increase flights to South Africa from daily to 11 weekly services, as well as increase interconnection to both Durban and Cape Town. By reopening services to South Africa, and offering discounted fares for those coming to African Energy Week (AEW) 2021 in Cape Town in November, the airline is reaffirming that events can take place in Africa in 2021. The fact that a Dubai-based airline is supporting AEW 2021 in Cape Town only further emphasizes that abandoning the continent for conference venues in Dubai is not the solution. With the resumption of fights and discounted offers for AEW 2021 delegates, Emirates is demonstrating a commitment to Africa. Emirates will comprise the premier mode of transport for AEW 2021, bringing delegates from all over the world to Africas premier energy event on the 9th-12th of November in Cape Town. The airline is particularly valuable, not only for AEW 2021 but for South Africa as a whole, as it connects the country with the world, in which resumed travel is expected to bring in a significant number of tourists and business travelers to Africa as the world reopens after the COVID-19 pandemic. We are excited to boost our services in South Africa, and have already increased flights to Johannesburg from daily to 11 weekly fights, including four linked flights with Durban, as well as Cape Town with three weekly services, stated Emirates on their LinkedIn page. The service resumption to Africa and discounted offers speak to the caliber of AEW 2021 as Africas premier energy event. The event has already seen a significant number of written confirmations being made by top African Ministers, private and public sector executives, and both national and international oil companies (IOC) worldwide. Notably, written Ministerial confirmations have been made by the Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Niger, South Sudan, Uganda, Namibia, Senegal, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, and South Africa. Additionally, written confirmations have been made by Germany, Russia, Alberta, and the United States, as well as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and African Petroleum Producers Organization. By providing delegates with world-class transportation to AEW 2021 in November, Emirates reaffirms its commitment to both African people and African business. Emirates resuming their flights to South Africa will be critical for Africas tourism and business industries and will significantly contribute to a COVID-19 recovery. By providing delegates coming to Cape Town with a world-class form of transport, and offering discounted fares as well, the airline will be a major contributor to the success of African Energy Week in Cape Town. Africa will host this deal making event and we will sign a lot of deals in 2021 and Emirates is emphasizing this. We will remain committed to the energy sector, and are excited to host delegates from all over the world, all thanks to Emirates, stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. The third edition of the Huawei ICT Competition has already kick started in Mauritius for worldwide tertiary students, with the goal of promoting the growth of the ICT talent ecosystem and facilitating the merger of industry and academia. Students from the University of Mauritius (UOM), University of Technology Mauritius (UTM), Middlesex University (MDX), Universite des Mascareignes (UDM), Polytechnic School, African Leadership University (ALU), Curtin Mauritius, Rushmore Business School and Open University of Mauritius are provided with the opportunity to participate in the competition where they will be able to access learning materials online and the certification portfolio sponsored by Huawei. Zheng Kui, CEO of Huawei Mauritius, Professor Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa, and Dr Dinesh Hurreeram, Dean of the University of Mauritius, were among those in attendance. Prof Hubert Gijzen complimented Huawei for taking such a step ahead in his address, which can play an integral role in equipping young people with emerging technologies. Dr Hurreeram, for his part, emphasized the exceptional cooperation that has existed between UOM and Huawei for years, dating back to 2017. Huawei has been given a fantastic chance. I would like more companies to be inspired by what Huawei is doing now, not only in Mauritius, but also around the world, he stated. According to Zheng Kui, CEO of Huawei Mauritius, Huawei has been present in Mauritius since 2004 and has worked on many lCT projects since then, unlocking the countrys economic potential. We are working with the government, industrial partners and academies to sensitize young people on the importance of ICT and encourage them to participate in a future sector and give them the necessary knowledge, he stated. The Republic of Mauritius is looking forward to the full reopening of its borders on 1st October, when vaccinated international travellers will be welcomed in without restrictions. Visitors who present a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours before their departure will be able to explore the island freely from the moment they arrive. At this time of year, visitors will find the perfect climate for enjoying the various outdoor activities Mauritius has to offer, such as hiking, kite surfing, water sports, as well as of course relaxing on the countrys world-renowned beaches. Mauritius opened for international travel in the middle of July. Currently, vaccinated guests spend 14 days in a special resort bubble hotel before going on to discover more of the Indian Ocean paradise. The approved Covid-19 safe resorts are available at: www.mauritiusnow.com The successful acceleration of the countrys vaccination programme has allowed Mauritius to progress with the full reopening and welcome visitors into a safe and secure environment. At this moment 1,322,232 vaccine doses have been administered in total to citizens and residents. The percentage of people vaccinated: first dose: 60% fully vaccinated: 48% The Mauritian government took the decision in January to prioritise tourism workers and hotel staff in the vaccine rollout to ensure visitors will be welcomed into a safe and secure environment in Mauritius. Arvind Bundhun, Director of MTPA, said: Mauritius is delighted to see the world opening up again for travel. We have been welcoming international visitors to our island since the middle of July and the resort bubbles have proven a great success. 600 We are looking forward to the next stage of our reopening on 1st October, when vaccinated visitors will be able to explore the island without restriction from the moment of their arrival. The safety and security of Mauritian residents, citizens and guests remains paramount. Airline capacity from Europe and the Middle East is currently provided by Air Mauritius, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Kenya Airways and British Airways. International visitors can currently book their resort bubble holidays either via tour operators or directly with the hotels. Unvaccinated travellers are required to complete a 14-day quarantine period in a designated quarantine hotel. For full details of entry requirements and safety protocols, visit www.mauritiusnow.com The Ministry of Health and Wellness inform the public that on Monday 16 August 2021 from 09 00 hrs to 15 15 hrs, vaccination sessions will be carried out at each regional hospital, to vaccinate health personnel, patients with comorbidities and persons with disability ONLY as follows: 1. Dr A. G. Jeetoo Hospital (Civil Hospital), Port Louis 2. SSRN Hospital (Le Nord Hospital), Pamplemousses 3. Dr Bruno Cheong Hospital (Flacq Hospital), Flacq 4. J. Nehru Hospital, Rose Belle 5. Victoria Hospital (Candos Hospital), Quatre Bornes Please note that: Persons attending the respective vaccination sites are kindly requested to bring their National Identity Card along with them. Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) on Saturday condemned the death of five children who were killed when a disused grenade they were playing with exploded in Ngala community, Borno State, that shares border with Cameroon Take risks, and a break by Raul Gallegos "Wall Street" by Terrapin Flyer, via Flickr Creative Commons, Copyright CC BY-SA 2.0 Wall Street Growth requires risk taking and comfort with change. Take risks, and a break When you make a living anticipating and mitigating adversity for others you have to learn to take risks yourself. I have been thinking about this lately because I recently took up a new professional challenge that is now taking me and my wife back to New York, again (this time with kids). I now work at the bond trading desk of an investment bank, focusing on the debt of emerging countries. A trading desk is an intense place full of raw energy where people buy and sell financial instruments, can smell doubt and fear in others, and where (it turns out) traders want insight into power and politics too. Change is not without risk. It is a new industry (a third sector for me) and I left a position where I was recognized as being really good at what I did, and where people appreciated my work. And of course there's a learning curve on Wall Street as well. All of it exciting stuff if you are comfortable with change and risk taking. The thing about becoming good at imagining adverse scenarios (what I like to call negative imagination ) is that you can end up being too risk averse. But you need to take risks and embrace change to grow. Thinking about this I came across a great piece in the Harvard Business Review about how to gauge if that new professional challenge or project is the right one for you. And one of the factors is it scares you just a little. Another important element is trusting what you know about yourself, based on a sound understanding of your abilities. So taking risks not only involves courage to take the plunge, but a certain degree of maturity too. The other thing I am taking is a break from writing the blog (you may have already noticed that). This professional change also means a bit of a logistical nightmare for me: moving from Colombia to DC and now to NY. Changing homes twice, finding schools for kids twice, among tons of other moving parts, all while adapting to a new job. So in order to keep my sanity amid this frenetic lifestyle, I am taking a bit of a hiatus from my blog posts this summer (and a bit into the fall) while my life gets back to normal and I cultivate new ideas. Wish me luck. What I am watching I thought I would introduce this section since I have sometimes come across watchable material I would like to recommend. I have been watching the Netflix show How to become a Tyrant , a six episode series that explores the lives and strategies of history's most ruthless dictators, and which derives lessons from how they wield power. The series delves into the lives of Adolf Hitler, Muammar Gaddafi, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, and the dynasty of the Kim family in North Korea. In many ways it is the video equivalent of the book The Dictator's Handbook, by political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, which I have recommended as an absolute must read for anybody interested in power, and frankly life. Mesquita makes an appearance in the series too and delivers a brilliant yet devastating line: What kind of person can be a tyrant?, he asks. I will give a very depressing answer: anybody can be a tyrant. What strikes me most about this documentary and the books I often recommend about power is that few people believe or like to believe that power can be wielded effectively for evil for long. People like to think that dictatorships like these are historical anomalies, and that well run, rich societies are the norm and can only get better. We can only hope. I guess this pervasive disbelief is why those of us who study and understand power will always have jobs. _____________ Like what you've read? Sign up for our list! If you would like to help us grow please recommend this to your friends and colleagues. Original article Raul Gallegos / Pondering Politics / August 13, 2021 / Raul-Gallegos.com raul.gallegos@gmail.com / http://raul-gallegos.com/blog Raul is a former Caracas-based oil correspondent. Director @Control_Risks. Political risk advisor to companies. Author of Crude Nation/Cuando se jodio Venezuela? (Spanish Edition) Petroleumworld 08/16/2021 Follow us in : twitter / Facebook Send this story to a friend Copyright 1999-2020. Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! 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 Welcome Guest! You Are Here: System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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Professor Karray will work closely with Professor Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, to develop the institutions academic and research strategy and implementation plans towards accomplishing the university's mission and vision. Professor Karray joins MBZUAI from the University of Waterloo in Canada, where he most recently served as the founding co-director of the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute. He is also the founding co-director of the Center for Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Additionally, he has held the Loblaws Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence. Professor Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, said: "I would like to welcome Professor Karray to MBZUAI. His considerable experience and expertise in AI will strengthen our research and teaching capabilities and raise the university's profile. From the beginning, our objective was to bring the best AI talent to Abu Dhabi and this appointment aligns with that goal." Professor Karray is a globally recognised researcher with interests in operational artificial intelligence, cognitive machines, natural human-machine interaction, autonomous and intelligent systems. Applications of Professor Karray's research include cognitive and self-aware machines, robots, vehicles, predictive analytics in supply chain management and intelligent transportation systems. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and a Fellow of the IEEE. He has also previously been an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer. Professor Karray said: "It is a privilege to join MBZUAI at a time when AI is playing an increasingly critical role in driving economic and social development in the UAE and elsewhere. I look forward to working with the rest of the faculty to further drive the mission of MBZUAI in advancing AI research and studies." MBZUAI has a strong Board of Trustees to advance its mission as a pioneering research university focused on AI. His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, chairs the Board of Trustees, with renowned AI researcher Professor Eric Xing as President. Other Board members include Professor Sir Michael Brady, professor of Oncological Imaging at the University of Oxford, UK; Professor Daniela Rus, Director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), USA; Professor Anil K. Jain, a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, USA; Dr Kai-Fu Lee, a seasoned technology executive and venture capitalist and Peng Xiao, CEO of Group 42.-- TradeArabia News Service UPS, one of the worlds largest package delivery companies, will operate a fleet of electrically-assisted cycles (eCycles) at the Expo 2020 Dubai as the Official Logistics Partner of the Expo. In 1907, two teenagers with one bicycle between them started a business running errands, shuttling notes and telegrams and making home deliveries. Eventually, their small messenger business grew to become what is now UPS. More than a century later, the company is getting back to its roots bikes. In April, the companys newly updated Fernhay eQuad, a four-wheeled e-assist quadricycle, arrived at Dubai International Airport to be used for demonstration and training at Expo 2020. UPS will use several of these eQuads and its three-wheeled Rytle eBikes to serve the logistics needs of participating countries and visitors during the six-month event. UPS is bringing best practices to Expo 2020 and were excited to provide logistics deliveries onsite with eCycles during the event, said Alan Williams, UPS Vice President for Expo 2020 Dubai. These new vehicles built on UPSs growing fleet of sustainable delivery solutions that improve air quality, decrease congestion and reduce emissions. Theyre also closely aligned with the countrys UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 and the UAE Green Agenda 2030. We look forward to continuing to identify more sustainable, productive and effective operations in logistics, during and after the expo, Alan said. These eCycles are ideal for navigating dense, highly trafficked areas. Trained riders will operate between the five UPS customer counters, country pavilions and onsite warehouse to deliver packages, documents and goods for replenishment. Zero-emission vehicles like these are a key part of UPSs commitment to helping create a carbon neutral future. The eCycles developed in partnership with Fernhay and Rytle are specifically designed to improve efficiency, rider ergonomics, speed and agility onsite, while also reducing environmental impact. Were optimising our fleet with innovative solutions that enhance future use cases, said Luke Wake, UPS Vice President of fleet maintenance and engineering. With continuous investments in alternative fuel technology, we really are moving our world forward by delivering what matters a cleaner and safer network and planet. TradeArabia News Service The Singapore Food Festival (SFF), a highly-anticipated event on foodies' calendar, returns for its 28th edition from August 27 to September 12, 2021 with the theme Savour Singapore In Every Bite. The only festival in Singapore dedicated to local cuisine and F&B talent, it brings foodies more than 50 gastronomic and drinking experiences on a hybrid platform. This is double the number compared to 2020s virtual edition. Live masterclasses, both free-to-view and paid, will bring international audiences up close and personal with some well-known chefs in Singapores culinary scene. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Director of Retail and Dining Serene Tan said: Singapore Food Festival 2021 showcases our vibrant culinary culture by spotlighting our people from established and rising chefs to everyday culinary heroes, wine experts and mixologists. "This year, we are inviting global audiences to indulge in Singaporean cuisine and learn more about our multi-cultural heritage through food. SFF is testament to the innovation in Singapores culinary scene, and our reputation as a global culinary capital. Foodies can also work up an appetite through curated walking tours to indulge in stories of culinary heritage and invention; uncover new flavours through recipe videos and explore Singapore through virtual experiences and docu-features, a spokesperson for STB said. There will also be Virtual Food Experiences in interactive formats for international festivalgoers. SFF 2021, which will take place in various locations across the city-state, is a highlight of SingapoReimagine, a campaign for travellers to experience new possibilities that redefine what Singapore has to offer.-TradeArabia News Service The Republic of Mauritius is looking forward to the full reopening of its borders on October 1, when vaccinated international travellers will be welcomed in without restrictions. Visitors who present a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours before their departure will be able to explore the island freely from the moment they arrive. At this time of year, visitors will find the perfect climate for enjoying the various outdoor activities Mauritius has to offer, such as hiking, kite surfing, water sports, as well as of course relaxing on the countrys world-renowned beaches. Mauritius opened for international travel in the middle of July. Currently, vaccinated guests spend 14 days in a special resort bubble hotel before going on to discover more of the Indian Ocean paradise. The successful acceleration of the countrys vaccination programme has allowed Mauritius to progress with the full reopening and welcome visitors into a safe and secure environment. At this moment 1,322,232 vaccine doses have been administered in total to citizens and residents. The percentage of people vaccinated with the first dose is 60% and those fully vaccinated make 48%. The Mauritian government took the decision in January to prioritise tourism workers and hotel staff in the vaccine rollout to ensure visitors will be welcomed into a safe and secure environment in Mauritius. Arvind Bundhun, Director of MTPA, said: Mauritius is delighted to see the world opening up again for travel. We have been welcoming international visitors to our island since the middle of July and the resort bubbles have proven a great success. We are looking forward to the next stage of our reopening on 1st October, when vaccinated visitors will be able to explore the island without restriction from the moment of their arrival. The safety and security of Mauritian residents, citizens and guests remains paramount. Airline capacity from Europe and the Middle East is currently provided by Air Mauritius, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Kenya Airways and British Airways. International visitors can currently book their resort bubble holidays either via tour operators or directly with the hotels. Unvaccinated travellers are required to complete a 14-day quarantine period in a designated quarantine hotel.-- TradeArabia News Service New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Delimitation commission has been constituted for Jammu and Kashmir and preparations are on for holding elections in the Union Territory, Prime Minister Narenda Modi said even as he did not mention any timeline for it. Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on 75th Independence Day, the Prime Minister also talked about Ladakh and the north eastern states. "The Delimitation Commission has been constituted in Jammu and Kashmir and preparations are on for holding assembly elections in the future," the Prime Minister said. He also referred to the abrogation of Article 370 and said holding the first-ever District Development Council polls in J-K reflects the country's determination. Talking about Ladakh, separated from Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of article 370, Mr Modi talked about the new Sindhu Central University. "On the one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand 'Sindhu Central University' is also going to make Ladakh a centre of higher education," he said. Modi also said that a new history of connectivity with the northeast is being written. UNI AO SB 1025 Dhaka, Aug 15 (UNI) The 75th Independence day of India was celebrated in Bangladesh at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commissions at Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Chattogram. The programme was attended by the members of the Indian community though the number was kept restricted due to the ongoing corona pandemic in the country. At the Chancery complex in Dhaka, the flag hoisting ceremony was followed by the reading of the Presidents address by the High Commissioner of India Vikram Doraiswami. Vatican City, Aug 15 (UNI) Pope Francis on Sunday said he shares the unanimous concern for the situation in Afghanistan" and called for dialogue to end the conflict there so that the people can live in peace, security and mutual respect. The Pope made the appeal in his noon address as the Taliban entered the capital Kabul, after overrunning major provinces across Afghanistan. "I join in the unanimous worry about the situation in Afghanistan. I ask you to pray along with me to the God of peace so that the clamor of weapons may cease and that solutions can be found at the negotiating table," he said from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square. Washington/Kabul, Aug 15 (UNI) United States President Joe Biden has authorised an additional 1,000 American troops for deployment to Afghanistan, taking to nearly 5,000 the number of US troops, to ensure an orderly and safe drawdown of US and allied personnel. In a statement, Biden said he has conveyed to the Taliban representatives in Doha that any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan, that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk there, will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response. He also said he has ordered the US Armed Forces and Intelligence Community to ensure that we will maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan. Chaos in Kabul; US Personnel Evacuate By The Associated Press AFGHANISTAN - Thousands of people packed into the Afghan capitals airport on Monday, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government. U.S. troops fired warning shots as they struggled to manage the chaotic evacuation.The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to a two-decade campaign in which the U.S. and its allies had tried to transform Afghanistan. The countrys Western-trained security forces collapsed or fled in the face of an insurgent offensive that tore through the country in just over a week, ahead of the planned withdrawal of the last American troops at the end of the month.In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the citys main squares.Many fear chaos, after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away, or a return to the kind of brutal rule the Taliban imposed when it was last in power. They raced to Kabuls international airport, where the civilian side was closed until further notice, according to Afghanistans Civil Aviation Authority. The military was put in control of the airspace.Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of people running across the tarmac as U.S. soldiers fired warning shots in the air. One showed a crowd pushing and shoving its way up a staircase, trying to board a plane, with some people hanging off the railings.In another video, hundreds of people could be seen running alongside a U.S. Air Force transport plane as it moved down a runway. Some climbed onto the side of the jet just before takeoff. That raised questions about how much longer aircraft would be able to safely take off and land. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 13:05:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Giant panda Jia Jia and its cub are seen at River Safari in Singapore, Aug. 14, 2021. Singapore saw the first giant panda birth on its land Saturday, said a press release from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Group on Sunday. The cub, 13-year-old Kai Kai and 12-year-old Jia Jia's firstborn, weighs in at an estimated 200 grams, though its gender is yet to be determined. (Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group/Handout via Xinhua) SINGAPORE, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Singapore saw the first giant panda birth on its land Saturday, said a press release from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Group on Sunday. The cub, 13-year-old Kai Kai and 12-year-old Jia Jia's firstborn, weighs in at an estimated 200 grams, though its gender is yet to be determined, WRS said the cub was born at River Safari with the help of Chinese experts. Despite being a first-time mom, Jia Jia's maternal instincts kicked in as soon as the cub was born, said WRS, adding that the mom and baby are in an off-exhibit den to give them time to nurse and bond. "Jia Jia's first pregnancy and the birth of a cub is a significant milestone for us in the care of this threatened species in Singapore. This is the result of good animal care, assisted reproductive science and sheer perseverance on the part of our staff coupled with valuable advice from the China panda experts. The work continues now with supporting the first-time mother to raise her newborn cub," said Cheng Wen-Haur, WRS's Deputy CEO and Chief Life Sciences Officer. Kai Kai and Jia Jia displayed signs of being in heat in April when entering their seventh breeding season. Working closely with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), WRS' animal care team initiated the breeding plan for 2021. To make the most of the once-a-year breeding season, CCRCGP experts advised Singapore's vets to perform artificial insemination before the end of the receptive period. The procedure was carried out by the in-house veterinary team at WRS' Wildlife Healthcare and Research Center, using frozen semen collected from Kai Kai before the mating season. Jia Jia's pregnancy was later confirmed through an ultrasound scan. The birth of the giant panda cub is "a joyful boost to the ongoing National Day celebrations this year," said WRS. As part of WRS, River Safari is home to one of the world's largest collections of freshwater vertebrates. It is also home to giant pandas as part of a joint collaboration between China Wildlife Conservation Association and Wildlife Reserves Singapore to promote giant panda conservation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 14:38:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GAZA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian health officials on Saturday expressed their deep concern over the sudden increase of COVID-19 cases in the besieged Gaza Strip following months of relative stability. Rami al-Abadla, director of infection control in Gaza's health ministry, said the ministry has noticed a worrying rise in the rate of COVID-19 infections and an increase of severe cases. "This is a warning that we will enter a new wave of coronavirus, and the number of cases increased again due to the lack of the residents' commitment to the precautionary measures," al-Abadla said. He said the percentage of people who wear face masks and maintain social distancing in public and indoor areas "does not exceed 3 percent of the total population of the Gaza Strip, which is more than 2 million people." No more than 10 percent of people in the Gaza Strip have received vaccines against the novel coronavirus, al-Abadla said, adding that "it is another factor for the sudden spread of the virus." He called on residents of the besieged coastal enclave to immediately get vaccinated, saying that "otherwise, there will be new restrictions, and a lockdown will be imposed in case there will be a high number of infections." Al-Abadla denied the emergence of the Delta variant in the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, the Palestinian health ministry reported 451 new COVID-19 cases, one related death and 166 recoveries from the virus in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 635,207 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including 427,979 who have received the second dose, the ministry said in a statement. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 15:25:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- In 2021, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has marked its centenary and the nation began to implement the 14th Five-Year Plan, getting off to a good start to fully build a modern socialist country. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, China has witnessed steady and sound economic growth since the beginning of the year. New progress has been made in the country's high-quality development, and the Chinese people enjoy a stable social environment. GOOD START In early January, President Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. He called on the over 190 provincial and ministerial-level officials at attendance to strive for a good start in fully building a modern socialist country. About two weeks later, chairing a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi reiterated the need to ensure sound economic and social development this year, as the "first step" of the 14th Five-Year Plan is crucial. According to Xi, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China should work to fulfill commitments in various areas, including the promotion of high-quality development, satisfying people's expectations for a high-quality life, and achieving sci-tech self-reliance at a higher level. The country has also begun to fast-track vitalizing the countryside. Xi demanded a steady pace to achieve progress. And progress does come about across the board, from economic growth to environmental protection, rule of law, and national defense. HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT Stressing the key task of fostering the new development paradigm and advancing high-quality development, Xi urged more efforts to achieve innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development. On top of the list of tasks in the 14th Five-Year Plan is strengthening scientific and technological innovation. This year, Xi has inspected several sci-tech companies, where he repeatedly highlighted the importance of self-reliance and self-strengthening in high-level sci-tech innovation. Hefty investments are already pouring in to power innovation and growth. In the first half of the year, China's economy expanded 12.7 percent year on year, while investment into high-tech industries surged 23.5 percent year on year. Green is a hallmark of high-quality development. On his inspections across the country so far this year, Xi has underscored the importance of eco-environment protection in each trip. Progress has also been made on other fronts. The country has expanded its opening-up with concrete measures, with a guideline to support high-level reform and opening-up of the Pudong New Area in Shanghai and a negative list for cross-border trade in services in its southern island province of Hainan, among others. FOR BETTER LIFE High-quality development should be firmly integrated with meeting people's aspirations for a better life, Xi noted. During his inspection tour of northwest China's Qinghai Province, Xi visited Tibetan herdsman Sonam Tsering's home, where he learned about the pleasant changes in Sonam Tsering's life and inquired about the herdsman's future expectations. "Let's work together for a better life," Xi said. In his other tours of rural areas, Xi has expounded on issues including common prosperity, rural industries and agricultural science. Policies to strengthen grain security, develop the seeds industry and modernize farming have been rolled out. In the first half of the year, the per capita disposable income of China's rural residents reached 9,248 yuan (about 1,427 U.S. dollars), up 14.1 percent year on year. The pace of growth of rural residents' income was 3.4 percentage points faster than that of their urban counterparts. To address problems of wide public concern, a series of policy reforms have also been carried out, ranging from easing the burden of students, optimizing birth policies, to improving the healthcare system. FOR A BETTER WORLD In 2021, humanity is still struggling with COVID-19 and its variants. The world is also facing rising uncertainties caused by unilateralism, isolation and confrontation. China has chosen to contribute its part for a better world. On August 5, in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, Xi declared that China will provide 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX this year. China's commitment was welcomed by the international community. The World Health Organization issued a statement, expressing gratitude for China's contribution and noting that the country's efforts "will help save lives around the world." On January 25, at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda, Xi called on the world to "let the torch of multilateralism light up humanity's way forward." "The problems facing the world are intricate and complex. The way out of them is through upholding multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for mankind," he said. To keep in close contact with the world amid the pandemic, Xi had 50 phone calls with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations this year. On July 6, he also met virtually with over 500 leaders of political parties and organizations in more than 160 countries, calling for shouldering responsibility for the pursuit of people's well-being and progress of mankind. "We believe that when the interests of the whole of humanity are at stake, China must step forward, take action, and get the job done," Xi said at the Davos Agenda event in January. TOWARD SECOND CENTENARY GOAL The year 2021 marks the critical juncture where the time frames of China's two centenary goals converge -- building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary and building a great modern socialist country in all respects by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary, which is expected in 2049. "Over the past century, the CPC has made extraordinary historical achievements on behalf of the people. Today, it is rallying and leading the Chinese people on a new journey toward realizing the second centenary goal," Xi said at the CPC's centenary celebration on July 1. However, the new journey is by no means a smooth one. In 2021 alone, China faced severe challenges on both domestic and international fronts. Floods hit central Henan Province causing heavy casualties. Multiple places suffered from COVID-19 resurgence. China battled headwinds in China-U.S. relations and guarded against foreign interventions in its Xinjiang and Hong Kong affairs. Still, under Xi's leadership and with a striving spirit, the Chinese people are confident in prevailing over all difficulties on the way forward. In April, visiting a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, Xi recalled the great spirit of the indomitable Red Army. "We should bear in mind such faith while striving to achieve the second centenary goal and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation," Xi said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 15:54:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, greets representatives of all who have participated in the preparations for the CPC centenary celebrations, in Beijing, capital of China, July 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- In 2021, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has marked its centenary and the nation began to implement the 14th Five-Year Plan, getting off to a good start to fully build a modern socialist country. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, China has witnessed steady and sound economic growth since the beginning of the year. New progress has been made in the country's high-quality development, and the Chinese people enjoy a stable social environment. GOOD START In early January, President Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. He called on the over 190 provincial and ministerial-level officials at attendance to strive for a good start in fully building a modern socialist country. About two weeks later, chairing a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi reiterated the need to ensure sound economic and social development this year, as the "first step" of the 14th Five-Year Plan is crucial. According to Xi, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China should work to fulfill commitments in various areas, including the promotion of high-quality development, satisfying people's expectations for a high-quality life, and achieving sci-tech self-reliance at a higher level. The country has also begun to fast-track vitalizing the countryside. Xi demanded a steady pace to achieve progress. And progress does come about across the board, from economic growth to environmental protection, rule of law, and national defense. HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT Stressing the key task of fostering the new development paradigm and advancing high-quality development, Xi urged more efforts to achieve innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development. On top of the list of tasks in the 14th Five-Year Plan is strengthening scientific and technological innovation. This year, Xi has inspected several sci-tech companies, where he repeatedly highlighted the importance of self-reliance and self-strengthening in high-level sci-tech innovation. Hefty investments are already pouring in to power innovation and growth. In the first half of the year, China's economy expanded 12.7 percent year on year, while investment into high-tech industries surged 23.5 percent year on year. Green is a hallmark of high-quality development. On his inspections across the country so far this year, Xi has underscored the importance of eco-environment protection in each trip. Progress has also been made on other fronts. The country has expanded its opening-up with concrete measures, with a guideline to support high-level reform and opening-up of the Pudong New Area in Shanghai and a negative list for cross-border trade in services in its southern island province of Hainan, among others. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with the Dawa Gyaltsen family at Galai Village of Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) FOR BETTER LIFE High-quality development should be firmly integrated with meeting people's aspirations for a better life, Xi noted. During his inspection tour of northwest China's Qinghai Province, Xi visited Tibetan herdsman Sonam Tsering's home, where he learned about the pleasant changes in Sonam Tsering's life and inquired about the herdsman's future expectations. "Let's work together for a better life," Xi said. In his other tours of rural areas, Xi has expounded on issues including common prosperity, rural industries and agricultural science. Policies to strengthen grain security, develop the seeds industry and modernize farming have been rolled out. In the first half of the year, the per capita disposable income of China's rural residents reached 9,248 yuan (about 1,427 U.S. dollars), up 14.1 percent year on year. The pace of growth of rural residents' income was 3.4 percentage points faster than that of their urban counterparts. To address problems of wide public concern, a series of policy reforms have also been carried out, ranging from easing the burden of students, optimizing birth policies, to improving the healthcare system. FOR A BETTER WORLD In 2021, humanity is still struggling with COVID-19 and its variants. The world is also facing rising uncertainties caused by unilateralism, isolation and confrontation. China has chosen to contribute its part for a better world. On August 5, in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, Xi declared that China will provide 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX this year. China's commitment was welcomed by the international community. The World Health Organization issued a statement, expressing gratitude for China's contribution and noting that the country's efforts "will help save lives around the world." On January 25, at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda, Xi called on the world to "let the torch of multilateralism light up humanity's way forward." "The problems facing the world are intricate and complex. The way out of them is through upholding multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for mankind," he said. To keep in close contact with the world amid the pandemic, Xi had 50 phone calls with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations this year. On July 6, he also met virtually with over 500 leaders of political parties and organizations in more than 160 countries, calling for shouldering responsibility for the pursuit of people's well-being and progress of mankind. "We believe that when the interests of the whole of humanity are at stake, China must step forward, take action, and get the job done," Xi said at the Davos Agenda event in January. At the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link and delivers an important speech titled "For Man and Nature: Building a Community of Life Together" in Beijing, capital of China, April 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) TOWARD SECOND CENTENARY GOAL The year 2021 marks the critical juncture where the time frames of China's two centenary goals converge -- building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary and building a great modern socialist country in all respects by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary, which is expected in 2049. "Over the past century, the CPC has made extraordinary historical achievements on behalf of the people. Today, it is rallying and leading the Chinese people on a new journey toward realizing the second centenary goal," Xi said at the CPC's centenary celebration on July 1. However, the new journey is by no means a smooth one. In 2021 alone, China faced severe challenges on both domestic and international fronts. Floods hit central Henan Province causing heavy casualties. Multiple places suffered from COVID-19 resurgence. China battled headwinds in China-U.S. relations and guarded against foreign interventions in its Xinjiang and Hong Kong affairs. Still, under Xi's leadership and with a striving spirit, the Chinese people are confident in prevailing over all difficulties on the way forward. In April, visiting a memorial park dedicated to the Battle of the Xiangjiang River during the Long March in the 1930s, Xi recalled the great spirit of the indomitable Red Army. "We should bear in mind such faith while striving to achieve the second centenary goal and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation," Xi said. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 17:19:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese banks saw steady expansion in assets in the first half of the year, data from the country's top banking and insurance regulator showed. Local and foreign currency assets of the country's banking and financial institutions totaled 336 trillion yuan (about 51.85 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of June, up 8.6 percent year on year, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. A breakdown of the asset data showed that large commercial banks accounted for 40.5 percent of the total, while joint-stock commercial banks contributed 18 percent. The country's commercial banks reaped combined net profits of 1.1 trillion yuan in the first half, up 11.1 percent from one year earlier. By the end of June, the non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.76 percent, 0.05 percentage points lower than the level at the end of the first quarter. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 17:32:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-seven elderly have registered to become body donors in a small community in east China's Anhui Province since 2002, making local news headlines. In doing so, the donors acted against traditional Chinese cultural beliefs about death and the preservation of dead bodies, as a popular saying goes that "our bodies, down to every hair and shred of skin, are received from our parents. We must not presume to injure or to wound them. This is the beginning of filial piety." The trend started with Wu Lang who died of gastric cancer in 2002 at the age of 82 in Hefei, the capital of Anhui. His body was donated to Anhui Medical University for research and educational purposes, as he had wished. "We first heard about body donation for scientific purposes from doctors when my husband was hospitalized," said Wu's widow, 90-year-old Ma Yixing. "He expressed his desire to donate his body when he was healthy because he believed that body donation was a gift of life." Before retirement, Wu was the head of the post and telecommunications administration of Anhui Province. "He had received a good education, so he easily accepted the idea of body donation," Ma added. Word about Wu's decision quickly spread across the community he lived in, which helped raise awareness about body and organ donation, especially among those who used to work and live with him. A number of people were inspired to register to donate their remains or organs in the following decade, including 83-year-old Wu Rongkun, who signed up in 2006. "Wu was the first body donor of our community, and he set a good example for me," said Wu Rongkun. "My wife used to be a doctor, so she has given her full support, knowing the significance of the act to science," Wu Rongkun said. In 2011, Wu's wife also volunteered to donate her body, and the couple set up a group, trying to raise public awareness about body and organ donation, together with their friends and schoolmates. Two years later, the Red Cross Loving Heart Society under the local Red Cross Society had grown into a group of 15, and Wu Rongkun took charge of the group. "Previously, traditional beliefs had held people back from donating their bodies or organs, as death and body donation were always considered taboo subjects, while nowadays, the idea has been increasingly accepted," said Wu Rongkun. In 2009, Chen Qingxiu, who signed up via Wu's group, made the decision after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But his two daughters initially opposed the move and refused to sign their names on the consent form. Chen's wife Zhu Xiufang said the pair ultimately came round to the idea, bolstered by the belief that their parents' corneas could restore the eyesight of a lucky recipient, and their bodies could help in medical research. Chen's body was donated to Anhui Medical University after he passed away at the age of 73 in 2013. Spreading through word of mouth and media reports, the Red Cross Loving Heart Society has become increasingly recognized in Hefei, and more people are turning to it to acquire more knowledge before they make the final decision to donate their organs and bodies. So far, 37 people have donated their bodies or organs through Wu Rongkun's group. Among the donors, the oldest is 92 and the youngest 52. Around 12,000 people in the province have volunteered to pledge their bodies after death, and about 1,200 donations were made as of July 2021, said Fu Jie, an official with the body (organ) donation center of the provincial Red Cross society. China started piloting its organ donation program in 2010. The number of registered organ donors in China has exceeded 2.5 million, according to the latest statistics from the Red Cross Society of China released in 2020. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 18:24:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zhang Ling (1st R) talks with villagers at a kiwi orchard in Qingkou Village, Dafang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 17, 2021. (Photo by Mei Yuanlong/Xinhua) GUIYANG, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The annual per capita income of Qingkou, a remote mountainous village in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has increased from 2,000 yuan (about 308 U.S. dollars) in 2014 to 12,000 yuan in 2021, thanks to Zhang Ling, 36, who spearheaded this gratifying change. Located in the city of Bijie, the village had long been plagued by poverty. In the past, the villagers were only able to earn a living by farming or working outside their hometown. In 2014, Zhang successfully started a business in the city, but later he chose to return home to help his folks get rid of poverty. Elected as the village director in 2017, he sought a solution to fighting poverty and eventually found a way to create wealth -- kiwi farming. The soil in the region is weakly acidic, which came as a natural advantage to kiwi plantation. However, villagers were initially skeptical about his idea as they reckoned that the land should be used for planting something that can fill their bellies. To dispel their doubts, Zhang persuaded his relatives and friends to grow kiwi fruits in 18 hectares of land as an example. The high altitude and large temperature difference between night and day in the region resulted in a good yield. The harvested fruits not only tasted good but also sold well that very year. The sweet outcome convinced the villagers that kiwi farming can be financially rewarding and they started to follow Zhang. Within a few years, the once barren hills were embellished with fruit trees including more than 120 hectares of kiwi plantation. The local produce was soon registered with the trademark "Qinkou" and it started to generate wealth for the villagers. Witnessing the village transform, Zhang knew he made the right decision of giving up urban life and taking a more challenging path. Fifteen years ago when Zhang was admitted to a university, the good news made his parents worried as they could not afford the tuition fees. It was donations from villagers that allowed him to get out of the mountains and attain higher education. "When you grow up, come back and help us," one of the villagers had said to Zhang, and these words were etched in his memory. After graduation, Zhang worked in many cities and gradually made his fortune. When he drove back to his hometown in 2014, the village still had no roads. His car got stuck in the mud and was pulled out by young men from the village. When he walked into the rural primary school, he was greeted by a dilapidated campus. He saw that second and fourth grade students were crowded into one room. Moved by these heart-rending scenes, Zhang decided to donate 50,000 yuan. But, the school leader said that donating money to children cannot solve the fundamental problem. The school leader's words evoked pensive emotions in Zhang. He knew it was time for him to pay back the villagers' goodwill from a dozen years ago and lead them to march toward a better life. With years of concerted efforts, Zhang's village was lifted out of poverty in 2019. Like Zhang, a growing army of young Chinese, with their professional skills and novel ideas of management, have returned to their hometowns, leading fellow villagers in building a more prosperous, beautiful and livable countryside. In late 2020, Guizhou announced that its last nine poor counties had shaken off poverty, marking the elimination of all 832 registered poor counties from China's poverty list. As China announced victory over poverty, rural areas, particularly those newly rising above poverty, have marched on a new journey toward vitalization. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:20:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Relief workers search the site of the fuel tank explosion in Akkar, northern Lebanon, Aug. 15, 2021. At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured on Sunday early morning in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar, the National News Agency reported. The Lebanese army said that the dead and the injured included army members and citizens. (Photo by Khaled/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured on Sunday early morning in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar, the National News Agency reported. The Lebanese army said that the dead and the injured included army members and citizens. Security sources were quoted by media outlets as saying that the explosion took place when the army was distributing fuel among citizens after having seized a fuel storage tank hidden by black marketeers in Akkar. Sources added that about 200 people were nearby at the time of the explosion. Moreover, the Lebanese Red Cross announced earlier in the day that its teams were still searching the scene. The High Relief Committee urged all international organizations in Lebanon to provide medicines, serums and other materials needed to treat the severe burn cases of the injured in the explosion. The committee's Secretary General Mohamad Kheir said that he has contacted officials in Turkey and Egypt to transfer some severe burn cases for treatment in these countries. Lebanese President Michel Aoun expressed his deep sadness for the incident, and held a meeting with the Higher Defense Council to discuss the latest developments. Lebanon, which is facing an unprecedented financial crisis, has been grappling with fuel shortages for months. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:50:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China urges Japan to earnestly honor its statements and commitments on facing up to and reflecting on its history of aggression, and act prudently on historical issues including Yasukuni Shrine, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday. Spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent a monetary offering to the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, several cabinet members and some lawmakers visited the shrine. "The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side through diplomatic channels in both Beijing and Tokyo to voice strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition," she said. The Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 World War II Class-A war criminals with heinous crimes are honored, is a spiritual tool and symbol of the Japanese militarism's war of aggression, Hua said. "What some Japanese political figures have done on the issue of the Yasukuni Shrine affronts historical justice and seriously hurts the feelings of people in the victimized Asian countries, including China. It again reflects Japan's wrong attitude towards its own history of aggression," she said. Hua urged Japan to make a clean break with militarism and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:52:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Sunday that Hong Kong's economy will continue to improve with the support of the motherland's package of measures. Chan said in his blog that taking into account the strong performance of Hong Kong's economy in the first half of the year, the HKSAR government raised its economic growth forecast for the year to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent from the previous 3.5 percent to 5.5 percent. Chan believed that as the COVID-19 epidemic situation in Hong Kong remained under control and also with the support of the motherland, Hong Kong's economy will continue to have room for improvement. Hong Kong's economy grew 7.6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, down slightly from 8 percent in the first quarter but marking the second consecutive quarter of rebound. Hong Kong's economy grew 7.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year, Chan said. Chan said thanks to the strong exports from the mainland, Hong Kong's overall goods exports have risen for four consecutive seasons, with a year-on-year increase of 20.2 percent last quarter. Meanwhile, the stable epidemic situation in Hong Kong has provided a favorable environment for economic growth, he said, adding that the fixed investment increased by 23.8 percent year-on-year in the last quarter and private consumption expenditure grew by 6.8 percent in the last quarter. As private consumption spending continues to improve, the unemployment rate in Hong Kong to be released later this week is expected to fall further from the current 5.5 percent, he added. The strength of the momentum of Hong Kong's economic growth will, however, depend on the epidemic situation in Hong Kong and other places around the world in the months ahead, Chan said. The financial chief also said that Hong Kong's jobless rate rose from 3.4 percent at the beginning of 2020 to a high of 7.2 percent at the beginning of this year due to the impact of social unrest and epidemic. Although the employment situation in Hong Kong has improved significantly in recent months, he said, it will be difficult for the jobless rate to fall to the low level in a short time unless the epidemic situation is completely controlled and Hong Kong resumes personnel exchanges with the mainland and the international community. Moreover, Chan said, Hong Kong must create favorable social and economic conditions, strive to maintain social security and stability, and avoid external political interference, so as to enable its economy to develop continuously. He said the country has made every effort to safeguard Hong Kong's security, stability, prosperity and development by enacting the national security law in Hong Kong and improving the electoral system in the HKSAR. In addition to the anti-foreign sanctions law that will soon be implemented in Hong Kong, these are all powerful responses to emerging challenges and are all for the long-term steady development of Hong Kong. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:18:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL -- Afghan acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said here on Sunday that "power will be peacefully transferred to a transitional government", local media reported. "It is agreed that power will be transferred in a peaceful manner to a transitional administration," he said in a televised message broadcast in local media. "People should not worry about the safety and security in Kabul," he said after chaos and disorder in parts of the city which were caused by rumors that Taliban militants had entered the city. - - - - DENVER, the United States -- July was the hottest month ever recorded in human history, according to new data from a U.S. scientific agency. "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded," Rick Spinrad, administrator of the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, said Friday in a statement. "In this case, first place is the worst place to be," Spinrad added. - - - - DAMASCUS -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday underscored production as the current priority to help Syria move forward following victories on the ground, according to the state news agency SANA. Speaking to the newly-formed government, Assad said the current priority is to support production and create job opportunities following the previous priority to restore security. "Security was necessary for establishing production, and today the opposite is right: production is necessary for supporting stability," he said. - - - - RAMALLAH -- A senior Palestinian official on Saturday condemned Israel's claim that it allowed the Palestinians to construct in Area C in the West Bank as "deceptive and misleading." Ahmed Majdalani, member of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organization, said in a statement that "the Israeli government is misleading the public opinion of the world." "Area C is an occupied territory, where Israel carried out mass demolitions of Palestinian homes, stole Palestinian lands," Majdalani said, adding that it violates international laws. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:30:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two batches of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines were flown to the Thai capital Bangkok on Sunday, boosting support to the Southeast Asian country's fight against its worst-ever wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand confirmed the arrival of the vaccines in a Facebook post, saying that so far China has provided 24.55 million doses of vaccines to help Thailand fight the pandemic. The vaccines came as Thailand is struggling to contain a months-long surge in infections. The country on Sunday reported 21,882 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 907,157. The cumulative deaths climbed to 7,552, with 209 more fatalities reported over the last 24 hours, according to the country's Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration. Thailand aims to vaccinate about 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of the year, with more than 7 percent of its population having been fully vaccinated as of Saturday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:39:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close URUMQI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will host and participate in three contests as part of the International Army Games 2021. Military participants from six other countries including Russia, Belarus and Egypt will join the contests involving infantry fighting vehicles, man-portable anti-aircraft missiles as well as nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance held in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The participants have all arrived in Korla of Xinjiang for the contests and will soon begin their adaptive training. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:41:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven senior members of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group were arrested by Iraqi forces in the northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said on Sunday. Based on intelligence reports, a force from the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) carried out an operation in the provincial capital Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, arresting the seven IS members under arrest warrants, a statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said. The arrested militants confessed their involvement in the terrorist group in Nineveh province, the statement said. The Iraqi forces recently intensified their operations against the extremist IS group as part of their efforts to provide a safe environment ahead of the country's parliamentary elections slated for October 10. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces defeated the IS militants in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:53:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt offered Lebanon its sincere condolence over the victims of the recent deadly explosion of a fuel tank in the Lebanese northern district of Akkar, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said in a statement. Egypt is preparing urgent medical aid to Lebanon and helping with relieving the consequences of the blast, the statement added. While stressing full support for Lebanon, Egypt calls for speedy measures to save it from a series of successive crises, and highlights the priority of the formation of a government in Lebanon as soon as possible, it added. On Sunday early morning, at least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Akkar, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. The fuel tank explosion came after the blast of the Beirut port on Aug. 4 last year, which was caused by the explosion of a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in one of the port's warehouses since 2013, killing more than 200 and wounding about 6,500 others. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 22:19:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Sunday commemorated the 76th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with Emperor Naruhito expressing his "deep remorse" over Japan's wartime actions at an annual mourning ceremony in Tokyo. "Looking back on the long period of postwar peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated," the emperor said, while also touching on the "unprecedented ordeal" inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Attending the ceremony for the third time as emperor, Emperor Naruhito made the remarks during the annual memorial service, as he did in previous years. Held in Nippon Budokan, the ceremony was scaled back due to the coronavirus, with around 185 people attending, the lowest on record since the government began holding the event in 1963, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made his first address at the ceremony since taking office last year, vowing to help solve the world's problems "under the flag of proactive contributions to peace." However, Suga's speech mainly followed that of his predecessor Shinzo Abe, with no reference to Japan's wartime aggression and atrocities in Asia. Abe sparked a backlash when he modified his speech to remove any mention of aggression and remorse after he took office in December 2012. Japan brutally occupied many parts of Asia before and during WWII, inflicting untold suffering to millions of Asian people. Historians said hundreds of thousands of Asian women, mostly from China and the Korean Peninsula, were kidnapped, coerced or duped into sexual servitude for Japanese troops during WWII. Apart from occupying neighboring countries during the war, the Japanese army also conducted experiments on victims, many of whom were still alive when all sorts of acts of inhuman cruelty were committed against them. There were numerous more heinous incidents carried out by the Japanese army that until this day have received far less coverage in textbooks, or in globally televised memorial services. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 22:49:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's government departments on Sunday resumed to work at full capacity as the health situation in the country is stabilizing following the vaccination campaign. According to the government decision, Kuwait will resume regular official work in all public departments and sectors as of Sunday. A total of 2,668,082 people, or 68.4 percent of the target group in the country, has so far received COVID-19 vaccines, Abdullah Al-Sanad, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said on Saturday. The vaccination rate of COVID-19 in Kuwait is expected to reach 70 percent by the end of September, the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said, adding that it will help achieve social immunity, which enables people to return to normal life. On July 18, the Kuwait's health authorities began to vaccinate children aged between 12 and 15 in preparation for the resumption of the school year. In addition, the Ministry of Education has decided to postpone the start of the school year for all students to Oct. 3 instead of September, in response to the proposal of the joint committee with the Ministry of Health to complete the vaccination of all students. On July 26, Kuwait announced the easing of the restrictions that it had imposed earlier to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the opening of all commercial activities except for gathering events, while preventing unvaccinated citizens and expats from entering public places, except for pharmacies, food markets, government institutions and hospitals. It is also scheduled to allow the return of activities for children, starting from Sept. 1. Meanwhile, Kuwait International Airport began on Aug. 1 to receive vaccinated expats after months of entry ban. In June 2020, Kuwaiti government suspended the work of part of its civil servants, including the pregnant, the disabled, and patients with heart disease, kidney failure, and cancer, as part of efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 23:17:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Yao Yulin, Gui Juan and Yuan Yueming ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- On the body of a stone statue of a mythical creature placed inside a mausoleum in Gongyi City, central China's Henan Province, a "waterline" traced by muddy yellow water is clearly visible. The relic dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) has endured wind and rain for over a thousand years but never before did any of the storms cause such a lasting impact. Starting from July 16, record rainstorms had inundated the province, killing more than 300 people with 50 others still missing. Multiple cities in Henan reported staggering precipitation. The region has been long renowned for its cultural relics, and emergency works were already going on there to safeguard the beautiful cultural heritage. Raging rainstorms had battered the provincial capital Zhengzhou for over 36 consecutive hours, affecting urban life. Traffic, electricity and telecommunication were all suspended due to the downpour. Part of its ancient city walls dating back more than 3,600 years was mistakenly reported to be washed away by the flood in Zhengzhou. "Fortunately, it was merely the protective layer of rammed earth that had been carried away," said Ren Wei, director of the city's cultural heritage administration. But the nearby archaeological sites were not lucky enough. The low terrain near the sites, coupled with deep excavation pits, made the sites vulnerable to waterlogging, seriously damaging major relics including building foundations and pottery kilns, said Liu Haiwang, head of the provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology. On July 22, an archaeological site at the Yin Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a workshop site that used to make pottery and bone artifacts in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) were flooded. "The waterlogging at the workshop site once reached 50 centimeters higher than the surrounding maize seedlings," said He Yuling, deputy chief of the Anyang station under the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Henan boasts more than 65,500 immovable cultural heritage sites, occupying nearly one-tenth of China's total, and over 23,000 of these sites are ancient architectures. Most of its cultural relics are ancient city and tomb sites -- most vulnerable during prolonged rainwash that often carries sundries in its currents. As of July 26, more than 400 sites, cultural relic institutions and museums had been affected by the heavy rainfall in the province. "I cannot save all the relics or guarantee that none of them would be harmed by the floods," wrote Tian Kai, director of the Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, in a social media post. "Luckily, five World Cultural Heritage sites in the province were safe and intact; no destructive damage has been found in Henan's protected cultural relic sites and relics preserved in our museums had not sustained any damage." The Zhengzhou municipal museum had just been moved to a new location before the devastating rainfall, heaviest ever in the city, compelled local authorities to activate its highest-level emergency response in the afternoon of July 20. The water on the museum's roof soon topped the ventilation pipes and ran down the pipes into the hall, recalled Guo Chunyuan, deputy curator of the museum. Ten pumps were rushed to the site, but they could hardly resist the crushing blow of the rainstorm. Museum staff members were tasked to relocate stone carving works on the ground floor and bronze ware on the second floor to the storage area upstairs. The rescue mission continued until the early morning of the following day. "Carrying a colossal tripod cooking vessel in my left hand and an ancient wine vessel in the right hand on my way up the stairs evoked a strong sense of mission in me," said Fan Xueyang with the museum. These museum workers are not alone in keeping China's past footprints safe and sound. Over 1,500 soldiers and volunteers worked concertedly to reinforce and raise the walls of the river dam as ancient city walls were flooded in Xunxian County. Meanwhile, the Longmen Grottoes site, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Luoyang, had nearly 1,000 staff members and volunteers help clean up the sludge and maintain its facilities. Rescue workers were also stationed on a bridge traversing the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, which links Beijing and Hangzhou, for a constant vigil, holding long poles to clear anything that might block the bridge's entry point. The Chinese government and people from all walks of life pooled relief materials and collected funds to support the rescue of relics. Pumps, display cabinets and other facilities were donated to the province to help facilitate restoration works after the disaster. The rain-ravaged Henan also sets people thinking. "Though some sites have reserved drainage channels in advance, their design can only handle precipitation a bit higher than the region's average annual rainfall. They are not capable of avoiding waterlogging in the face of surging water levels," said Ren Wei. The Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage has vowed to initiate a feasible post-disaster repair and protection work plan on the basis of sufficient investigation and research as soon as possible. "Cultural relics are central to the Chinese civilization, and none shall be easily discarded," said Tian. Enditem (Intern Fang Anran also contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 23:34:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL -- The negotiation is underway here on Sunday between the Afghan government and the Taliban on peaceful power transfer to a transitional government. Reports said that Taliban representatives had arrived at the Presidential Palace to hold negotiations with the Afghan leadership. Head of the High Council for the National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah is reportedly organizing the process, which was said to be intense. (Afghanistan-Kabul-Taliban) - - - - BEIRUT -- At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured on Sunday early morning in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar, the National News Agency reported. The Lebanese army said that the dead and the injured included army members and citizens. (Lebanon-Fuel Tank Explosion-Deaths) - - - - BUDAPEST -- A bus accident near Hungary's capital left eight people dead and 48 people wounded, local authorities said Sunday. "Eight people died at the scene, two were seriously injured and forty-six lightly injured in a bus crash that occurred Sunday morning on the M7 motorway near Szabadbattyan," said a statement from the Fejer County Police Headquarters. (Hungary-Bus Accident) - - - - ABIDJAN -- A case of the Ebola virus has been detected here in an 18-year-old woman of Guinean nationality, Cote d'Ivoire's Health Ministry announced Saturday. The Pasteur Institute of Cote d'Ivoire examined the woman's blood sample taken on Friday, and informed local health authorities on Saturday of the positive case, Health Minister Pierre Dimba said in a press release. (Cote d'Ivoire-Guinea-Ebola) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 23:46:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban ordered its members to enter the capital of Kabul. The Afghan president has left the nation, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, said in a video on his Facebook page, blaming him for putting the country into the current situation. He also called on the Afghan security forces to maintain law and order of the capital, and asked people in the city to remain calm. Local TV channel Tolo News TV also reported on Sunday evening that Ghani had left Afghanistan. His whereabouts remain a mystery. A senior Interior Ministry official said he was heading for Tajikistan, while a Foreign Ministry official said his destination remains unknown. The report came as the Taliban has ordered its forces to enter Kabul city. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, tweeted that as the Kabul police abandoned district police stations, the Taliban will enter the city to provide security for the countrymen and ensure law and order. A curfew has been imposed in Kabul starting 21:00 local time on Sunday to prevent violence. A negotiation has been underway on Sunday between the Afghan government and the Taliban on the peaceful power transfer to a transitional government. However, two Taliban officials told Reuters on Sunday there would be no transitional government in Afghanistan and the group expects a complete handover of power from the Afghan government. Reports said that Taliban representatives had arrived at the Presidential Palace earlier Sunday to hold negotiations with the Afghan leadership. Head of the High Council for the National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah was reportedly organizing the negotiation, which was said to be intense. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the BBC he could confirm there were talks with the presidential palace about a peaceful takeover of power. A Taliban spokesman said that the military group expects a peaceful transition of power "in the next few days". Earlier, Afghan acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said that "power will be peacefully transferred to a transitional government." "People should not worry about the safety and security in Kabul," he said. "No one's life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the Taliban said in a statement, adding that diplomats and aid workers will have no problems during this period, and the Afghan soldiers can return to their homes. According to the military group, foreigners could leave kabul or the country through the Kabul airport, or register their stay in the country with the group. On Sunday, U.S. embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopters, with key members working at the Kabul airport, the only exit route still in the government's hand. The EU staff in Kabul have been transfered to a safe and undisclosed place. Some other Western missions were also busily evacuating their staff, reports said. Inside the city, offices and buildings were deserted, and shops were shut down. Afghans were rushing to their homes or out of the city to avoid possible fighting in the city. Earlier on Sunday, Taliban fighters occupied the outskirts of Kabul, and sporadic gun firing could be heard in parts of the city. The Taliban issued a statement after occupying the outskirts of Kabul, saying they don't plan to take Kabul "by force". Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said that the outfit has ordered its insurgents to stay outside the capital and not to try to enter the city. Muhahid later tweeted that the militant group took control of Bagram prison at Bagram Airfield, 50 km north of Kabul, and released all inmates. "All prisoners were released and were transported to a safe place," he said. The prison homes about 5,000 to 7,000 inmates, mainly Taliban prisoners. The Bagram Airfield, in Bagram district of eastern Parwan province, has served as a main U.S. and NATO forces base for the past 20 years. Mujahid also said Taliban members had taken control of Bamyan city, capital of central Bamyan province at around midday on Sunday. Since the U.S. troops started to pull out of Afghanistan from May 1, the Taliban started to launch major offensives on Afghan forces. During the past 10 days, the military group has captured at least 25 provincial capitals of Afghanistan's 34 provinces in its blitz attacks, basically surrounding the capital of Kabul. U.S. President Joe Biden has defended his decision, saying the U.S. would dispatch 5,000 soldiers to help with the evacuation. A U.S. official said the country is unlikely to change its military strategy in Afghanistan. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said the British parliament will be reconvened soon to discuss the Afghan situation. Russia is calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the Afghan issue. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 00:06:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LANZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- As the sun rises, a sea of pink clouds surrounds the green grassland, with shadows of a row of mounted police appearing from time to time on the golden horizon. Tse-nga and a dozen of his colleagues start their daily training on horseback. Chasing, shooting and bayoneting -- two hours of skill training every morning has become Tse-nga's "compulsory course" for 18 years to better protect about 40,000 local herdsmen in Maqu County, northwest China's Gansu Province, where the first meander of the Yellow River flows. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of about 3,500 meters, Maqu once experienced a long, hard time working in public security management, as residents there live in scattered places. In the early 21st century, livestock theft occurred frequently in local pastures and inter-provincial border areas, causing a huge economic loss for herders. In November 2003, the grassland mounted police force under the county's public security bureau was established, in a bid to carry out security guard patrol and management on vast grassland and inter-provincial border areas. Tse-nga, who used to be a soldier, was among the first batch of the grassland mounted police. "Carrying tents and climbing mountains, we migrated with the herders all year around at first." "As thieves were afraid to take the main roads, we had to patrol the rugged and swampy mountain roads, making horses, the most primitive means of transportation, the safest 'cars' on the grassland," he said. According to the mounted police, they would scoop a ladle of water in the Yellow River and pour it on the Zanba, a staple food for Tibetans made of highland barley flour, whenever hungry. "When sleepy, the saddle would be our pillow and the coat as a quilt." Even after 17 years, Tse-nga can still remember the first case he dealt with. "One night in 2004, a herder came to the tent where we were stationed and reported his more than 50 yaks were stolen. We then chased the suspects to the provincial border overnight and seized the gangster who hid in the grass, retrieving the lost 250,000 yuan (about 38,600 U.S. dollars)." "The role of the grassland mounted police is obvious and long-lasting," said Song Wei, a senior official with the public security bureau in Maqu County. "Three months after the establishment of the force, the local livestock theft rate reported a yearly decrease of 70 percent. As the police, who are deeply trusted by the residents, have been eating and living with herders for many years, legal awareness of the locals has been greatly promoted." In recent years, living conditions in China's pastoral areas have undergone tremendous changes, with herders moving in brick houses during the winter and the mounted police force having a fixed station. "The number of public security incidents in Maqu County has been largely reduced, and the grassland police have ushered in a new phase of anti-telecom fraud," Song said. One afternoon in early August, Tse-nga and his colleague visited herdsman Dukar's home to update his family information and knowledge concerning telecom fraud. Last year, the grassland police helped the 41-year-old Tibetan herder find his more than 20 lost yaks. "The mounted police are a 'symbol of safety' on the grassland," said Dukar's daughter Tsering Lhamo. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 00:21:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has left his country before the Taliban ordered its members to enter the capital Kabul on Sunday. After a local TV channel reported that Ghani had fled, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan High Council for the National Reconciliation, confirmed the news in a video on his Facebook page, calling Ghani "the former Afghan president." Ghani will fly to Tajikistan and later head to a third country, privately owned Tajik news agency Asia-Plus later quoted an Afghan official named Sajad Nuristani as saying. Outside Kabul, after encircling the city for hours and claiming to wait for a peaceful power transfer, the Taliban outfit ordered its members to enter the capital. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, tweeted that as the Kabul police abandoned district police stations, the Taliban would enter the city to provide security and ensure law and order. No government official was available to comment. Out of fear of chaos and violence following the Taliban's takeover, an increasing number of countries are rushing their mission staff and citizens out of Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday in an interview with ABC that U.S. personnel are being relocated from the embassy in Kabul to the airport "to ensure they can operate safely and securely." Blinken said the U.S.-equipped Afghan security forces "proved incapable of defending the country, and that did happen more rapidly than we anticipated." However, he rejected the comparison between the current pullout from Kabul and the evacuation from Saigon in 1975, claiming the United States had achieved its mission in the Afghan war. Canada and Germany closed their embassies in Kabul on Sunday. The Canadian government said in a statement that its personnel were "safely on their way back to Canada," and would resume the Canadian embassy's operations "as soon as the security situation in Afghanistan allows us to guarantee appropriate service and adequate security for our staff." The German embassy in Kabul "urgently" advised German nationals to leave Afghanistan "as soon as possible" in a security advice on Thursday. Britain's House of Commons will be recalled on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, it tweeted on Sunday. Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov declined any evacuation of the embassy in Kabul on Sunday, saying, "We have always stood for a transitional government, of course, we will work." He added that Moscow does not yet recognize the Taliban as the legitimate authorities of Afghanistan. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Russia is ready to work with the transitional government of Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said in a statement on Sunday that the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul is extending necessary assistance to Pakistanis, Afghan nationals and diplomatic and international community for consular work and coordination of Pakistan International Airlines flights. Along with visiting Pakistani President Arif Alvi, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Istanbul that his country will work for stability in Afghanistan together with Pakistan in order to stem a growing migration wave from the embattled country, and called for an international effort to prevent mass migration. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 00:25:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Smoke caused by wildfire is seen near Jerusalem on Aug. 15, 2021. Huge wildfire near Jerusalem sent thick black clouds over the city on Sunday as hundreds of firefighters were struggling to subdue the fire, Israeli authorities said. At least 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Jerusalem area, a spokesperson with the Jerusalem police said in a statement. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua) JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Huge wildfire near Jerusalem sent thick black clouds over the city on Sunday as hundreds of firefighters were struggling to subdue the fire, Israeli authorities said. Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the fire consumed an unknown number of houses and public buildings in at least four communities in the vicinity of Jerusalem. No injuries have been reported. At least 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Jerusalem area, a spokesperson with the Jerusalem police said in a statement. At the Eitanim Hospital in the Jerusalem mountains, all of the patients and staff have been evacuated. Air Force helicopters and soldiers with the army's Home Front Command were called to assist in the struggle to contain the fire. The fire broke out amid a combination of hot, dry and windy weather. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 00:39:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Morocco announced on Sunday 7,380 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections in the North African country to 759,456. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased by 9,272 to 667,230. The death toll rose to 11,017 with 84 new fatalities, while 2,350 people are in intensive care units. Meanwhile, a total of 16,262,278 people have received their first vaccine shots against COVID-19 in the country, while 11,402,066 have taken two doses. The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccine. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-16 00:44:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday voiced the country's full support for Lebanon and its people in facing their exceptional challenges, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry. During a meeting with visiting Lebanese Defense Minister Zeina Akar, Safadi expressed Jordan's condolence over the victims of the deadly fuel tank blast happened in the Lebanese northern district of Akkar, said the statement. Safadi added that Jordan is ready to offer all kinds of assistance to Lebanon, including medical treatment to the injured who has been transported to Jordanian hospitals. The two ministers discussed ongoing efforts to enhance cooperation in the fields of energy, electricity connection, food and medicine security, as well as improve the level of cooperation between the two countries' private sectors. For his part, Akar praised Jordan's support for Lebanon in all international events, adding that Jordan has always helped Lebanon in all crises. He appreciated Jordan for what it provided during Lebanon's economic and financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion of the Beirut Port. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:29:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABIDJAN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A case of the Ebola virus has been detected here in an 18-year-old woman of Guinean nationality, Cote d'Ivoire's Health Ministry announced Saturday. The Pasteur Institute of Cote d'Ivoire examined the woman's blood sample taken on Friday, and informed local health authorities on Saturday of the positive case, Health Minister Pierre Dimba said in a press release. The patient had left the Guinean city of Labe by road, and arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday, Dimba said, adding she was "diagnosed and taken care of immediately" on Thursday by health services. "This is an isolated and imported case," the minister said, adding that the patient is currently in quarantine at the epidemic disease treatment center of the University Hospital Center of Treichville in Abidjan. The government ensured its citizens that "all measures that have been successfully tested in the past are (being) taken for the control of the disease," Dimba said. The government will promote the vaccination of front-line health workers, immediate contacts of the patient, and security forces at points of entry, Dimba added. During an emergency interministerial meeting held Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Patrick Achi, the participants decided to reactivate community event-based surveillance for Ebola, and strengthen cross-border collaboration with Guinea. On Feb. 14, Guinea declared a new outbreak of Ebola in Gouecke, a sub-prefecture in its Nzerekore Prefecture. There have also been fresh cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in its North Kivu province. The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak, which mainly hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, claimed over 11,300 lives, with more than 28,600 cases recorded. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 20:09:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The police in Zambia on Sunday appealed for calm following a spate of violence experienced in some parts of the country following elections held on Thursday. Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo said the police have observed an emerging tendency where violence has erupted as a result of others failing to contain emotions and ending up attacking those seen celebrating the victory of their candidates. "As members of the public continue receiving or waiting for results at different levels, we appeal to them to remain calm and celebrate their victory of their preferred candidates in a responsible and peaceful manner without breaching the peace," she said in a release. The police spokesperson said supporters of the ruling and governing party exchanged gunfire in the northern parts of the country on Saturday leaving one person with gunshot wounds, while a similar incident happened in Lusaka, the country's capital, while supporters of the main opposition United Party for National Development, were attacked by supporters of the ruling party as they celebrated the victory of their parliamentary candidate. She added that it was unfortunate that some people who had legally obtained firearms have begun abusing such firearms whenever they have political altercations. She has since warned people perpetrating violence to desist, failure to which they will be arrested. "We further warn those with intentions of causing violence such as damaging government and private property during or after the electoral process that they risk being arrested and prosecuted," she added. Zambia held general elections on Aug. 12 in which attracted huge turnouts. However, the announcement of presidential results has been delayed, causing anxiety in the country. The electoral body has since attributed this to the huge turnout of voters, and the large number of presidential candidates. Sixteen presidential candidates participated in this year's elections. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 14:36:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Taliban militants seized Maidan Shar, capital of Wardak province, on Sunday, a Taliban spokesman said. Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media that the insurgents captured the city, 35 km west of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, after government forces retreated to Kabul. The Taliban's claim can not be verified so far. The Taliban earlier captured Torkham, a key bordering point in Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan, and took control of Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad city, with no battles or clashes early Sunday. Some local sources in Khost city, capital of eastern Khost province, claimed that part of the city fell to Taliban early Sunday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 16:27:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan's notorious Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II, has sparked strong condemnation from neighboring countries over the years. Located in Chiyoda ward in central Tokyo, the shrine, open to the public 24 hours, is a symbol which reflects Japan's wrong attitude towards its history of aggression and sends a wrong message to the Japanese public about the country's heinous past war crimes. Yasukuni Shrine, seen by neighboring countries as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A convicted war criminals in WWII along with its historically inaccurate museum. It is a testament to Japan's past militarism and has long been a source of diplomatic frictions for Japan and its neighbors. Japan brutally occupied many parts of Asia before and during WWII, causing untold suffering and death to hundreds of thousands of innocent victims. Historians say hundreds of thousands of Asian women, mostly from China and the Korean Peninsula, were kidnapped, coerced or duped into sexual servitude for Japanese troops during WWII. Apart from occupying neighboring countries during WWII, the Japanese army also conducted experiments on victims, many of whom were still alive when all sorts of acts of inhuman cruelty were committed against them. There were numerous more heinous incidents carried out by the Japanese army that until this day have received far less coverage in textbooks, or in globally televised memorial services. Visits and ritual offerings made in person or by proxy to the infamous Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders, officials and lawmakers have consistently sparked strong criticism from and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during WWII. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's predecessor, ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe, was the last prime minister to visit the controversial shrine in person in December 2013, an act for which he was strongly condemned by China and South Korea, as well as the United States, who voiced disappointment with Abe's decision at the time. Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni shrine during the country's spring and autumn festivals every year since he launched his administration in 2012. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 16:39:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The media office of the Afghanistan's Presidential Palace on Sunday denied Taliban's attack on Kabul, saying only sporadic gun firing occurred in parts of Kabul. No attack has taken place in Kabul, the country's security and defense forces and international partners are providing security for Kabul city, the office said on its social media account twitter. "The situation is under control," it said. The Taliban issued a statement on Sunday, saying they don't plan to take Kabul "by force". Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said that the outfit has ordered its insurgents to stay outside the capital and do not try to enter Kabul city. "The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city," he tweeted. Earlier on Sunday, several private offices and buildings were evacuated, and shops were shut down after rumors and unconfirmed reports on social media that the Taliban had entered central Kabul, causing panic among the terrified. Reports said that Taliban fighters had occupied the outskirts of Kabul, and sporadic gun firing can be heard in parts of the city as of midday on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, the Taliban took control of Maidan Shar city, 35 km in the west of Kabul. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 18:16:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghan acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said here on Sunday that "power will be peacefully transferred to a transitional government", local media reported. "It is agreed that power will be transferred in a peaceful manner to a transitional administration," he said in a televised message broadcast in local media. "People should not worry about the safety and security in Kabul," he said after chaos and disorder in parts of the city which were caused by rumors that Taliban militants had entered the city. An Afghan Taliban spokesman also said that the group is negotiating with the Afghan government on a "peaceful transfer" of the capital of Kabul. "No one's life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the Taliban said. Taliban fighters have occupied the outskirts of Kabul, and sporadic gun firing can be heard in parts of the city as of midday on Sunday. The Taliban issued a statement after occupying the outskirts of Kabul, saying they don't plan to take Kabul "by force". Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said that the outfit has ordered its insurgents to stay outside the capital and not to try to enter the city. "The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city," he tweeted. Muhahid later tweeted on Sunday that the militant group took control of Bagram prison at Bagram Airfield, 50 km north of Kabul, and released all inmates. "All prisoners were released and were transported to a safe place," he said. The prison homes about 5,000 to 7,000 inmates, mainly Taliban prisoners. The Bagram Airfield, in Bagram district of eastern Parwan province, has served as a main U.S. and NATO forces for the past 20 years. Mujahid also said Taliban members had taken control of Bamyan city, capital of central Bamyan province at around midday on Sunday. The media office of the Afghanistan's Presidential Palace earlier denied Taliban's attack on and seizure of Kabul, saying only sporadic gun firing occurred in parts of Kabul. No attack has taken place in Kabul, the country's security and defense forces and international partners are providing security for Kabul city, the office said on its social media account twitter. "The situation is under control," it said. Earlier on Sunday, several private offices and buildings were evacuated, and shops were shut down after rumors and unconfirmed reports on social media that the Taliban had entered central Kabul, causing panic among terrified civilians. Thousands of Afghans are living in parks or open spaces, not knowing what's coming next. U.S. embassy staff have been evacuated by helicopters, with core members working at the Kabul airport, the only exit route still in the government's hand. EU staff in Kabul have been transfered to a safe and undisclosed place, reports said. Also on Sunday, Taliban fighters captured the eastern city of Jalalabad and the Torkham border post with Pakistan, forcing Pakistan to close the border point with Afghanistan. The Taliban also took control of Maidan Shar city on early Sunday, 35 km west of Kabul. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 18:29:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TASHKENT, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has detained and temporarily accepted 84 Afghan government soldiers who had crossed the Uzbek border and provided medical assistance to three of them who were wounded, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Sunday. Currently, Uzbekistan is in talks with the Afghan side on the return of Afghan citizens to their homeland, it said. The ministry added that the overnight amassing of Afghan government servicemen on the Termez-Hayraton bridge on the border over the Amudarya river was now defused and that the bulk of the Afghan citizens who had accumulated on the Afghan part of the bridge had left the bridge and the adjacent territory on their own. On Saturday, Uzbek railway men, who had worked on the Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif railway section, were brought back to Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Embassy in Kabul and the country's consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif continue to operate, and their staff have not been evacuated, the ministry said. The Taliban on Saturday captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the administrative center of Balkh province in northwestern Afghanistan, with media reports saying that part of the Afghan government troops had fled towards the border with Uzbekistan. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:18:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 1,300 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths from the disease, bringing the national counts to 182,591 and 903 respectively, the country's health ministry said Sunday. A total of 5,597 samples were tested across the country, and the latest confirmed cases were all local infections, the ministry said. The Asian country launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign in late February, aiming to cover at least 60 percent of its 3.3-million population. So far, 68.1 percent of the country's total population have received their first dose, and 62 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to the ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:45:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Laos has risen to 10,092 on Sunday after 198 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to Lao Ministry of Health. Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Lao Ministry of Health Latsamy Vongkhamsao told a press conference here on Sunday that 198 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded over the past 24 hours, including 186 imported cases and 12 local transmissions. A total of 5,874 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the pandemic and been discharged from hospitals. Laos reported its first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 24 last year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 22:41:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has left the country, head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council Abdullah Abdullah said here on Sunday evening. The Afghan president has left the nation, Abdullah, who organized the negotiation between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said in a video on his Facebook page. He also called on the Afghan security forces to maintain law and order of the capital of Kabul, and asked people inside the city to remain calm. Local TV channel Tolo News TV also reported on Sunday evening, citing two sources on condition of anonymity, that Ghani has left Afghanistan. Other reports said Ghani was heading for Tajikistan. The report came as Taliban outfit has ordered its members to enter Kabul city. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, tweeted that as the Kabul police abandoned the district police stations, so the Taliban will enter to the city to provide security for the countrymen and ensure law and order. No government official was available to comment. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 15:03:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Riders take part in a cavalry competition on the site of Battle of Waterloo, in Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium, Aug. 14, 2021. A cavalry competition named Memorial Trophy was organized by the Waterloo 1815 Memorial on the site of Battle of Waterloo on Saturday and Sunday. During the competition, some 30 riders will compete in several events like orienteering race, cavalry charge demonstrations, saber exercises while riding the horse, etc. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 19:04:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Laurel Toussaint was already exhausted by late morning on Friday, the hottest day of the year so far in much of Italy. Sitting in the shade on the edge of a fountain in Piazza Venezia, Rome's main square, Toussaint, a music teacher visiting Rome with a group of friends from Belgium, said the heat had sapped the group's strength. "I've been coming to Italy every two or three years since I was a kid," Toussaint, 39, told Xinhua. "But I've never felt this hot. It's too hot to be out; it just drains your strength. Within half an hour of leaving our hotel, we were already all dripping with sweat." The latest heatwave has sparked heat and humidity warnings across much of southern Europe, but Italy may be the hardest-hit part of the continent. Dozens of Italian municipalities have reported temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius this week, with several topping 45 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe -- 48.8 degrees Celsius, was registered in the city of Syracuse on the southern Italian island of Sicily. "What we're seeing is a combination of factors, including hot weather from the Sahara Desert in North Africa moving across the Mediterranean, multiplying the impacts of an already hot summer," meteorologist Antonio Sano, founder and director of Il Meteo, one of Italy's main weather sites, told Xinhua. Sano said that while Italy has always been prone to hot spells, the impacts of climate change and urbanization are making the periods of high heat more extreme and more long-lasting, especially when combined with anomalies like the arrival of masses of hot air from the desert. "We used to see heatwaves that would last four or five days," Sano said. "But we've been suffering from these unusually hot temperatures in Italy since the start of June more than two months ago." That hasn't been lost on Italian residents. Alberto Bonocchi, 49, a tour bus driver in the Italian capital, said he's noticed the impact of the heat when he works. "We've slowly seen the tourists return after the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic," Bonocchi told Xinhua. "But you would never know it driving around the city between around noon and 4 p.m.: The streets are deserted. Everyone is waiting out the heat in the air conditioning somewhere or the shade." Antonella Nuzzolo, 80, a retired shopkeeper, said the definition of a heatwave has changed in her lifetime. "When I was a girl, a temperature of 33 or 35 degrees (Celsius) was worth talking about," Nuzzolo told Xinhua. "Everyone would say, 'Oh, it's so hot today,' and we'd splash water on our necks to keep cool. Now, if it's 33 degrees in the summer, it seems cool compared to what we've seen in the last few years." Financier Erick O'Neal, 29, a native of London living in Zurich, made a similar point. "I've been telling my colleagues in Zurich that if they want to know what heat was they should come to Italy," O'Neal told Xinhua while waiting in line to refill his water bottle near Rome's Colosseum. "What we think is midday heat is cool nighttime weather in Rome." But there should be some good news on the horizon, at least in the short term. Roberto Morgantini, a meteorologist specializing in extreme weather phenomena, said Italy's current hot stretch will lose some of its potency by next week. "This is an anomaly but it will cool a little by next week," Morgantini told Xinhua. "We should see some cooler Atlantic air moving in to give us some relief, at least for a while." Still, according to Morgantini, the trend lines broadly indicate warmer summers going forward. "Next summer might be cooler than this one depending on the conditions," he said. "But overall, the baseline of what is considered normal heat is going to climb over time. The heat of this summer won't stand out over the long term." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 01:18:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- CBOT agricultural futures settled higher in the week following bullish U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) August Crop Report and the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report. Chicago-based research company AgResource's long-term view stays bullish. CBOT corn futures ended sharply higher as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trimmed the top end of U.S. yield potential. Given the expectation of record yields across the Eastern Midwest, yield estimates across the Dakotas and Minnesota align with prior drought years. AgResource holds the U.S. corn crop size will be 14.5-14.8 billion bushels assuming normal frost dates. While waiting for USDA September yield, increasingly market focus is turning to demand and whether total consumption exceeds production. AgResource maintains a bullish view on U.S. exports amid rapidly rising feed wheat prices and as Brazilian corn at 8.00 dollars/bushel simply can't compete for demand. The market must see elevated interest in U.S. supply, and this shift in demand to the United States hasn't fully occurred. Like a year ago, the USDA will lower U.S. corn stocks and stocks/use slowly but surely. Corn's bull run will evolve. A near-term range of 5.40-6.00 dollars is expected into October. AgResource is expecting bullish corn market developing before the October USDA crop report. Global wheat markets soared to newer rally highs as the USDA confirmed 2021-2022 exporter wheat stocks/use will be the lowest on record. The world has a major milling wheat supply problem, while global demand so far shows no real sign of slowing due to high prices. Price action will be more back and forth above 7.80 dollars, but AgResource fully expects wheat's long-term bull trend to be extended into late 2021. Russian farmers will be even more reluctant sellers moving forward. Milling quality supplies in Western Europe will be limited. Lingering dryness in Argentina is a concern as weather begins to impact yields more directly beginning in late August. Improved U.S. wheat export demand is probable this winter as there's simply nowhere for importers to turn. AgResource pegs a lasting bull at 8.50-9.00 dollars for wheat in November-January. Soybean futures were basically unchanged and firm at the end of the week. November soybeans were higher at the end of the week. Crop ratings held steady last week, but the main feature of the marketplace was the August Crop Production and the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports. The WASDE report held new crop stocks at 155 million bushels but had to lower crush and export use by a combined 40 million bushels. AgResource expects daily sales announcements to be a regular event over the next several months, and stays bullish on soybeans, with solid demand expected below 13.00 dollars. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-15 11:20:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A tour bus rollover in New York State on Saturday left dozens of people injured, New York State Police said. At approximately 12:41 p.m. local time (1641 GMT), New York State Police responded to a rollover crash involving a tour bus on a toll road in the town of Brutus in Cayuga County in central New York State, said the State Police in a press release. "A preliminary investigation determined the bus was traveling westbound in the area of mile marker 305, just west of exit 40 (Weedsport), when it exited the roadway for an unknown reason and rolled over onto the grassy shoulder," said the State Police. There were a total of 57 people on the bus, including the driver, all of whom were transported for treatment for injuries ranging from minor to serious, said the State Police, adding the cause of the crash is under investigation. It is believed that the bus was heading to Niagara Falls, a popular tourist attraction on the U.S. border with Canada. Enditem #PuertasAbiertas | Japon ratifica voluntad de seguir invirtiendo en el sector minero-energetico peruano. Nota de prensa ?? https://t.co/eD0TbOJIoU pic.twitter.com/LnBiDRGEbX Titular de la PCM se reunio con el gobernador de @GoreAyacucho y presidente de @ANGRPERU, Carlos Rua Carbajal, para tratar proyectos de construccion de hospitales, presas, articulacion vial Vraem, y reparaciones a las victimas de la violencia politica. #DescentralizacionEfectiva pic.twitter.com/doUVxkgocy Ghana welcomes survivors of 1921 Tulsa massacre Hughes Van Ellis (R) his sister Viola Ford Fletcher (L), and family members who arrived from the US are received by the Deputy Director of Diaspora Office at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra Two African American survivors of a century-old massacre in the United States were in Ghana Sunday with their grandchildren at the start of a visit to connect with their "motherland." Viola Fletcher, 107, known as 'Mother Fletcher', and her brother Hughes Van Ellis, 100, known as 'Uncle Red', are from the district of Greenwood in the Oklahoma city of Tulsa that was devastated in 1921 by a mob of armed white people. Up to 300 African Americans were killed in the attack on the area nicknamed "Black Wall Street" and some 10,000 left homeless when the district was set ablaze, leaving a vibrant economy in ruins. Fletcher and Ellis were accompanied by their grandchildren on a week-long trip to the West African nation, as part of a government campaign to attract people of African heritage abroad 'back home'. The siblings landed in Ghana's capital of Accra on Saturday with beaming smiles, waving from their wheelchairs to airport onlookers cheering 'welcome home'. "It's my first time on the continent of Africa and I'm just thrilled to be here," said Ellis' daughter, Mama. As they made their way out of the airport, the survivors were given flowers and sashes saying: 'Beyond the Return' - in reference to the government campaign launched in 2019, four centuries after the first slave ship landed in what is now the United States. "My grandparents are extremely excited to be home for the first time on the motherland," said Fletcher's grandson, Ike Howard. "If you havent visited Africa, this is the time to come." "We're in the middle of a pandemic but tomorrow is never promised to anyone." Viola Fletcher said she relives memories of the massacre every day. "On that first night, in 1921, I went to bed in my family's home in Greenwood," she recalled, in a statement published by the Diaspora African Forum. The non-profit organisation co-sponsored the trip with Our Black Truth, a social media platform where African descendants can learn about their history. Story continues "I had everything a child could need... But within a few horrible hours, all of that was gone," said Fletcher. "Now after all these years, Im so happy to be fulfilling a lifelong dream of going to Africa and I am so pleased that is to beautiful Ghana." - Symbolic titles - Ghana has long played a role as a hub of thought and memory for the broader black community. American writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou lived in Accra in the early 1960s. For Nadia Adongo Musah, from the government's diaspora affairs, the survivors' visit is just as historic. "I think this is one of the biggest historic African diasporans that have come back to us," said Musah. The family is scheduled to visit historical sites from the colonial era and receive symbolic titles during traditional ceremonies. They will also attend a church service on Sunday. For Musah, the visit is an opportunity to show Ghana is "open" and "safe". "107 years old and have the passion and interest to visit Ghana, not only by herself but also bringing along her younger brother who is 100 years old... I think this will go far," she said. In April, some of the last survivors of the Tulsa massacre testified before the US Congress and asked that the country recognise their suffering. No one was ever convicted over the destruction of Greenwood, and insurance companies, claiming that the unrest was the result of riots, refused to reimburse black victims. Marking the centenary of the massacre, President Joe Biden said he recognised that "there was a clear effort to erase" the event from the nation's memory. str-lhd/wdb That included Ryan's district as well as Republican Rep. Bill Johnson's eastern Ohio district and the Cleveland-area district of former Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, who resigned to join President Joe Biden's administration. Fudge's district, where Democrat Shontel Brown recently won the primary, is on the hunt for 94,000 more people. Ryan's district, though still voting for Democrats, has been trending toward Republicans in recent presidential elections. Republicans, who control redistricting in Ohio, could sort of dismember Ryan's district and place its residents in other nearby districts, said Paul Beck, a retired political science professor from Ohio State University. I think that district is going to be on the cutting boards. Ryan has announced his plans to run for the U.S. Senate. A lost Democratic district in Ohio wouldn't necessarily result in a Republican gain, because the GOP still would have to defend 12 seats that it already holds. Republicans are guaranteed to lose a congressional seat in West Virginia. That's because they currently hold all three seats, and one must be eliminated in redistricting. Lamborghini Countach is an iconic name in the history of supercars. The Italian supercar manufacturer has revived the badge after decades by bringing back the Countach into production. The automaker has revealed a retro-inspired, limited-edition 2021 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4. Also Read: Much-awaited Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is here in hybrid form The car has already grabbed the attention of the automotive world with its retro styling that is directly inspired by the original iconic supercar. The car will be made in a limited number of 112 units only. The Italian supercar brand also claims that all of the 112 units of new Countach have been already sold. Here are some key facts that make the 2021 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 special. Retro styling meets modern elements Lamborghini Countach is a legendary name in automotive history as it literally marked the birth of the supercar segment. Despite being basically a re-bodied Aventador, the car comes with design elements that remind us of the original model. The sharp and sleek front profile, sloping bonnet, flat and sharp looking headlamps are among some design elements that take inspiration from the original Countach. All-new Countach doesn't get the original model's pop-up headlights and massive rear wing though. Heart and soul of Sian The 2021 Lamborghini Countach gets the heart and soul of Lamborghini Sian. Unlike the original model, it gets a mid-mounted 6.5-litre V12 clubbed with a small electric motor powered by a supercapacitor. Combined, this hybrid powertrain is capable of churning out 802 bhp power output. The car is capable of accelerating 0-100 kmph in 2.8 seconds. Also, it can sprint to 200 kmph in 8.6 seconds. It is capable of running at a top speed of 355 kmph. This makes the new model the fastest Lamborghini Countach ever. Retro exterior meets a modern cockpit While the exterior design of the new Countach appears retro-styled from the1970s, the cockpit is full of modern features and technologies. There is an 8.4 inch HDMI centre touchscreen. The driver can manage car controls including Connectivity and Apple CarPlay from this. New Countach also gets a button called Stile. Pressing this button explains the Countach design philosophy to the user. The car has movable air vents produced by 3D printing technology and also has a photochromatic roof that can change from solid to transparent at the push of a button. Tata Motors plans to launch new models in the Indian market as well as expand its sales network so as to maintain its double digit market share in the domestic passenger vehicle market. The carmaker will drive in its mini SUV-crossover Tata Hornbill, that will be a size lower than the Nexon SUV, later this year. The company is also set to unveil new Tigor electric vehicle on August 17. The automaker also plans to add around 250 sales outlets across the country by the end of the fiscal in order to bring more customers to its fold and get additional sales volumes. "At the start of FY21, we had 750-800 outlets, today we should be around 920-950 outlets and we are continuously adding to this network," Tata Motors' President - Passenger Vehicles Business, Shailesh Chandra told PTI. (Also read | Tata Motors to unveil Ziptron-powered Tigor EV next week) Tata Motors made its way up to over 10 per cent market share in the passenger vehicle space in July this year after a span of nine years and now plans to maintain this position with a slew of measures. "Already four months are over and we are at a market share of 10.3 per cent. Still, we have two big launches lined up, including the Hornbill... we are quite confident of maintaining this position," Chandra said. Hornbill would be launched sometime this calendar year, he added. From producing around 11,000 units per month until last year, the company has now been producing 30,000 units this year thanks to a series of actions across marketing, planning and production. "Important part is that we have been able to service the demand which we have been able to generate with a slew of measures," Chandra noted. (Also read | Tata Motors to reward Indians who missed medal at Tokyo Olympics with Altroz) Demand for passenger vehicles has also witnessed a rebound after the second wave of coronavirus pandemic and Tata Motors has built a comfortable inventory for the festive season to make the most of it. "We have seen progressive recovery and we expect the upcoming festive season to be quite productive for the entire industry," Chandra added. However, the company remains cautious of the possibility of the third wave of coronavirus pandemic as well as the global shortage of semiconductor chips that could derail the progress. (with inputs from PTI) Bengaluru-based electric vehicle (EV) startup Simple Energy has launched its first electric scooter in the country at 1.10 lakh (ex-showroom, minus subsidies). The company has initiated the bookings for its flagship electric scooter on its official website at a refundable token amount of 1,947, symbolizing India's year of independence. The Simple One electric scooter will be built at the EV maker's plant at Hosur, Tamil Nadu that has an annual production capacity of one million vehicles per year in phase one. The e-scooter will be made available in a total of 13 states across the country in the first phase including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Goa and Uttar Pradesh, among others. (Check full list here) Simple One electric scooter battery, charger: The electric scooter from Simple Energy will come equipped with a 4.8 kWh portable lithium-ion battery pack that weighs over six kilograms. Its detachable and portable nature will make it convenient to charge the e-scooter battery at homes. The Simple Loop charger will come with the capacity to charge the Simple One electric scooter up to 2.5 km of range in a span of 60 seconds. The EV company will also install more than 300 public fast chargers across the country in the next three to seven months. (Also read | Simple Energy to deploy over 300 public fast chargers for electric scooters) Simple One electric scooter range, performance: The e-scooter will provide a range of 203 kilometres in eco mode on a single charge and 236 km in Indian Drive Cycle (IDC) conditions. It gets a top speed of 105 kmph and it can sprint from 0 to 50 kmph in 3.6 seconds and from 0 to 40 kmph in 2.95 seconds. The scooter gets a 4.5 KW power output and 72 Nm of torque. Simple One electric scooter features: The electric scooter will sport a futuristic design and will be based on a mid-drive motor. It will come with a boot capacity of 30 litres, 12-inch wheels, 7-inch customizable digital dashboard, on-board navigation, geo-fencing, SOS message, document storage, tyre pressure monitoring system and Bluetooth connectivity. The Simple One e-scooter comes in four colour options - Red, White, Black and Blue. Simple One e-scooter will rival the electric scooters from Ather, Hero Electric, Okinawa and Ola. Share Via Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) Local government units and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) must have interoperability to be able to solve the lack of a unified COVID-19 vaccination card, which now affects overseas Filipino workers, Vice President Leni Robredo said. "Sana this early, magkaroon ng isang database sa buong bansa nang mga nababakunahan," she said during her radio show on Sunday. [Translation: It would be good if this early, there will be a nationwide database of vaccinated people.] Robredo said that once such a system is in place, the LGUs and the BOQ must coordinate on the issuance of a unified vaccination card, allowing those Filipinos who will get their second coronavirus shot to secure the card at the inoculation sites. "Kasi kung sa Bureau of Quarantine lang, ilang buwan na naman maghihintay kasi magveverify pa sa database ng LGUs," Robredo said. [Translation: Because if it's just the Bureau of Quarantine, it will take a few more months because they will need to verify the with the database of LGUs.] Robredo made the suggestion after the Hong Kong government refused to recognize the vaccination cards of OFWs issued by Philippine LGUs. READ: Hong Kong won't honor PH vaccination cards, but govt agency fixing documents In a briefing on Saturday, BOQ Director Roberto Salvador said international travelers may apply for the World Health Organization-recognized International Vaccine Certificate or "yellow card". Salvador said they are targeting to issue digital vaccination certificates next month. (CNN) The Haitian government declared a state of emergency after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the country Saturday, leaving at least 1,297 people dead, according to Jerry Chandler, head of Haiti's civil protection agency. More than 2,800 people have been injured. The majority of deaths occurred in the south of the country, where 500 people are known to have died. The quake destroyed 2,868 homes and damaged another 5,410, officials from the agency said. The destruction has also pushed hospitals to the brink and blocked roads that would carry vital supplies. "When it comes to medical needs, this is our biggest urgency. We have started to send medications and medical personnel to the facilities that are affected," Prime Minister Ariel Henry said. "For the people who need urgent special care, we have evacuated a certain number of them, and we will evacuate some more today and tomorrow." The state of emergency is in effect for the Western Department, Southern Department, Nippes and Grand'Anse. The earthquake struck at 8:30 a.m. about 10 kilometers deep, with its epicenter about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud in the southwest part of the country. The location was about 60 miles west of the disastrous 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed an estimated 220,000 to 300,000 people. Saturday's quake was far less damaging than the one in 2010. A United Nations reconnaissance mission to the affected areas found "less significant damages than initially expected," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Sunday. "The most urgent humanitarian needs are expected to be linked to the provision of medical assistance and water, sanitation and hygiene," the organization said. Amethyste Arcelius, an administrator at Immaculate Conception Hospital in Les Cayes, told CNN on Sunday that he was expecting a massive wave of victims, including many from the city's outer areas who were not able to travel Saturday, or who were too afraid of further aftershocks to try to seek medical help. "We are starting to receive help from NGOs and from the government, but it's far from enough. We desperately need x-ray film," Arcelius said. The hospital currently has 500 earthquake victims, many with broken feet and limbs, as well as head injuries. The earthquake is just the latest challenge for the struggling country, which is still dealing with fallout from the 2010 earthquake. The assassination of President Jovenel Moise last month, which has not yet been solved or properly explained, has added further instability to a country in crisis. "We're concerned that this earthquake is just one more crisis on top of what the country is already facing -- including the worsening political stalemate after the president's assassination, COVID and food insecurity," Jean-Wickens Merone, a spokesman with World Vision Haiti, said in a statement. In addition, Haiti is likely to experience high winds and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Grace on Monday into Tuesday, CNN Meteorologist Haley Brink said. That rain could lead to flooding and mudslides, furthering complicating the recovery efforts. The entire coast of Haiti is under a tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within about 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. Videos offer glimpse of destruction Videos posted on social media offer a glimpse of the widespread destruction after the earthquake. One from Les Cayes shows a street strewn with rubble and what is left of a number of buildings. Dust fills the air. A man in the video said that he was lucky that the building he was in did not collapse, but many other houses in the area did. "There are a lot of wounded on the street," he said. Eveline Dominique Cherie, a UNICEF worker from Les Cayes, told CNN Sunday the earthquake was so strong, "the house shook without stopping." "I had to rush my children out of their room into the street. Happily, it didn't fall. In the moments afterward the street was crowded with people who had fled their homes, injuries everywhere, so many collapsed houses," Cherie said. One hospital in the southern city of Jeremie said it is overwhelmed with patients and has set up tents in its courtyard. "There are a lot of people coming in -- a lot of people," an administrator at Hopital Saint Antoine told CNN. "We don't have enough supplies." Merone, the World Vision Haiti spokesman, said he was in Port-au-Prince, about 100 miles from Saint-Louis-du-Sud, during the earthquake. He said the shaking there lasted "more than five to ten seconds," and both sides of his house were shaking. A 5.2-magnitude aftershock hit later Saturday morning about 20 kilometers west-northwest of Cavaillon, Haiti, according to the USGS. That was followed by several more, including a 5.1-magnitude aftershock around noon. A tsunami threat that had been issued for the region has passed, according to the US Tsunami Warning System. Since June, armed gang violence has cut off some areas affected by the quake, making the aftermath a logistical challenge, Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald, told CNN. "This is a country that doesn't have access to helicopters, other than what the United Nations has. So logistically this is a huge challenge," Charles told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. Prime minister urged Haitians to band together Henry, the Haitian Prime Minister, arrived at Grand'Anse on Saturday evening to assess the extent of the damage and better coordinate the government response, he said in a Twitter post. "Resources have been mobilized since this morning to provide aid and assistance to the victims of this devastating earthquake," he added. Henry urged Haitians to band together in solidarity. "I offer my sympathies to the relatives of the victims of this violent earthquake which caused several losses of human lives and property in several geographical departments of the country," Henry tweeted. "I appeal to the spirit of solidarity and commitment of all Haitians, in order to form a common front to face this dramatic situation that we are currently experiencing," another tweet read. Martine Moise, the former first lady of Haiti, said her heart "hurts" after receiving news about the earthquake. "The initial information that I have received from Grand'Anse is heart-wrenching," she said. "It hurts my heart for the kids, the mothers, the elderlies, the handicaps, my friends, and all the victims of this earthquake." "My brothers and sisters, we have to put our shoulders together to come together to demonstrate our solidarity. It is our togetherness that makes up our strength and resilience. Courage, I will always be by your side," Moise added. US and other countries offer aid In a statement on Saturday, US President Joe Biden said he was "saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti, this morning." "We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed," the statement said. "I have authorized an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort." Power said on Twitter Saturday night she authorized the deployment of a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team to Haiti and is coordinating with the Haitian government to assist the country. The Red Cross' emergency response system has been activated and the organization is "identifying urgent needs on the ground," American Red Cross spokeswoman Katie Wilkes said. Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is preparing to receive patients at Tabarre Hospital in Port-au-Prince, MSF Commucation Adviser Tim Shenk said. Several Latin American countries said they also were preparing to support Haiti. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said on Twitter Saturday his government has contacted Haitian authorities and is preparing to send humanitarian aid. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also said on Twitter he has ordered the National Coordination of Civil Protection and other ministries like Foreign Affairs, Navy, and Defense to prepare help "immediately." The Foreign Ministry of Panama announced it was preparing to send humanitarian aid soon and in the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader said he gave instructions to the foreign minister to call the Haitian counterpart to "facilitate any help within our possibilities." Colombia's President Ivan Duque said the Air Force will be deployed to Haiti on Sunday carrying a team specialized in search and rescue. "It will be 18 tonnes of equipment to fulfill their mission: save lives," he said in a Saturday tweet. Other countries including Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela also expressed their support for Haiti. (CNN) Tesla CEO Elon Musk got $0 in pay in 2020, according to a company filing, but he did receive stock options during the year that are now worth $22 billion. The filing is accurate Musk received no base pay during the year. That's in keeping with past practice at the company, although in prior filings, Tesla reported what Musk would have earned had he received California's minimum wage. For 2019 that came to $23,760. "However, he has never accepted his salary," said the company in it's filing late Friday. "Commencing in May 2019 at Mr. Musk's request, we eliminated altogether the earning and accrual of this base salary." Tesla did report the value of Musk's massive options package, but that was back in 2018, when the deal that grants him the stock options was first approved by shareholders. That valuation, which was done using widely accepted methods, proved to be very conservative, as it put the value of the options at only $2.3 billion. Under the compensation arrangement, Musk is eligible for options to buy up to 101 million split-adjusted shares of stock at an exercise price of $70.01 each. Those are being distributed in 12 equal tranches of 8.4 million options, based on the company hitting both financial milestones and achieving certain stock valuation targets. Those stock targets were all easily hit during the course of 2020 as Tesla shares soared 743%, making it the best performing US stock and by far the most valuable automaker on the planet. The financial milestones have been somewhat harder to achieve, but four of Musk's stock tranches vested during the course of 2020, giving him the right to buy 33.8 million shares at an exercise price of $2.4 billion. As of Friday's close, those stocks were worth $21.9 billion So far in 2021 the company has hit two more financial milestones, qualifying Musk for an additional 16.9 million stock options. Those options would be worth $10.9 billion at today's prices. The company reported in an earlier filing which detailed its record second quarter profit that it is now "probable" it will hit another three milestones in the near term, which means Musk's options windfall for 2021 could meet or even top the 2020 awards. As is the case for most top executives who earn stock options, Musk has not actually exercised any of them. Typically options are only exercised when they're due to expire, such as when an executive is leaving the company and would stand to lose them. Sometimes executives sell shares to diversify their holdings or pay taxes, but Musk has rarely sold shares during his time with the company. As of June 30, he owned 170.5 million shares outright, and had options to purchase another 73.5 million shares, giving him control over 23% of the company's stock. Musk is one of the world's richest people, thanks to both his Tesla shares and majority stake in his other company privately-held SpaceX of which he is also CEO. Forbes' real time billionaire tracker puts Musk's net worth at $186.7 billion, just behind the $190.7 billion net worth of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Forbes ranks Bernard Arnault, the CEO of French luxury goods giant LVMH, and his family, at the top of its richest person list, with a net worth $201.6 billion. Musk's Tesla stake is worth $171.3 billion, counting both stock and options after taking into account their exercise price. But his practice of not taking cash salaries has prompted him to borrow substantially as well. The Tesla filing Friday said 88 million of Musk's Tesla shares have been pledged as collateral "to secure certain personal indebtedness." Although the total amount of Musk's borrowing is not known, those 88 million shares are today worth $63 billion. The number of shares pledged as collateral was reduced by 4 million shares since the prior company disclosure in April. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Elon Musk: Zero pay but tens of billions in stock options in 2020." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14) The OCTA Research group does not see any downward trend of COVID-19 cases in the country by Aug. 20, an indication the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila may possibly go beyond that date. OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David explained that based on the history of the country's battle against COVID-19, it takes three to four weeks before infections decrease from a surge. "Whatever happens, we probably don't see a downward trend yet on August 20," David told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Weekend on Saturday. "Even if maging effective ang ECQ, hindi natin makikita agad ang decrease. Maso-slow down muna yung increase, bababa yung reproduction number, then finally magkakaroon ng downward trend," he said. [Translation: Even if the ECQ will be effective, we cannot immediately feel the decrease. The increase in cases would slow down, the reproduction number will go down, then finally there will be a downward trend.] David added that almost all areas in the country - except for General Santos City and Iloilo City - are recording higher COVID-19 cases per day. Based on OCTA's data, the country's reproduction rate as of Saturday is at 1.46. David said the rate is 1.85 in Metro Manila and "almost two" in Cavite. "Ibig sabihin nito, dalawang tao na may dalang COVID-19, tatlo ang nahahawaan nila (This means two people with COVID-19 can infect three others)," David explained. He added that the country is currently averaging 11,000 cases per day, and daily COVID-19 infections are increasing by 30% every week. If this trend continues, David warned daily infections can reach as high as 14,000 by next week. The OCTA Research fellow also noted that the country's healthcare capacity is nearing its peak since many local government units have already maximized all their available hospital beds and intensive care units. In light of the surge, David suggested to boost the country's testing capacity to reduce the positivity rate, which is at 25%. "If we're testing 50,000 per day, we should have at least double that," said David, who urged the government to use antigen test for mass testing due to its increasing accuracy based on studies. From Aug. 7-13, the country averaged 49,135 persons tested per day. The number of people tested in the country had its highest count in Aug.13 with 57,355 while its lowest was on Aug. 10 with 33,070. The country marked two grim milestones on Saturday. It again broke its record for the second highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a day with 14,249 while the death toll surpassed 30,000. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) Despite multiple calls from various sector to increase coronavirus testing, the government is still not testing enough, Vice President Leni Robredo has noted, expressing worries about the Philippines' high positivity rate. The Vice President said on Sunday during her weekly radio show the current testing capacity remains at the same level as that last year, or around 50,000 tests per day. Data released by the Department of Health on Saturday showed that over 52,000 people were tested for the virus on that day. "Ito pa rin ang level natin of testing since last year. Dagdagan ang number of tests, kasi kapag hindi dinagdagan tataas lang nang tataas dahil baka maraming infected na hindi natetest," she said. [Translation: This is still our level of testing since last year. Increase the number of tests because if not, the number of cases will continue to go up because there may be many people infected who have not been tested.] The Philippines detected 14,249 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the tally to 1,727,231 since the start of the pandemic in January 2020. The positivity rate, or percentage of people who tested positive, rose again from 23.8% on August 11 to 24.9% based on tests reported on Aug. 12. "Mas alarming ang positivity rate... Bawat apat na tinetest, isa dun positive," Robredo said. "Ang international standard ay less than 5%, kapag almost 25% sobrang taas nun," she added. [Translation: The positivity rate is more alarming ... For every four tests, one is positive. The international standard is less than 5%, when the number reaches 25%, that's high.] Robredo also stressed the need to strengthen contact tracing as it lines up who should be prioritized for the COVID testing. She said that the government should also explore ways to address issues like the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 test kits. On deficiencies in DOH's 67-B COVID funds: 'Nakaka-erode ng tiwala ng tao' Robredo also criticized the DOH's reported mishandling of its multibillion-peso budget, stressing an investigation should be launched to stomp out practices pestering the pandemic spending. "Hindi ko alam kung ang Senate ay magkakaroon ng investigation about this, pero kailangan kasi hindi pwedeng tuloy tuloy na nangyayari ito [the alleged funds mishandling]. At a time na kailangang kailangan natin ang pera, at hindi lang ito sa DOH," she said. [Translation: I don't know if the Senate will have an investigation about this, but it is necessary because it (the reported funds mismanagement) cannot continue to happen, especially at a time when we really need the money, and its not just the DOH.] READ: COA flags DOH for 'deficiencies' in management of over 67-B pandemic funds Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) Almost half a million doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived in the country on Sunday. Singapore Airlines flight SQ912 landed at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport past 3 p.m. carrying 469,200 doses of the U.S.-made vaccines. Of the shipment, 319,200 doses will be for the government, while 150,000 doses were procured by the private sector, led by International Container Terminal Services. Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. was at the NAIA to welcome the vaccines. In a briefing after the arrival, he said they have negotiated with vaccine suppliers to make sure the country has an ample inventory every month. "We have negotiated with our suppliers like Moderna, Pfizer and other suppliers na kailangan natin magkaroon ng steady supply every month," he said. [Translation: We have negotiated with our suppliers like Moderna, Pfizer and other suppliers that we need a steady supply every month.] Such a steady supply would mean achieving the goal of giving 600,000 to 700,000 shots per day. To date, Galvez said over 27 million doses of vaccines have been administered, with over 12 million Filipinos now fully vaccinated. "We are now banking this August and also in September, we will be having more or less 20 to 30 million doses. So we are expecting 14 million more before the end of August," he added. Booster shots still not allowed Galvez also stressed that booster shots are still not allowed right now as the number of people who have received full doses of the vaccine is still very low. "We are asking our people to be patient. Kailangan we are morally obliged na we need to wait for our turn. And at the same time, when we are already finished, let the other people also finish their turn," he said. "Sinasabi nga nung mga expert, yung mga booster shot wala masyadong epekto yan kung napakababa ng spacing natin. It will take...its efficacy once we have already reached, more or less, nine months or 12 months," he added. [Translation: Experts have said booster shots will have no significant effect if the spacing is too close. It will take...its efficacy once we have already reached, more or less, nine months or 12 months.] (CNN) Michael Kagan, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, says the cancerous lymph nodes in his neck are like a "ticking time bomb." But there's little he can do. MountainView Hospital, where he was scheduled to have his procedure last week, has put all surgeries requiring an overnight stay on hold as COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations climb, according to a statement from spokesperson Jennifer McDonnell. "I'm not getting any treatment so on any given day it could spread to another part of my body or it can grow and cause a much bigger problem," Kagan told CNN's Brianna Keilar on Tuesday. "I'm just living with a time bomb and I'm just letting it tick down, basically." With COVID-19 case numbers surging across the United States and many unvaccinated Americans falling ill, the number of available hospital beds has been dwindling in parts of the country. Some hospitals now report their intensive care units, which are usually reserved for the most critically ill patients, are full -- a grim reality that's forcing health care leaders to make tough decisions, whether that be redirecting new patients to other facilities, canceling surgeries or creating makeshift ICU beds in the middle of emergency rooms. "It's a nightmare," said Dr. Teri Dyess, director of hospital medicine at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. "We've had people drive here (from) three hours away for their planned surgery and we have no beds to put them in after they operate." Mississippi broke its COVID-19 hospitalization record Thursday, with more than 1,490 patients statewide, according to state data. Roughly 388 of those are in ICUs. A day earlier, state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers warned the minimal available ICU capacity meant dozens of patients are waiting in emergency rooms for an ICU bed. Mississippians should not be surprised if they get sick and end up in a hospital 200 miles away because it's the only facility with availability, state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs added. Hospitals are creating makeshift intensive care units At Jackson's Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, pulmonologist Dr. Maria Rappai said Wednesday there are roughly 18 ventilated COVID-19 patients in the hospital's ICU and "we have several in the emergency room" who are waiting to go into intensive care. Their ICU usually gets patients from across the state who may have pneumonia or sepsis or who have suffered heart attacks and need services such as life support. They have so many ICU patients that their emergency room is now functioning as an intensive care unit, Rappai said. "We may be using an ER room as an ICU, which then delays the person who comes to the emergency room with a broken arm, because you have to wait to get into a room to be seen," Rappai said. "It's a tough situation." In the nearby hospital where Dyess works where the intensive care unit usually treats complicated stroke patients from across the state ICU patients are also spilling over into the emergency room. To keep more ICU beds available, the hospital has had to put off surgeries that require overnight stays, including hip and knee surgeries for patients who are "severely crippled with arthritic conditions," she said. "One of our cardiologists couldn't even get one of his own patients here that was having a heart attack. They had to send him to another hospital that was able to take him," Dyess said. This week, the hospital didn't have room to accommodate a cancer patient who needed treatment that required an overnight stay, Dyess said. The patient, desperate to finally get the procedure, told hospital officials he would lie on the floor if he had to, Dyess said. Hospitals across the country are facing similar problems: In North Carolina, health officials announced Tuesday the state had seen its largest single-day jump in ICU admissions since the pandemic's start and COVID-19 ICU patients made up more than a quarter of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the state. "These high-levels of COVID-related admissions jeopardize the ability of our hospitals to provide needed care in our communities," Kody Kinsley, the chief deputy secretary for health at the state's Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. The vast majority of those patients, Kinsley added, are unvaccinated. In Nashville, Tennessee, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's adult hospital and emergency department were "completely full," the center said Friday, adding it was limiting elective cases and declining transfers from many hospitals. Dallas County, Texas, Judge Clay Jenkins said Friday there were "zero ICU beds left for children." "That means if your child's in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect or something and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don't have one. Your child will wait for another child to die," Jenkins said. Full ICUs are creating a dangerous ER backlog The makeshift ICU beds in ERs are contributing to a backlog and adding hours to wait times for patients. "Wait times have been up to 12 hours for patients to see physicians and get care in the ER," said Dr. Alan Brown, the chief medical officer at the Southeast Georgia Health System, in the state's southern coastal corner. "Our ability to take care of patients that are ill from things other than COVID is really hindered by the fact that we're so overwhelmed." The hospital reported more than 130 COVID-19 patients Wednesday, according to Brown far higher than its previous record of 98 patients during the previous surge. He said hospital officials don't think they're nearing their peak any time soon. The hospital's ICU would normally be treating patients with sepsis, heart failures or heart attacks or surgical patients, Brown said. But COVID-19 patients more than 90% of whom are unvaccinated, he said now far outpace any other cases, he added. Elective surgeries and endoscopies have been canceled, he added, to make space and pull more staff toward patients with the virus. "We desperately needed the nursing support because our ICUs are so inundated with critically ill Covid patients," Brown said. "It really just is bursting at the seams," he said. Announcing a mask mandate that went into effect Friday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said earlier in the week that COVID-19 hospitalizations were at a "record high" and ICU beds statewide were 90% full. "Some of our hospital regions have fewer than five ICU beds available to start the day," she said. "Without safety measures, we could be as many as 500 staffed hospital beds short of what we need to treat patients by September and that's patients coming into the hospital for any reason: Covid, a heart attack or a car accident." On Friday, Brown announced the state will begin deploying up to 1,500 Oregon National Guard members next week to support hospitals dealing with a surge of COVID-19 patients. Ambulances are waiting outside hospitals In some parts of the United States, the backlog from ICUs is so bad, ambulances are lining up outside facilities. "You'll have an ambulance that will bring a Covid patient in, or some other medical emergency, and if they do not have ICU space, then they have to wait," Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a news conference Tuesday. Just a day earlier, the state reported only eight ICU beds were available. "And that's the problem, because if an ambulance waits for four or five hours for space to free up, then they can't respond to other emergencies. So all you can do is wait until a bed becomes available." While medical staff will take care of patients, Hutchinson said, the level of care wouldn't be the same as an ICU, which usually has more specialized equipment and nurses tending to patients more frequently. In Houston, fire department chief Samuel Pena said the bottleneck created by filling hospitals is compounding the ambulance availability problem, which in turn "creates risks for delays in emergency response to the next call in our community." "Having our ambulance crews waiting more than an hour, in certain cases, to transfer their patients to the (ER) staff reduces the availability of units in the system," Pena told CNN in an email. "In an EMS system as busy as Houston's, detention of EMS crews at the hospitals will result in increased response times for the entire system." The chief told CNN affiliate KTRK there was a patient on a stretcher in an ambulance for more than five hours waiting for a hospital bed. He told CNN the patient was a man in his 60s in stable condition. There were about 321 available ICU beds across the state of Texas which has a population of nearly 29 million on Thursday, according to state data. The Trauma Service Area, which includes the Houston metropolitan area along with Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and Wharton counties, had 50 available ICU beds as of Thursday, to serve a population of more than 6 million people, state data shows. Staff are stretched thin For many hospitals, the biggest concern has been not having enough staff members to tend to patients in the ICU. "The real challenge is NOT the physical beds," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "The challenge is our hospitals may not have an adequate number of health care professionals (docs, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc.) to staff those beds." The state has lost nearly 2,000 nurses over the past year, the governor added. Some patients in the ICU often require a nurse's constant attention, said Dyess, at St. Dominic Hospital. But the facility is dealing with a shortage many nurses are burned out, have quit over the past year or are unvaccinated and may be out sick with COVID-19 themselves. So the hospital has been forced to up its nurse-to-patient ratio, often to three ICU patients per nurse instead of one to two patients, which is standard. For other hospital beds, one nurse may be tending to as many as eight or 10 patients on some nights, she added. "Each Covid patient has about 15 IV poles around them, they're on medicines to get their blood pressure up, electrolytes, antivirals, antibacterials, nutrition, you name it," Dyess said. "So you think of one nurse with three patients with 15 IVs going it is almost unbearable." Staff in the Southeast Georgia Health System are also having to take care of more patients. "People don't seem to have an appreciation ... for just how demanding this Covid surge has been," Michael D. Scherneck, president & CEO of the system, said. "People still have the mentality of, 'Well, I want to be seen right away.' We want to see you right away but unfortunately by just the pure facts and the pure numbers, there's just so many people you can take care of at any one given time." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Bursting at the seams': Full ICUs are creating a dangerous ER backlog and forcing hospitals to cancel surgeries." (CNN) It's been years since Haji and his wife have had a good night's sleep(http://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-troops-intl-08-14-21/index.html). "All night, my wife wakes up," says Haji. "She's scared. If [she hears] somebody is coming, she calls me, 'Haji, someone is coming!'" His wife says the first thing she does is hide the children. "Then I get up and go to the door to see what is going on. If there are Taliban, I tell them no one is at home," she says. Haji's English has become tentative since CNN first met him 10 years ago, during an embed with the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan. But his message cuts through the telephone static loud and clear: "If [the Taliban] find me, they will kill me and they will kill my family because I was an interpreter with the US Marines." The danger Haji and his family face grows every day as the Taliban claims more territory across the country, yet his repeated efforts to reach safety through a US visa program for interpreters keep hitting a brick wall, despite support from a half dozen US Marines. Haji was what you might call a "combat interpreter." Stationed in Helmand province the heart of the insurgency he lived and patrolled with the Marines and Army, translating as they searched vehicles, talked to locals and interviewed suspected Taliban membiers. He has been paying for his loyalty to the US ever since. He and his family have been in hiding for five years, scared for their lives his fear of retribution compounded with news of every province that falls into Taliban hands. The insurgents are known to murder Afghans who helped coalition forces, and, like Haji, thousands of interpreters have become targets for the militant group. On the run from the Taliban When CNN interviewed Haji in an undisclosed location outside of Kabul he was in the process of submitting a third application for a visa to the United States. While some of his colleagues from the Marines returned from their deployment to medals, Haji remained in Afghanistan, hopeful that his service might qualify him for resettlement: "If I don't get the visa, I understand, definitely, I will be dead." He had pinned his hopes on the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, designed to reward Afghan interpreters. But two applications and six years later, the door to the US remains shut. To try to understand the visa process is to step into an administrative quagmire. More than 10,000 Afghans are stuck in the SIV application process, and applicants can "reasonably expect" to wait four years for a visa, according to the US-based International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). Haji has been denied twice, and he's not sure why. The first denial letter, seen by CNN, cites "derogatory information" related to his case, and the second a "lack of faithful and valuable service." Yet recommendation letters from multiple Marines and from the Army, praised his work ethic and his "intricate role in disrupting enemy operations." One possible reason he was turned down is an employment letter from the private-sector contractor who supplied the military with interpreters, citing "job abandonment." Haji claims his dismissal was unfair that the contractor terminated his employment after Taliban checkpoints left him temporarily unable to return to work. While CNN cannot independently verify this claim, another linguist who worked alongside Haji at the time, who has since resettled in the US, recalls that the roads leading to the capital were unsafe, with each trip to Kabul a roll of the dice: It was "a 50-50 chance of dying or staying alive when you traveled along those roads." CNN asked the US Embassy in Kabul about Haji's application, but a spokesperson said they don't comment on individual cases. The US Department of State told CNN the same thing, but added it was committed to helping Afghans who had helped US forces in the country. "We have long said we are committed to supporting those who have helped the US military and our diplomatic personnel perform their duties, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families. We are actively working on every possible contingency to make sure that we can help those who have helped us," it said. Haji's ordeal started in earnest around the time of his first visa application, in 2015, when the Taliban came looking for him at the family home. "Many times, they came to my home ... they ask people, 'Hey, how can I find where Haji's living? Where's his family? When I got that information, I left that place." The years since have been a life of constant movement, of being unable to work, of always being fearful. "We spend a couple of weeks, two weeks, a month, then we change to another place. Because I am scared in my heart that they are coming, that they will find me." His mother and brother send money for food, and he keeps his young children indoors, worried for their safety. "I have heard," says Haji's wife, "that in many places when they do not get hold of the father, then they kidnap and slaughter his sons." Despite their young age, their children are acutely aware of the danger. "During the day I am at home," says Haji's eldest son. "Even if I cry to my mother, she does not allow me outside because there is danger from the Taliban." He tells us he wants to be a doctor or an engineer, but he hasn't been able to go to school in five years. A country on the brink Reminders of the danger the family is in are everywhere in messages from friends, on social media and on television news. In a statement issued in June, the Taliban said it would not harm those who worked alongside foreign forces. But this summer, one former interpreter for the US Army was reportedly beheaded by the Taliban. CNN has spoken to many linguists who say their lives remain under threat as the insurgents launch revenge attacks following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is expected to be completed by the end of August. Under mounting public pressure to help Afghan interpreters, the US State Department recently announced a priority track for Afghans within the US refugee program. But it comes with its own challenges: Applicants and their family must leave Afghanistan and wait at least a year in a third country for their application to be processed, with no help, no protection, and no guarantee of success a bar set so high it could be impossible to clear for many Afghans. Retired Lance Cpl. Jimmy Hurley, a former platoonmate of Haji, has been helping him navigate the paperwork and has launched a crowdfunding campaign in a last-ditch effort to get him and his family to a new life out of Afghanistan. "I think he's earned it," says Hurley. "He lived with us, patrolled with us. Those guys are legitimately putting themselves in danger for the work, and I feel like they've got as much right to come over here and make a safe life for themselves as we do." CNN tracked down half a dozen of the Marines whom Haji served alongside in Helmand, and all believe he should be rewarded for the work he did. Retired Maj. Joseph Hanson, Haji's platoon leader in 2011, says: "The risks to an interpreter are the same as to any combat Marine... Every firefight I was in with Haji, he's there, taking part in that risk." "One that sticks out in my mind [is when] we were patrolling through a certain village ... and got caught in a near ambush. The enemy had us on both sides and one of our Marines was shot in the chest, and Haji, without a weapon, was running to the wounded Marine, running back to our radio men ... exposing himself to enemy fire to help communicate. That's special, you don't really see that. You don't see that from all Marines, let alone an interpreter, without a weapon. That's how you learn to trust someone." When Haji enthusiastically signed up to work with American forces at the height of the US troop surge, he and his wife did not think it would put them in danger for the rest of their lives. "I was very happy he was working with the Americans; I had a good life. Good clothes, good food and drinks," she says. Haji didn't anticipate that the Taliban would regain control of many Afghan provinces, let alone threaten a return to power. "The main point,"' he recalls, "was to try to clean my country from those bad people ... When we worked for them, we didn't think that when the US withdrew from Afghanistan it would be more dangerous for us." Now, as the Taliban makes rapid gains across the country, Haji's wife pleads for help: "Our lives are in danger. ... If we remain here in Afghanistan, my children, my husband, we will all get eliminated." It is a plea seconded by Maj. Hanson: "If anyone deserves US citizenship it's guys like Haji. Haji not only served his country in uniform and risked his life for us for two years, he's risked his life every day up until now and if he doesn't find sanctuary with us ... there's no doubt in my mind it's not going to be a happy end to that story for Haji or his family. "I'm terrified for his safety. I hope we do the right thing, or someone does, because no one is more deserving." This story was first published on CNN.com, "'If the Taliban find me, they will kill me and my family,' says abandoned Afghan interpreter." Mounting lawsuits, federal government challenge DeSantis, Abbott bans on mask mandates Eric Gay/AP file photo Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, shown at a news conference in June, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Marta Lavandier/AP file photo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions related to school openings and the wearing of masks on Aug. 10 in Surfside, Fla. Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas are encountering mounting challenges in their quest to ban mandates requiring masks in schools, as lawsuits advance through the courts and the Biden administration steps in to back districts requiring face coverings. In a pair of letters sent Friday, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote both governors and their education chiefs to express concern about recent executive actions prohibiting school districts from voluntarily adopting science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19 that are aligned with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also noted that federal pandemic relief funds could be used to make up for state-imposed penalties on local school districts. The Department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain safe in-person instruction, Cardona wrote. President Joe Biden extended support by phone Friday evening, calling one of the superintendents in Florida challenging DeSantis and his bad public health measures, saying he commended their leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools, per a pool report. The federal response comes as lawsuits disputing the governors orders make their way through courts. Parents in Florida and local officials and school districts in Texas have sued the governors, contending that their restriction on mask mandates and other mitigation measures will risk the health of people in their state, including children resuming class this fall. Texas and Florida account for 40% of new hospitalizations nationwide, the White House said Thursday. The states lead the nation in new cases reported in the past week, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. Responding to questions from The Post about the letter, DeSantis office compared the offer of federal funds to $1,000 checks the governor gave out to teachers, which the Biden administration said may have violated COVID-19 relief fund rules. What were doing in Florida must be working for Secretary Cardona to prioritize funding the salaries of politicians over students, parents, and teachers, spokeswoman Christina Pushaw wrote in an email. Abbott did not respond to requests for comment from The Post. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, tweeted Friday after defeats on the appellate level after attempting to overturn local mask mandates, that he was taking the case to the state Supreme Court. The rule of law will decide, he wrote. While Abbott and DeSantis have said they believe parents should decide whether their children wear masks in school, surging infections and hospitalizations in both states have left many parents worried about sending their children back into classrooms where others are not masked and could transmit the virus. Parents from a half-dozen Florida counties have sued DeSantis and state education officials, arguing the order infringes on classroom safety guaranteed by the states constitution. Charles Gallagher, the lead attorney representing parents from a half-dozen counties, told The Post that DeSantis argument that people should have the individual freedom to decide if they want to wear a mask to prevent spreading the virus to others is ludicrous. Its not parent choice, Gallagher said. Its public health. On Friday, DeSantis attorney told Leon County Circuit Court Judge John Cooper said the state plans to file a motion to dismiss the case, arguing it would violate the governors executive branch authority and accusing the parents of political motivations. Amy Nell, one of the parents suing DeSantis, said shes received daily notifications of new cases in just the first four days of school. More than 4,000 students in her sons Tampa school district are isolated or quarantined as of Saturday, according to an email from the school district Nell shared with The Post. Its nerve-racking to expect that call or text from the front office every day that more kids are sick, and that at some point, we will undoubtedly have to quarantine, Nell said. When Nell first learned of DeSantis executive order to move forward with allowing parents to choose if their children wore masks to school, Nell weighed keeping her 10-year-old son out of school until the outbreak ceased, transferring him to a Montessori school or moving him to virtual learning, but every option didnt seem fair to the fifth grader looking forward to graduating elementary school. We wanted him to have all these experiences, she said. Also stuck with difficult choices are school district leaders who face penalties for straying from the states orders. In Florida, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said the state could withhold funds equal to the salaries of the superintendent and all the members of the school board. That could cost Alachua County schools $300,000 from its budget of about $537 million, superintendent Carlee Simon told The Post. Simon said Saturday she was very pleased about the offer of federal support. We appreciate the fact that the president and the secretary of education are willing to get involved and to help protect the students and our families and our community, Simon said. Less than one week into the school year, Simon said that more than 500 children are quarantined due to exposure. More than 100 students and staff members have tested positive in the past two weeks, according to data provided by the school district. Simon said the district has also received intimidating messages from people who oppose masks, including someone who repeatedly called the district office threatening to bring a militia to school campuses. The politicization of masks has effectively made running schools much harder, Simon said, fearing a wave of infections following days of transmission in schools. We know we have people who have positivity rates at home, and we have families who are still choosing to bring their children to school, she said. When they do that, theyre essentially bringing COVID into our buildings, and thats putting everyone at risk. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Campers will soon be able to fry up that morning bacon without any campfires or propane. A new skateboard zooms more than 40 mph and brings the bling with LED lights. Down jackets face competition with new, thin polyester-based fabric with trapped air similar to bubble wrap. These are but a handful of new technology and gee-whizzardry gear the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show always brings with the hundreds of retailers to Denver. This weeks show at the Colorado Convention Center downtown did not disappoint. First up, the just-launched Neverflame. Its a battery-powered, flameless system that can boil water for your morning camp joe, as well as frying eggs up on a mini-skillet. Oh, and it can power your cell phones and GPS devices. Weve improved the tech on the battery, so theres 300 watts of powerful cooking power there, said Alanna Rose, Neverflame spokeswoman. You can recharge it with your vehicle or solar. We think its going to be popular with emergency response, hunters, fisherman and campers of course. Of course, theres an app for that to control and hold temperatures, as well as direct control if there's no WiFi or cell service. Its the brainchild of Murray Ruben of Santa Barbara, Calif. As a Sierra Club outings leader, he saw how burn restrictions caused by drought-conditions were making outdoor flame cooking less possible. The result is the NeverFlame cooking system which is powerful enough to boil water and cook food, portable enough to fit in a backpack, and purposeful because it eliminates waste while never having to create a dangerous flame while cooking again, Ruben says on the companys website. With some supply chain issues, product delivery is still a couple months out. But patents are, of course, pending. We came to Denver to show how it works, sign up some retailers and get some input, Rose said. But if you really cant live without that campfire, and are in a place that allows it, a Phoenix-based company called Fireside Outdoor sells a pop-up fire pit an aluminum and steel-mesh box that lifts the fire off the ground. This was originally designed for the river community, said Nathan Struck, marketing manager. The pit comes in two sizes, 24x24 inches and the trail blazer at 12x12. Lifting the fire allows oxygen to feed the fire from below, making it virtually smoke-free, he said. Staying warm without fire is whats next. The Cerro Jacket from Santero Apparel brings the warmth without the feathers. Santero is a new environmentally conscious outdoor brand based in Mexico, but distributing to the United States out of California. Co-fourder Bertha Duek Santero said the Cerro is so popular, theyve having a hard time stocking it. Its described as full zip jacket Polartec Power Air alternative insulation wear. It works alone, or as a mid layer, with the air-bubble wrap-type polyester-based fabric. The company touts its clothing that can be used anywhere from an urban environment to the harshest environments on the Earth. This is a brand-new fabric, Santero said. The power air bubbles and fabric are great insulators, and its creature free (no goose down feathers). It works just as well. We try to raise awareness with our apparel. Finally, motorized skateboards are certainly not new but Evolve Skateboards new Haden series in its GTR line of carbon fiber electric skateboards certainly qualifies as a Cadillac of boards. Evolve debuted it at the Summer Show, with plenty of room for demonstrations. Customer descriptions of amazing and terrifying seem apt. This puppy can move more than 40 mph (most top out at 26 mph), has a more powerful battery for longer rides and big tires for off-road, said Travis Maton, global retail manager. Yes, its sick as the kids like to say. You can go from grass to hard path to dirt to concrete, Maton said. The remote-controlled board comes with a hefty price-tag: $2,899. Colorado really has a good range of retailers who would sell this, Maton said. A Scene from Phan Dang Dis 2019 culinary film, He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower, from HBOs eight-part Food Lore series. In this film, where food is treated as an integral part of the story, a male cook tries to court a stewardess with food. Photo courtesy of Tokyo International Film Festival Despite a few memorable glimpses, Vietnamese cinema and television are yet to do full justice to the countrys delicious and diverse culinary tradition. The ubiquitousness of traditional food in Korean TV dramas, which has contributed to making Korean cuisine world famous, begs the question: Why cant the local film industry do the same? Ask any Vietnamese viewer about Korean dramas, and they can easily reel off the top of their head a dozen constantly featured Korean dishes such as kimchee, gimpap, seaweed soup, and noodles in black bean sauce. Even better, the Korean film industry, as part of the larger national strategy to export Korean culture known as Hallyu or the Korean Wave, has churned out captivating stories about food, such as the 2003 international hit, Jewel in the Palace, a historical series about Dae Jang Geum, Koreas first female physician who lived in the 16th century and could cure illnesses with medicinal food. To Vietnamese audiences, their cuisine, which has increasingly been praised for its richness and healthiness, certainly deserves to be represented too. Indeed, in recent years popular local dishes such as pho (traditional noodles), goi cuon (fresh summer rolls) and banh mi (sandwich) have been ranked among the worlds best dishes by media outlets like CNN and Fodors Travel. Last year the World Records Union (WorldKings) also recognized five culinary world records set by Vietnam involving dishes such as pho and goi cuon. But while there is no dearth of straightforward YouTube channels, game and reality shows showcasing Vietnamese landscapes, cuisine and recipes such as Taste of Vietnam with American chefs Martin Yan and Robert Danhi, subtler, more symbolic treatment of food in movies and TV dramas remains few and far between. Just appetizers In contemporary films, Vietnamese cuisine earns a few honorable mentions in foreign works such as Alfonso Gomez-Rejons 2005 Sundance award-winning movie, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl about a quirky high-school boy whose favorite history teacher loves facts and pho, and Andy Fickmans sitcom series Kevin Can Wait featuring a hilarious restaurant scene in which Kevin, after expressing his skepticism about a bowl of pho in front of him, tries the soup and finds it "insane." The irresistible pho has also appeared in several Korean dramas. It featured in Phan Dang Dis 2019 film Chang Dang Ca, Nang An Hoa' (He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower), part of HBOs eight-episode project titled Food Lore on Asian culinary traditions, and in a 2015 food and martial arts flick, Nguyen Quoc Duys action comedy Kungfu Pho about a competition between two families to inherit a secret pho recipe. Some well-known award-winning films have also raised the international profile of other Vietnamese dishes. French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hungs idiosyncratic Mui Du Du Xanh' (The Scent of Green Papaya), which won two awards at Cannes in 1993, and his 2000 movie Mua He Chieu Thang Dung' (The Vertical Ray of the Sun) both capture the making of delightful dishes such as green papaya salad, fried pork with Chinese broccoli, baby jackfruit sticky rice, and boiled chicken with slow, close-up and sensuously beautiful photography. Seen through nostalgic lenses, Vietnamese cuisine can take on poignant meanings about cultural and personal identity, as in Vietnamese-American filmmaker Liesl Nguyens intimate 2011 short film Thuc Don Ngay Chu Nhat' (Sunday Menu). In this short, a Vietnamese-German teenager can only find herself and pose confidently for a photo after she masters a difficult Lunar New Year dish, thit dong, or Vietnamese meat jelly. "Thit dong" or meat jelly, a typical Lunar New Year dish in Liesl Nguyens 2011 short film Sunday Menu, in which food symbolizes cultural and personal identity. Photo courtesy of the (now defunct) international Yxineff online film festival. In another famous artistic movie, director Nguyen Vinh Sons Trang Noi Day Gieng' (The Moon at the Bottom of the Well), the culinary art of Vietnams last feudal capital Hue takes center stage, unfolding under the meticulous care of its heroine, who epitomizes traditional family values associated with women. In television, many film series have taken the trouble to shoot carefully set up cooking scenes and showcase common Vietnamese dishes, and quite a few also explore culinary themes. Notable examples range from the ground-breaking 2006 Vietnamese-Korean drama Mui Ngo Gai' (Scent of Coriander) about a self-made businesswoman who works her way up from serving as a waitress in a pho restaurant, the first drama ever about traditional Vietnamese food, to the 2020 series Vua Banh Mi' (King of Sandwiches), a local remake of the Korean series Bread, Love and Dreams known for its director Nguyen Phuong Diens efforts to adapt the originals bread and cakes to Vietnamese sandwiches and reproduce the art of baking as faithfully as possible. What more can be done? However, many people agree that in general the representation of Vietnamese cuisine in films remains scanty and mediocre. Chau Quang Phuoc, a media and film distribution expert who has worked on numerous film projects for BHD, says that this is an undeniable fact, for both filmmakers many of whom are very interested in visually appealing food stories, and local audiences who have high expectations for a culinary tradition well loved and respected by western chefs like Anthony Bourdain. Indeed, food is still mostly treated as a side show - in one table scene or dialogue or another here and there - rather than as a deeper, integral part of characterization and story-telling, and certainly not yet fully explored to create a distinct genre to take pride in. Director Phan Dang Di says with the current state of contemporary Vietnamese films, not just culinary themes, but other important ones such as love, family, politics, and money too tend to be treated in a superficial and trite manner. "We always lack approaches that are personal, interesting, elaborate, and subtle in portraying life unlike in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese or Hong Kong films. "Compared to them, our cinema and television have a bland taste and smell." According to insiders, the first and foremost difficulty in making culinary, or any film for that matter, is cost. Phuoc says filmmaking is ultimately an expensive game, even for developed film industries, and so funding always remains the most decisive factor. Even the Vietnamese films with the biggest budgets cannot yet be compared with much better invested Thai or Chinese blockbusters in technical quality, special effects, set design, costumes, or props, he points out. Because good culinary films in particular need to be done with care, even need experts consultation, and food easily deteriorates and loses colors and requires costly reshooting, many Vietnamese commercial film producers, who already struggle to make profits, would rather opt for safer, more dramatic and popular genres such horror and crime, he says. For making He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower, Di and his crew indeed had to hire professional cooks and food stylists to provide training to actors, act in difficult technical scenes and monitor food arrangement that requires plenty of fresh ingredients on hand for repeated reshooting. The film crew also had to hire fishermen in Nha Trang to dive into the sea to catch puffer fish, transport them to HCMC, and keep them alive until the shoot ended, besides ordering a lot of expensive seafood which would be "impossible to do with average Vietnamese production budgets," Di says. There thus seems agreement that to systematically make good culinary films, which Di says can explore the role of Vietnamese cuisine in daily life as well as during famous historical events, filmmakers cannot do it alone, and need some ambitious, well-coordinate national strategy like the Korean Wave or active sponsorship by cultural authorities. Director Luong Dinh Dungs suggestion to Thanh Nien newspaper that besides war films the government should also invest in culinary film projects such as a well-scripted movie about Phu Quoc fish sauce cannot have come sooner. HCMC will continue social distancing, try to reduce the fatality rate and vaccinate 70 percent of people over 18 years old to contain the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. At a Sunday morning meeting hosted by PM Pham Minh Chinh, municipal Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city plans to contain the pandemic by September 15 in two phases. In the first phase, from August 15 to 31, the city will try to reduce the Covid-19 death rate, expand infection free areas and put the outbreak under control in districts Can Gio, Nha Be, Cu Chi, Phu Nhuan, 5, 7, and 11. In the next phase, from September 1 to 15, the city will strive to reduce the death rate among critically ill patients by 20 percent, and to ensure that the number of daily new hospitalizations do not exceed the number of discharged people. Phong also said that in the second phase, the number of new hospitalizations will not exceed 2,000 per day, 70 percent of the population over 18 years old will get their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and 15 percent will be fully vaccinated. The downtown area of Ho Chi Minh City on July 9, 2021, when the city began 15 days of stringent social distancing measures to curb Covid-19. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa To meet these goals, HCMC will continue its current social distancing campaign, he said. The city will also allow Covid-19 patients to be treated at home, with support from local authorities and doctors. Local firms can maintain their production with Covid prevention measures like allowing workers to live on the site, picking them up and taking them home directly without stopping in between. Phong said the city has seen some positive signs after imposing the social distancing campaign under Directive 16 for more than a month. The current social distancing order under Directive 16 requires people to stay home and only go out for basic necessities like buying food or medicines or to work at factories or businesses allowed to operate. People must keep a distance of at least two meters. No more than two people can gather together in public apart from work, schools or hospitals. The majority of public transportation will be shut down and there will be no travel between localities. There has been no new cluster, while the numbers of daily new Covid patients have not gone up. In the last 13 days (August 2 to 15), the average number of new patients every day is 3,830, an 18 percent decrease in comparison with the previous 13 days (July 20 to August 1). On average, 2,500 people are being discharged every day, taking the total number of recovered patients to 70,727. The number of vehicles on the streets has decreased by 75 percent, the infection rate in locked down areas have gone down to 57 percent (in early August, the infection rate in locked down areas was 80 percent). Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's economic powerhouse, has become the epicenter of the fourth coronavirus wave which struck the nation in late April. It has recorded 144,770 local cases so far, the highest in the country. The southern metropolis has gone through multiple consecutive social distancing orders, with the latest one to be extended for a month starting August 15. International teenagers experience "I Love Shanghai Orientation" activity on Monday, [Photo by Yang Hong/for chinadaily.com.cn] Young foreigners in China have expressed their appreciation for the nation's openness and its abundant opportunities for study, work and starting businesses, saying that they will continue to build more bridges between their countries and China. Their remarks came after President Xi Jinping extended a welcoming message to more young people from other countries to come to China while replying to 36 representatives of young foreign participants in the Global Young Leaders Dialogue. The representatives, with diverse regional, cultural, disciplinary, sectoral and professional backgrounds from 28 nations, shared their happiness after receiving the reply letter from the Chinese president and hailed China's continuous commitment to opening-up at a seminar in Beijing on Thursday. The reply letter from Xi was his second interaction with young foreigners in China recently. He wrote back in June to 45 representatives of overseas students from 32 countries who are studying at Peking University, encouraging them to better understand China and share their thoughts and experiences with more people around the world. Joseph Olivier Mendo'o, co-founder of the China-Africa Youth Federation, said the Chinese president's two reply letters showcased the special value the Chinese government attaches to foreign youth in China. "The youth are the torch bearers of the future, and having a real dialogue between China and international youth can actually help the world be well prepared for future challenges," he said. Jonathan Lopez, a Latin America strategist at ByteDance, said the opportunity he was offered to come to China to study at Tsinghua University was a life-changing moment for him, despite the challenges of not speaking the language and living in a different culture. After completing his studies, Lopez, who holds dual citizenship of Canada and Colombia, described his decision to work in China as a bet that eventually paid off. However, he only made up his mind after witnessing the abundance of job opportunities China has to offer. "I was able to see things that I never saw anywhere around the world, like mobile payments, e-commerce and the speed in which China moves. And that's something that you never see in any other place around the world to that scale," he said. Lopez highlighted the importance for the country to continue providing opportunities for young people around the world to come and study in China. "In that way, they also would explore this place, learn the language and create a career in China so they can build better bridges between their countries and China and the rest of the world," he said. Kseniya Otmakhova, a marketing manager of a Beijing-based design studio and a Schwarzman scholar at Tsinghua University, said China has been a playground for experimentation for many young foreigners. "What makes China so unique and so attractive to foreigners who chose to be here is you have the space to experiment and to turn ideas you have into reality," she said. Erik Nilsson, a senior journalist at China Daily and a member of the media group's Edgar Snow Newsroom, was also a participant in the young leaders dialogue, which was jointly initiated by the Center for China and Globalization and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies. "The points about mutual learning and mutual success that Xi mentioned are crucial to advancing a global community with a shared future for mankind," he said. "I've learned the value of experiencing broad swathes of China as a foreigner. That is, during my 15 years of traveling to often-remote communities in every province on the Chinese mainland, including hundreds of cities, towns and villages, and sharing these stories with the rest of the world," he added. Gaston Chee, co-founder and CEO of an education firm preparing Chinese students for studying abroad, said China has impressed him with its enabling business environment. "We all know the president has a packed schedule. But he still took time to reply to the letter and to address foreign youth. That just shows how welcoming the Chinese government is," he said. Rescue team members gather at the site of a coal mine accident in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 14, 2021. China's Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a work team to the northwest province of Qinghai to guide rescue efforts after a coal mine was flooded by mud on Saturday. Of the 21 miners working in the mine when the accident occurred, two were lifted to the ground, including one who was confirmed dead, while the rest remained trapped, according to the ministry. Rescue operations are underway as more rescuers rushed to the site. (Xinhua/Wu Gang) XINING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Rescue efforts are underway after a coal mine was flooded by mud, leaving one dead and 19 others trapped in northwest China's Qinghai Province on Saturday. The accident happened around noon when 21 people were working in the mine located in Gangca County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, said the provincial emergency management department. Two miners were lifted to the ground, including one who was confirmed dead, while the rest remained trapped, the department said. The coal mine was ordered by the provincial mine safety administration to suspend production and rectify irregularities on Aug. 2, said Yin Maowen, deputy head of Haibei prefecture, at a press conference early Sunday morning. Qinghai provincial government has activated the provincial level-II emergency response, and allocated more than 30,000 pieces of emergency relief materials to the site, said Yin. The local fire and rescue department has mobilized 32 fire engines and 120 fire fighters to participate in rescue work. "By 9 p.m. Saturday, over 200 rescuers from professional rescue teams and departments of fire, public security, health and emergency management had been dispatched to carry out rescue operations," said Yin. China's Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a work team to Qinghai to guide rescue efforts. The team was led by Huang Yuzhi, vice minister of emergency management and head of the National Mine Safety Administration. Huang Ming, minister of emergency management, ordered an investigation into the accident, and called on local authorities nationwide to intensify safety supervision to prevent occurrence of major accidents. Yin said that investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the accident and those responsible for the accident will be held accountable. Data shows that the mine was put into operation in September 2009, with a designed production capacity of 900,000 tonnes a year. Enditem 3 1 Editor: GSY United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 13, 2021. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on Taliban militants to immediately halt their offensive against government forces and return to the negotiating table in good faith, in the interest of Afghanistan, and its people. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on Taliban militants to immediately halt their offensive against government forces and return to the negotiating table in good faith, in the interest of Afghanistan, and its people. The top UN official told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that humanitarian needs were "growing by the hour" and the country largely spinning out of control. "Even for a country that has tragically known generations of conflict, Afghanistan is in the throes of yet another chaotic and desperate chapter -- an incredible tragedy for its long-suffering people," he said, noting that more than 1,000 people have been killed or injured from indiscriminate attacks against civilians, notably in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces, in just the past month. The UN chief noted the fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces for control of cities and towns, was "causing tremendous harm." "At least 241,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes ... Hospitals are overflowing. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Roads, bridges, schools, clinics and other critical infrastructure are being destroyed," he added. "Continued urban conflict will mean continued carnage," he said, with civilians inevitably paying the highest price. "I call on all parties to take heed of the conflict's heavy toll and its devastating impact on civilians. They all must do more to protect civilians." Guterres said he was "deeply disturbed" by reports of the Taliban imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists. "It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports of the hard-won rights of Afghan girls and women being ripped away from them," he continued. The UN chief called on the international community, to make clear to the Taliban that seizing power through military force, was "a losing proposition. That can only lead to prolonged civil war, or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan." The secretary-general said there was still potential for stalled intra-Afghan talks taking place in Doha, Qatar, supported by the region and the wider international community, which could lead to a negotiated settlement. "Only an Afghan-led negotiated political settlement can ensure peace," he added, declaring that the world body was determined to contribute to a peace deal, "promote the rights of all Afghans and provide life-saving humanitarian help to the ever increasing numbers of civilians in need." Enditem Editor: GSY MEXICO CITY, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Several Latin American country leaders on Saturday expressed their solidarity with the people of Haiti after a devastating earthquake there has left at least 304 people dead and more than 1,800 others wounded. The Argentinean government expressed its "deep regret" for the human and material losses caused by the earthquake and expressed its "willingness to collaborate" with the Caribbean island country. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Twitter that his government will provide "logistical support and necessary supplies" to help the Haitian people. Peruvian President Pedro Castillo said on Twitter, "I express my total solidarity with the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake that occurred today. As a government in the region, we will be attentive in providing support to the nation in order to advance in unity and fraternal integration." Uruguay and Costa Rica also expressed their willingness to help the Haitian people. Bolivian President Luis Arce on Twitter expressed the Bolivian people's condolences "for the victims and wishes of recovery for the injured," saying, "We are with you, Haitian brothers." The Brazilian government expressed firm commitment to providing humanitarian aid to Haiti, adding that no members of the Brazilian community in the quake-hit country were affected by the earthquake. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador voiced his condolences to the people of Haiti and said that his government "is already preparing immediate aid through the National Coordination of Civil Protection and the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Secretariat of the Navy, and the Ministry of National Defense." Haitian authorities have confirmed that the earthquake, which originated about 12 km from the southern town of Saint Louis du Sud, has killed 304 people and wounded 1,800 others. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry went to the department of Grand'Anse to see the damage and said that his government has mobilized resources to help victims. Enditem Editor: GSY Advance Troops, a print by Wang Dong and Chen Huizhao. [Photo provided to China Daily] The province of Jiangxi is a land with a glorious past, linked to the history of the Communist Party of China. It was a place that saw several critical moments in the development of the CPC. An exhibition running at the National Art Museum of China through Aug 22 shows dozens of ink-water paintings and calligraphic pieces, depicting historical events in CPC history that took place in Jiangxi in the past century. The exhibition gives a summary of Jiangxi's Red heritage while hailing the idealism, devotion and heroism of generations of CPC members. 10 1 Editor: GSY Egypt has extended its deepest condolences to Haiti over the recent devastating earthquake that hit the country, killing and wounding hundreds of people. In a statement on Saturday night, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed its solidarity with Haiti, offering condolences to the families of the victims. The ministry stressed Egypt's support and solidarity with the Haitian government and people over this disaster. Short link: Egypt has expressed condolences to Russia over the crash of a Russian Beriev Be-200 aircraft during a firefighting mission in Turkey. In a statement on Saturday night, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry expresses its solidarity with Russia and offers condolences to the families of the victims, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has stressed Egypts interest in strengthening and supporting cooperation with the United States in various fields, especially at the security and intelligence levels in light of the spread of the threat of terrorism and extremism. El-Sisi made the comments during a meeting with William Burns, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, in Cairo on Sunday. The meeting was attended by Abbas Kamel, The head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service (GIS), and US Ambassador in Cairo Jonathan Cohen. The two sides tackled means of enhancing security and intelligence cooperation between the two countries on various related issues, the Egyptian presidecy's spokesman Bassam Rady said. They also exchanged views on developments related to a number of regional issues of mutual interest, including tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Developments in Afghanistan and the Palestinian issue, the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the crisis in Libya were tackled during the meeting. Burns expressed his countrys pride in the "constructive" cooperation and "inextricable" relations with Egypt, Rady added. He stressed the US Keenness on the continued coordination with Egypt regarding various challenges, especially in light of developments in the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. He also hailed the Egyptian president's efforts meant to strengthen security and stability in the region, a matter that he said has consolidated Egypt's role as a balancing axis for regional security. Short link: Egypt has called for forming a new government in Lebanon to end what it called "the series of consecutive crises", a statement by the country's foreign minister said on Sunday, a few hours after a fuel tank exploded in the Levantine country. Egypt, the statement said, has extended condolences to Lebanon over incident, which occurred in the Akkar region in north Lebanon, and killed at least 28 and injured 79 others. Medical aid for Lebanon is currently being prepared to be shipped off to help Beirut in the crisis, the Egyptian statement added. Cairo "calls for swiftly adopting all measures that would salvage Lebanon and stop the series of successive crises, the first of which is the formation of a Lebanese government sooner as possible as per what has been in place since the Taif Agreement to end the current vacuum without further waiting," read the statement. The Saudi-brokered Taif Agreement reached in 1989 ended the years-long Lebanese Civil War. "The Akkar massacre is no different from the port massacre," said former Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Twitter, referring to last year's massive explosion at the port in Beirut. He called on Lebanese officials, including the president, to take responsibility and resign. Al-Hariri resigned in July, nine months after he was named to the post by the parliament, citing "key differences" with the country's president Michel Aoun. "This tragedy that befell our dear Akkar has made the hearts of all Lebanese bleed," Aoun tweeted. He added that he asked the judiciary to investigate the circumstances that led to the explosion. Short link: A decade after Libya descended into chaos, a host of countries are eyeing potential multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the oil-rich nation if stability is assured. Economist Kamal Mansouri expects Libya's reconstruction drive to be one of the biggest in the Middle East and North Africa. He estimates "more than 100 billion dollars" are needed to rebuild Libya, which has been gripped by violence and political turmoil since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled in a 2011 uprising. Former colonial power Italy, neighbouring Egypt and Turkey are tipped to be awarded the lion's share of reconstruction deals. In the capital Tripoli, dozens of rusted cranes and unfinished buildings dot the seafront, testimony to hundreds of abandoned projects worth billions of dollars launched between 2000 and 2010. After Kadhafi's overthrow, Libya fell under the control of a complex, ever-shifting patchwork of militias and foreign mercenaries backing rival administrations. But a UN-backed ceasefire was agreed last October, paving the way for the establishment in March of an interim administration. The new government led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah is tasked with organising presidential and parliamentary elections in December if a legal framework is agreed on time. Courted by business teams The new administration has been courted by Western and regional leaders who have visited Libya with large business delegations in tow. Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio was accompanied by the chief of Italian energy giant ENI. In May, Dbeibah, an engineer and businessman, visited Rome and agreed with his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi to expand collaboration on energy projects. Italy aims to defend its commercial interests in the nation with Africa's largest oil reserves, an energy sector where Eni has been the leading foreign player since 1959. The firm reportedly proposes building a photovoltaic solar plant in southern Libya. In June, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also visited with a business team, while Dbeibah has travelled to Paris. As Dbeibah's administration takes part in several business forums, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are also in the running for lucrative contracts. A delegation from Russia's energy group Tatneft visited Tripoli in June to study oil exploration projects. Questions over funding, stability "Libya hasn't built a thing in 10 years," said Global Initiative senior fellow and Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui. "It's a rich country which hasn't maintained its infrastructure." A decade of violence has ravaged its airports, roads and the electricity network. While there is no shortage of major projects and international suitors, questions remain over funding and whether instability will return. Divisions have devastated Libya's economy and complicated management of its oil revenues, weakening its foreign currency reserves. On the political and economic fronts, a 2021 budget has yet to be approved and UN-led efforts to organise elections appear to be floundering. Short link: A fuel tank blast in Lebanon early on Sunday killed 28 people and injured nearly 80, authorities and medics said, burning a crowd clamouring for petrol in the crisis-hit country. The tragedy in the remote north overwhelmed medical facilities and heaped new misery on a nation already beset by an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts. It revived bitter memories of an enormous explosion at Beirut port last August that killed more than 200 people and destroyed swathes of the capital. An adviser to the health ministry said the death toll from the blast in Al-Tleil village in the Akkar region had climbed to 28. The Lebanese Red Cross said 79 others were injured. The military said a fuel tank that "had been confiscated by the army to distribute to citizens" exploded just before 2:00 am (2300 GMT). Soldiers were among the victims. The army began raiding petrol stations Saturday to curb hoarding by suppliers following a central bank decision to scrap fuel subsidies. The official National News Agency (NNA) said the blast followed scuffles between "residents that gathered around the container to fill up gasoline" overnight. Hospitals in Akkar, one of Lebanon's poorest regions near the border with Syria, and in the northern port city of Tripoli said they had to turn away many injured because they were ill-equipped to treat severe burns. "The corpses are so charred that we can't identify them," said Yassine Metlej, an employee at an Akkar hospital. "Some have lost their faces, others their arms," Metlej told AFP. - 'Victims of a careless state' - A security source told AFP DNA testing would start "soon" to identify victims. Health Minister Hamad Hassan said he was in contact with countries including Turkey, Kuwait and Jordan to evacuate serious cases abroad. Ismail al-Sheikh, 23, burned on his arms and legs, was driven by his sister Marwa to Beirut's Geitawi hospital, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) away. "We were informed that the army was distributing gasoline... so people flocked to fill it in plastic containers... straight from the tank," Marwa told AFP. Some said a lighter sparked the blast, she said; other witnesses claimed shots were fired. The explosion was widely seen as a direct consequence of official negligence that had pushed the country deeper into free fall. "The dead are victims of a careless state," Marwa told AFP. Sawsan Abdullah burst into tears at Geitawi hospital when a doctor told her that her son, a soldier, was in a critical condition. He had only been looking for petrol so he could go to his job in the army, she told AFP. "He's my only son!" Abdullah yelled, falling to the floor. Lebanon, hit by a financial crisis the World Bank says is probably one of the planet's worst since the 1850s, has been grappling with soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and dire fuel shortages. The central bank this week said it could not afford to fund fuel subsidies because of dwindling foreign reserves, and accused importers of hoarding fuel to sell at higher prices on the black market or in Syria. Fuel shortages have left many with just two hours of electricity a day. The American University of Beirut Medical Centre, Lebanon's top private hospital, said it would close by Monday morning if it did not secure diesel to power generators, risking hundreds of lives. - Search for missing - President Michel Aoun ordered a probe into the blast and chaired an emergency meeting of the defence council, his office said. The meeting agreed to provide hospitals with the diesel they desperately need to power generators, said a statement. The council also called on the government to task security forces with monitoring the storage and distribution of fuel to prevent further incidents. Angry Akkar residents raided and torched a vacant house believed to belong to the owner of the plot where Sunday's explosion took place, the NNA reported. The blast comes less than two weeks after Lebanon marked the first anniversary of the Beirut port explosion. Despite the economic crisis, political wrangling has delayed the formation of a new government after the last cabinet resigned in the wake of that blast. Vital international aid pledges remain contingent on a new government being formed to spearhead reforms, and on talks restarting with the International Monetary Fund. Russia called for a "thorough investigation" into the blast and Jordan urged a "comprehensive plan" that would usher Lebanon into safety. Short link: Related Iran tightens Covid curbs as cases, deaths surge Iran will impose 6-day 'general lockdown' over coronavirus Iran on Sunday reported over 600 daily Covid deaths for the first time, ahead of tightened curbs to contain the spread of the virus. The country also registered 36,736 new infections in 24 hours, taking the total since the pandemic started to 4,425,821, the health ministry said. The latest 620 deaths raised the total number of fatalities to 97,828, it added. Health authorities acknowledge the official figures underestimate the country's real toll. The Islamic republic is struggling to contain what officials have called a "fifth wave" of the virus driven by the highly infectious Delta variant. Numbers have broken daily records several times this month. Authorities have mandated government offices, banks and non-essential businesses to close countrywide from Monday until the end of next Saturday. A ban on car travel between provinces started on Sunday and is due to run until August 27. Iran has avoided imposing a full lockdown on its 83-million-strong population, instead resorting to piecemeal measures such as temporary travel bans and business closures. Authorities have tried to speed up the country's inoculation campaign amid criticism that it began too late and as Iran's exhausted health system struggles to cope with rising Covid cases. Choked by US sanctions that have made it difficult to transfer money abroad, Iran says it has struggled to import vaccines. More than 15 million people have received a first vaccine dose, but only around 4 million have had the required second jab, the health ministry said Sunday. As well as China's Sinopharm, Iran is administering Russia's Sputnik V, India's Bharat Biotech and the AstraZeneca vaccines, according to the health ministry. Authorities have also approved the emergency use of two locally made vaccines, but the only mass-produced one, COVIran Barekat, is in short supply. Short link: As the Taliban mass at the gates of Kabul, they are promising a new era of peace in Afghanistan, with amnesty for those they have been battling for two decades and a return to normal life. But Afghans who remember the Taliban's brutal rule and those who have lived in areas controlled by the Islamic militants in recent years have watched with growing fear as the insurgents have overrun most of the country while international forces withdraw. Government offices, shops and schools are still shuttered in areas recently captured by the Taliban, with many residents either lying low or fleeing to the capital, Kabul. But already there are indications of a return to the harsh version of Islamic rule Afghans lived under from 1996 until 2001, when the U.S. drove the Taliban from power after the 9/11 attacks. Many fear the Taliban will roll back two decades of gains by women and ethnic minorities while restricting the work of journalists and NGO workers. An entire generation of Afghans was raised on hopes of building a modern, democratic state _ dreams that seem to have melted away before the Taliban's relentless advance. As the insurgents reached the capital early Sunday, a photo circulated on social media showing the owner of a beauty salon painting over posters depicting women. Young men raced home to change out of their jeans and tee-shirts and into the traditional shalwar kamiz outfit. Shops, government offices and schools remain closed in cities seized by the Taliban in recent days, with residents staying indoors or fleeing to Kabul because of security fears. Many appeared to be lying low until they see what kind of order the militants impose. A 25-year-old university graduate who works for a local NGO in the western city of Herat, which fell to the Taliban last week, said she hasn't left home in weeks because of the fighting. From speaking with other residents, she said there were few if any women out on the streets, with even female doctors staying home until the situation is clearer. ``I can't face Taliban fighters,`` she said by phone from Herat, asking that her name not be used for fear of retribution. ``I don't have a good feeling about them. No one can change the Taliban's stance against women and girls, they still want women to stay at home.'' She had planned to begin a master's program this year at Herat University, where women make up more than half of the student body. ``I don't think I would be ready to wear a burqa,`` she said, referring to the all-encompassing blue robe women were forced to wear under Taliban rule. ``I can't accept it. I will fight for my rights, whatever happens.'' The Taliban have issued statements aimed at reassuring Afghans. They say there will be no revenge attacks on those who worked for the government or its security services, and that ``life, property and honor'' will be respected. They are urging Afghans to remain in the country and have pledged to create a ``secure environment'' for businesses, embassies, and foreign and local charities. But some of their actions send a different message. Last month, after capturing the Malistan district of the southern Ghazni province, Taliban fighters went door to door looking for people who had worked with the government, killing at least 27 civilians, wounding 10 others and looting homes, according to the semi-official Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. After capturing Herat, Taliban fighters paraded two alleged thieves through the streets with black makeup on their faces. That's considered a warning, while repeat offenders risk having a hand cut off. The Taliban have also been known to stone suspected adulterers and carry out public executions in accordance with their harsh version of Islamic law. During their earlier rule, the Taliban barred women from working outside the home or attending school. Women were required to wear the burqa and had to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. These days, the Taliban leadership says it is open to women's education, but rights groups say the rules vary depending on local commanders and the communities themselves. Afghanistan remains an overwhelmingly conservative country, especially outside major cities. ``The gap between official Taliban statements on rights and the restrictive positions adopted by Taliban officials on the ground indicates that the Taliban are far from an internal consensus on their own policies,'' the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report last year. One issue on which they seem to be in agreement is intolerance of dissent. Human Rights Watch says the Taliban routinely threaten and detain journalists, particularly women and reporters who are critical of the group. The Taliban and the government blamed each other for a recent string of killings of journalists, some of which were claimed by the more radical Islamic State group. On Friday, the Taliban commandeered a radio station in the southern city of Kandahar and renamed it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law. It's unclear whether the insurgents purged the station's employees or allowed them to return. But the station will no longer broadcast music, which is banned in Taliban-run regions. The Taliban also closed a radio station in the southern Helmand province that offered women's programming, but the insurgents said it was a temporary decision. Fear is running especially high among the ethnic Hazara minority, Shiite Muslims who were persecuted by the Taliban and made major gains in education and social status over the past two decades. They are seen as having been deeply invested in the Western-backed government, which could open them up to reprisals following its demise. In recent years, the Sunni extremists of the local IS affiliate have carried out a wave of horrific attacks targeting Hazaras. An attack on a maternity ward last year killed 24 people, including mothers and their newborn babies. The Taliban have condemned such attacks and engaged in turf wars with the IS affiliate. But it remains to be seen whether, once in power, the Taliban will crack down on such groups, which share some their ideology and include former Taliban fighters. Short link: An Iraqi Shia cleric close to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani launched a veiled criticism of Iranian influence in the country, sparking a backlash Sunday from a senior pro-Iran figure. Iran has bolstered its influence over its neighbour in recent years. Iraq's state-sponsored Hashed-al-Shaabi paramilitary network, which is dominated by pro-Iran groups, now wields major political and military sway in the country. Critics have accused the Hashed of being Iran's armed wing in Iraq, and protesters who took part in a popular uprising in late 2019 blame it for wave of assassinations and kidnappings of activists. During a religious event on Saturday, Sheikh Hamid al-Yassiri appeared to lash out at the Hashed, without naming it or Iran directly. Revered Shia figure "Imam Hussein taught us that whoever is not loyal to his homeland is a traitor and an imposter," Yassiri said. "All counsel, all voices and positions that come from beyond the borders have nothing to do with the doctrine of Imam Hussein." The comments sparked the ire of Qais al-Khazali, who heads a powerful Hashed faction known as Asaib Ahl al-Haq. Khazali in a tweet accused "certain religious figures who hide behind nationalism" of "trying to pass off their projects by linking their ideas to Imam Hussein". Sistani, the highest religious authority for Iraq's Shia Muslims, is highly reclusive and rarely breaks his silence to intervene in politics. In June 2014, he issued a historic edict calling on Iraqis to take up arms against the Sunni jihadists of the Islamic State group who had swept across swathes of the north -- a ruling that spawned the creation of the Hashed al-Shaabi. Short link: The Latest developments on Afghanistan, where a Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks before the final pullout of American and NATO troops: BERLIN _ NATO says that it is ``helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world.'' In a statement it says that it would also maintain its diplomatic presence in Kabul. ``The security of our personnel is paramount, and we continue to adjust as necessary,'' it added. NATO provided no details on its number of staff still in Afghanistan, but said it was ``constantly assessing developments'' in the country. ``We support Afghan efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, which is now more urgent than ever,'' the statement said. ___ ISTANBUL _ Turkey's president says his country will work for stability in Afghanistan along with Pakistan, in order to stem a growing migration wave amid the Taliban's countrywide offensive. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Afghans were increasingly attempting to migrate to Turkey via Iran, urging an international effort to bring stability to the country and prevent mass migration. Erdogan was speaking at a naval ceremony with Pakistan's president. He said Pakistan had a ``vital task'' to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, where clashes have intensified. Turkish-Pakistani cooperation would be needed for this, and Turkey would use all possibilities to do so, Erdogan added. Erdogan did not mention any changes to a proposal for Turkey to secure and operate the airport in Kabul. MADRID _ Spain's defense ministry says it has not yet begun evacuating Spanish nationals and Afghan staff including translators who are expected to be flown out alongside its citizens, but was speeding up its plans. In an emailed statement it says that ``the evacuation plan for Afghanistan is being accelerated to the maximum,`` adding that ``details are finalized on logistics and the people who will be evacuated,'' but they cannot give more details for security reasons. ___ WASHINGTON _ A U.S. official says American diplomats in Afghanistan are being moved from the embassy in Kabul to the airport as the Taliban enter the capital. The official says military helicopters are shuttling between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions. The official was not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity. Relocating a core group of embassy staff to the airport had been a contingency plan as the Taliban made dramatic territorial gains over the past several weeks before the final withdrawal of U.S. troops by Aug 31. _ Matthew Lee in Washington. ___ VATICAN CITY _ Pope Francis said Sunday that he shares ``the unanimous concern for the situation in Afghanistan`` as Taliban fighters sweep across the war-torn country. He spoke as the Taliban entered the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan capital, and said they were awaiting a ``peaceful transfer'' of the city. From a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, the pope asked for prayers ``so that the clamor of weapons may cease and solutions may be found at the negotiating table.'' He added that ``only in this way, may the battered population of the country -- men and women, elderly and children -- return to their homes and live in peace and safety, with full mutual respect.'' _- BERLIN _ Germany is sending military transport planes to Kabul to begin the evacuation of its embassy staff Monday. The German news agency dpa reported Sunday that the mission will include the evacuation of local Afghan staff working for the German embassy. A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to be quoted, told The Associated Press that paratroopers will secure the operation. The military planes are expected to ferry evacuees from Kabul to a base in Central Asia, from where charter planes will bring them to _ Frank Jordans in Berlin. ___ MILAN _ Italian media reported Sunday that most personnel at the Italian Embassy in Kabul are being transferred to the Afghan capital's airport in preparation for evacuation. The report Sunday by Corriere della Sera said the move affects some 50 Italian staffers and 30 Afghan employees and their families, along with Carabinieri paramilitary police protecting the embassy. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that staff were being transferred to the airport, as other nations were in the process of doing, but could not give numbers or timing. Italy's defense minister has said that 228 Afghans and their families have already been transferred to Italy, calling it a ``moral duty'' to protect those who had worked with Italy and who would face reprisals by the Taliban. The Italian agency LaPresse reported a flight carrying Italian embassy staff would depart Kabul Sunday evening. _ MOSCOW _ Russia's state news agency reported Sunday that the Taliban promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian embassy in Kabul. Tass quoted Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, as saying that the organization has ``good relations with Russia'' and a ``policy in general to ensure safe conditions for the functioning of the Russian and other embassies.'' The Kremlin's envoy on Afghanistan said Sunday that there are no plans to evacuate the Russian embassy in Kabul. Zamir Kabulov told the Interfax news agency that Russia's ambassador and its staff are ``calmly carrying out their duties.'' The reports came as Taliban fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The Taliban said they don't plan to take the capital city by force. _- MOSCOW -- Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry reported Sunday that 84 Afghan servicemen crossed the border into Uzbekistan asked for assistance. Uzbek guards detained the group of Afghan military when they crossed the border. The group included three wounded soldiers that needed medical help, the ministry said. The men were offered food and temporary accommodation in Uzbekistan, and the ministry was in touch with Afghan officials regarding the return of Afghan soldiers to their home country. The announcement Sunday came as Taliban fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The Taliban said they don't plan to take the capital city by force. __ TIRANA, Albania _ Albania's prime minister says his country will temporarily shelter hundreds of Afghans who worked with the Western peacekeeping military forces and are now threatened by the Taliban. On his Facebook page, Edi Rama said the U.S. government had asked Albania to serve as a ``transit place for a certain number of Afghan political emigrants who have the United States as their final destination.'' ``No doubt we shall not say no,'' he said. He added that the Albanian government has also responded positively to requests from two U.S. NGOs to shelter hundreds of Afghan intellectuals and women activists who have been threatened with execution by the Taliban. The Albanian prime minister said that his country stands alongside the United States ``not only when we need them for our problems ... but even when they need us, any time.'' ___ LONDON _ British media are reporting that the U.K.'s ambassador to Afghanistan is to be airlifted out of the country by Monday evening amid fears that the Taliban could seize the airport imminently. The Foreign Office had intended for Laurie Bristow and a small team of officials to remain at the airport with other international diplomats. But the Sunday Telegraph reported that their departure had been brought forward. The Foreign Office declined comment. Last week the defense ministry said 600 British troops were being deployed to Kabul to help evacuate some 3,000 British nationals and about 2,000 Afghans who worked with British forces. A Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft was reported to have flown out of the airport on Saturday carrying diplomats and civilians. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace defended Britain's move to pull troops out of the country. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said ``we have not betrayed Afghanistan.'' He wrote that the U.K. could not ``go it alone'' after the U.S. announced its plans to withdraw. ``It would be arrogant to think we could solve Afghanistan unilaterally,'' he said. ___ ISLAMABAD _ Pakistan has closed the Torkham border point with Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the Afghan border facility, the interior minister said Sunday. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the decision to close the Torkhan border was taken due to due to an extraordinary situation on the other side. Ahmed told the local Geo television that the border was closed when Afghan police surrendered to the Taliban. Ahmed said the Chaman border point with Afghanistan remains open. Pakistan has already said that it cannot bear any load of new Afghan refugees in the wake of crisis in the war-torn country. Pakistan is about to complete fencing along the long, porous border, saying the step has been taken to check the militants' movement across the border. ___ ISTANBUL _ An Afghan official and the Taliban say the militants have seized the provincial capital of Khost. The capture Sunday makes the capital the latest to fall to the militants since they began their advance over a week ago. A provincial council member confirmed the capture to the AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. It leaves Afghanistan's central government in control of just Kabul and five other provincial capitals out of the country's 34. _ By Rahim Faiez ___ TREBON, Czech Republic _ Czech leaders have approved a plan to evacuate Afghan staffers at the Czech embassy in Kabul. The Czechs already had evacuated their own diplomats from the embassy and transported them to Kabul's international airport. Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said Afghan staffers are at risk of ``death and torture'' if they stay, adding, ``We simply can't allow that to happen.'' The announcement Sunday came as the Taliban seized the last major city outside of Kabul held by the country's central government, cutting off the capital to the east. Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the Czechs will help those Afghans who worked with Czech troops during their deployment in NATO missions. Metnar said his country is ready to take care of Afghan interpreters and their families. ``We will relocate those who have asked, to the Czech Republic,'' Metnar said. The evacuation flights should take place in next days. Short link: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief House members on the situation in Afghanistan in an unclassified virtual conference on Sunday morning, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested the meeting along with an in-person classified briefing when the House is back in Washington the week of Aug. 23. Short link: Canada is temporarily closing its embassy in Kabul after evacuating staff ahead of an feared takeover of the Afghan capital by Taliban fighters, the Foreign Ministry in Ottawa announced Sunday. The ministry said in a statement that Canadian personnel were already on their way back to Canada. It added that the embassy would reopen once conditions allowed a resumption of normal activities under adequate security. Following the withdrawal of most US troops and the Taliban's stunningly rapid advance through much of the country, its fighters were poised to take Afghan capital. With the government's fall imminent, President Ashraf Ghani has left the country, top official Abdullah Abdullah said Sunday. The Canadian government announced Friday that it was prepared to welcome up to 20,000 Afghan refugees in response to the emerging humanitarian crisis in the region. Short link: Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat met on Sunday with Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Masaki Noke to discuss Egyptian-Japanese economic relations and future development cooperation projects. The meeting came as part of ongoing meetings held by Al-Mashat with multilateral and bilateral development partners, which tackle the progress of the ongoing partnerships to implement Egypts development vision. Japan supports Egypts development vision and its quest to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through concessional development financing agreements across many sectors, including transport, tourism and antiquities, according to the minister. The meeting discussed partnership in 2021, as Japan seeks to contribute to Egypts strategy targeting the upgrading of the transport sector, particularly underground metro lines, in addition to the comprehensive health insurance project that shall boost the health care system for citizens. They also discussed the recent development cooperation agreements, namely the agreement to increase the value of a grant provided by the Japanese government to Egypt, worth $19 million, to establish an outpatient clinic building of the Abu Al-Rish Japanese Hospital. The Japanese government further provided development financing worth $9 million in support of Egypt's strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which entails the provision of medical equipment to Egypts chest hospitals, as well as the signing of an energy support policy agreement worth $236 million. This comes in light of the cooperation portfolio between Egypt and Japan, which started in 1954 and involves many targeted sectors. The current portfolio of economic cooperation between the two countries amounts to about $2.8 billion dedicated for the implementation of 14 projects. Short link: In a charming spot on the Nile, far from the noise of Fatimid Cairo and its crowded alleys and souqs, a statue of a man standing confidently with a compass in his hand seems to greet the passerby. The statue pays homage to a unique mathematician and astronomer whose legacy is celebrated in Heaven as on Earth! (There is a lunar crater carrying the Latinised version of his name: Alfraganus). In the ninth century, about a century before Cairo was built, Al-Farghani arrived in Egypt from Iraq, commissioned by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil to supervise the construction of a very important buildingas important as the Pharaonic structures on the Nile a millennia ago. A beautiful structure, one can still admire the building that bears his mark today at the Island of Rhoda across the Nile from Fustat. They call it Meqias al-Nil (the Nilometer), arguably Egypts second oldest Islamic monument after Amr ibn Al-As Mosque. From his birthplace in present-day Uzbekistan, it was a long journey to Egypt; one that involved the patronage of an enlightened caliph, Caliph Al-Maamun, respected worldwide for launching a project that would lay the cornerstone for a flourishing scientific and humanist renaissance: Bayt Hikma (House of Wisdom). It was in Caliph Al-Maamuns Baghdad that Al-Farghani studied and worked side by side with such great minds as Banu Musa ibn Shakir, Thabit ibn Qurra and others. Al-Farghanis talent and theoretical knowledge was unquestionable, but it was his practical application of these theories that was somehow flawed in his early years in Iraq, something that we learn from an account given by Ibn Al-Daya in his book Al-Mukafaah. Ibn Abi Usaibia went even further with criticism, as he mentioned in his Uyun Al-Anbaa that "he (Al-Faghani) never completed a construction project." This would change dramatically in Egypt, where he perfected his skills while working on the Nilometer. At the Nilometer "Egypt was the gift of the Nile" Herodotus and the gift had to be measured annually to estimate the taxes and to make sure the blessing would not turn into a curse (in the case of excessive floods). For centuries, Egyptians would wait with apprehension to know the level of the Nile water during the annual flood season. They would have a mental image of a columna graded octagonal marble column at the heart of the Nilometer. If the water would fall below a certain mark (16 cubits) on the column, drought was surely around the corner and people would fall into despair. They would also despair if the water exceeded a certain mark, obviously because it would signal an opposite effect. Anything in between would be celebrated by the ruler and his people alike. Ibn Khalkan and Ibn Taghribirdi attest Al-Farghani completed the Nileometer around the year 861. Prior to that, another nilometer once stood at the same spot since the Umayyad era, but was severely damaged by a flood, which is why Ibn Taghribirdi refers to Al-Farghanis construction as Al-Meqias Al-Jadid (the New Nilometer). Much of what the visitor can see today is original, with some renovations and restorations from successive epochs (most notably by Ibn Tulun and by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mustansir). For art history students and fans, the interior of the Nilometer carries a massive surprise: the earliest pointed arches still surviving anywhere in the world, centuries before this type of arches would be re-baptised in Europe as Gothic. Other aesthetic elements in the Nilometer include the Kufic inscriptions, the floral motifs carved in stone, and the restored geometrical decoration of the cupola. Nevertheless, the real beauty lies in the design of the Nilometer and fitting its different parts for their functions: The large, deep pit is rectangular at its upper level, and circular at the bottom. This prevents the water that once rushed through the tunnels that connected it to the Nile from causing any damage to the base of the column. This design also helped the walls of the pit bear the pressure. Al-Farghanis works The contribution of Al-Farghani to the field of astronomy is recognised by his contemporaries as well as by historians, scientists and intellectuals centuries later. Even Dante referred to one of his works in his Vita Nouva, namely Jawami ilm Al-Nujum (A Compendium of Astronomy) in which he summarised and analysed the views of Ptolemy in his Almagest. The book, which he finished before working on the Nilometer, was translated to Latin in the twelfth century by Gerard of Carmona, gaining immediate popularity in Europe and bringing Al-Farghani into the spotlight. At the British Museum, a thirteenth century manuscript copying the writings of Al-Farghani on the astrolabe bears witness to the importance of his contribution to improving this instrument. This manuscript is only one of many that carry different titles and that are attributed to him. Sadly, Al-Farghani only wrote a couple of books. However, the quality of these works made them a reference for other astronomers for centuries to follow. Just like Al-Zarqali, Al-Battani and Al-Sufi, he became one of the greatest figures in the history of astronomy. The astronomical observatory where he once worked in Iraq is long gone, but his Nilometer still stands in Cairo. It lost its function long ago as the old technology gave way to modern technology, but it never lost its charm, and one visit is enough to see it for yourself. Short link: At one of the biggest concerts in Egypt this summer, megastar Amr Diab has entertained thousands of fans on Friday at the North Coast's Al-Masa Al Alamein Music Arena. The concert saw a large turnout causing traffic jams as fans came from different resorts around the arena, hours before the concert. Amr Diab has opened his repertoire with 'Ya Ana Ya La' before he performed a selection of memorised hits like 'Yeta'emo', 'Wayah', Youm Talat', 'Odam Merayetha', Amaken El-Sahar', 'Bahebboh', El-Gaw Gamil' and 'Zay Manti' with the crowd singing along most of the concert. With its ticket prices varied between 750 and 3,500 Egyptian pounds, the concert was sponsored by a number of big-spending companies. Amr Diab announced that he would surprise his fans on Monday at 12pm, with many expected releases from the anticipated 2021 album; the first since last year's smash success 'Sahran'. The 59-year-old pop star is an exceptional success, who topped the Arab charts for almost four decades and has collaborated with many of the top lyricists, composers and producers of the pop scene. Short link: After Addis Ababa declared a ceasefire in June in the ongoing conflict between the central government in Ethiopia and the Tigray region, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) continued to advance, taking several key towns. The Ethiopian government has now issued a warning that it will deploy its entire defensive capability in response, going against the ceasefire terms and representing a significant escalation. Martin Plaut, a former BBC Africa news editor and senior research fellow at Kings College London in the UK, said that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has deployed the Ethiopian army against the Tigrayans. Now hes mobilising ethnic militia as well. However, he said the TPLF was highly effective, and Addis Ababas initiatives were unlikely to succeed. The US and UN-affiliated aid agencies are pressing the TPLF to withdraw its forces from the Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia amid alarming reports about the displacement of thousands of people and the hindering of humanitarian aid. Tigrayan forces pushing south and west into the Amhara region have displaced about 200,000 people and another 54,000 in the Afar region to the east, according to UN statements. The UN also said that around 400,000 people are living in famine conditions in Tigray, and more than 90 per cent of the population needs emergency food aid. The dire humanitarian situation is being exacerbated by the governments halting of aid charities working in the region, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and Medecins sans Frontieres, as part of a blockade Ethiopias government has imposed on Tigray. In early May 2021, a CNN investigative report revealed Eritrean troops actively blocking aid convoys heading to Tigray towns. There were also credible reports that the Ethiopian government and the Amhara state militia were blocking and obstructing humanitarian access to Tigray, using starvation as a method of warfare, a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2417 that prohibits parties to a conflict from using food as a means of warfare, said Esayas Hailemariam, a legal scholar based in California in the US. TPLF rebels took control of Lalibela on Friday, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Amhara region, with this being considered another escalation by the Ethiopian government. It announced that it would launch an offensive as a response. The latest escalations complicate the conflict that broke out in November after Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed sent government forces to the northern region of Tigray. Hailemariam said that chances of a negotiated ceasefire were now slim, although not impossible. First, the central government that declared a unilateral ceasefire is still spearheading a proxy war against Tigray using mainly the Amhara state militia, and Tigray is unlikely to compromise on its demands, which include seven preconditions for a ceasefire, he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Second, humanitarian access per se isnt the cause, but the result of the war, and the underlying political and legal issues havent been resolved amicably. Third, the people of Tigray felt betrayed when Ahmed breached the social contract and invited a foreign country [Eritrea] in that then committed horrendous crimes against Tigray civilians. The Tigray forces dont see a plausible reason to lose the momentum or military victories against the Addis Ababa regime that resorted to extra-constitutional ways to resolve legal issues [the Amhara-Tigray border dispute] and chose war over dialogue to answer political questions, he added. The Ethiopian government is also accused of committing atrocities against the Tigrayan forces. Six bodies were found floating down the river separating Ethiopias Tigray region from Sudan this week, in addition to another 50 bodies found over the past two weeks in the Tekeze River. Tigrayans in western Tigray are being hunted down and put in concentration camps, and many are believed to have been killed by Amhara paramilitary organisations allied with the government. In what appears to be a repeat of the Rwanda genocide, dozens of slain Tigrayans, some bound and showing signs of obvious trauma, have been found floating in the Tekeze River just downstream from Humera, said Gebrehiwot Abera, a researcher at KU Leuven in Belgium. Accompanying these news reports have been ghastly photographs and videos of the decomposing bodies of these victims shared by observers present on the ground in Sudan, Abera told the Weekly. Ethnic profiling and the harassment of Tigrayans by the government have become more pronounced and taken on more punitive dimensions in the aftermath of the governments military losses in Tigray, including raids on homes without warrants, arrests and detentions without charge, enforced disappearances, and the closures of Tigrayan-owned businesses. The grinding Ethiopian war against Tigray is ushering in the potential collapse of the Ethiopian state, Plaut told the Weekly. The way forward is to open negotiations and consider how best to reform Ethiopia in a way that gives Tigrayans a stake in its future once more. The alternative is deepening chaos and ethnic strife, he said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: There is growing geopolitical tension in the Gulf as observers anticipate an escalating shadow war so described in the British Telegraph between Iran and Israel. They refer to attacks on tankers and vessels in the region allegedly by the two countries, though neither acknowledged responsibility for any of them. Israel and its Western allies have indeed spoken of retaliation against Iran in relation to the latest incident, which occurred last month. At the end of last week, the US armys Central Command announced the results of its forensic investigation into the previous weeks fatal drone attack on an Israeli-owned tanker, Mercer Street, off the Omani coast, which left two dead. The tests concluded that the attack was carried out by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) produced in Iran. The tanker, managed by the London-based Zodiac Maritime Company owned by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer, was sailing past the Omani island of Masirah when attacked. A British security guard and the ships Romanian captain lost their lives. Israel, the UK and Romania instantly accused Iran of the attack. Iran denied the accusation. After interviewing the survivors and studying the explosive residue, the American investigators concluded that the ship was targeted by three drones. The first two, launched at the ship on the evening of Thursday 29 July, missed their target. But the third drone launched early on Friday 30 July and loaded with a military grade explosive, hit the pilot house and exploded, killing the two men and leaving a 2-metre diameter hole. They recovered part of the drones wing and after further testing concluded that the drone was produced in Iran. On Friday, a joint statement issued by all the G7 nations condemned Irans actions, suggesting that they threatened peace and stability. Iran disputed the statement. Though Israel threatened to attack Iran in retaliation, American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there would be a collective response to the incident if it was proved that Iran was behind it. Iran and Israel have been engaged in an undeclared war for some time now. Israel is widely believed to be behind a series of acts of sabotage against Irans nuclear programme, including the assassination of key scientists. It has also attacked Iranian ships suspected of carrying oil to Syria. At the same time Iran has been targeting Israeli-linked shipping with limpet mines, something for which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has trained intensively. Days after the attack on the Israeli tanker, there was a second attack with armed men briefly seizing control of another merchant tanker, the MV Asphalt Princess, before letting it go on its way. Again, some reports accuse the IRGC of the incident while Iran denies any involvement. An analysis by The Sunday Telegraph this week found that the attacks on ships in the region have steadily risen year-on-year since 2019, amid warnings that both countries are approaching the brink of open war. Last year, Iranian ships were attacked at least six times. And incidents have soared since February this year, when Israel accused the tanker Emerald of carrying out an eco terrorist attack by deliberately and illegally spilling oil that drenched 100 miles of Israeli beaches in thick tar. The Iranian Ambassador to the UK Mohsen Baharvand said last week that there have been 11 Israeli attacks on Iranian cargo vessels this year. Israeli sabotage is also suspected of sinking the Kharg, Irans biggest navy ship, in June. The paper said that the clandestine war in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean is just one front in a wider conflict being waged with drones, spies, and cyber divisions on both sides Sources familiar with Israels military strategy say it has adopted an asymmetrical approach where an Iranian strike on a ship may be met with a cyber-attack on its infrastructure. In May 2020, a cyber attack at the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee plunged shipping lanes into chaos. Some are rushing to make an analogy with the famous Tanker War in the Gulf during the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s. But Andrew Hammond of Oxford University in the UK dismisses that analogy. He told Al-Ahram Weekly, Its very unlikely this situation will lead to a tanker war like that of the 1980s. Oil markets have not reacted heavily to the situation and prices are now under pressure over the rise of the [coronavirus] Delta variant around the world. A podcast this week by analysts from S&P Global Platts, the energy analysis subsidiary of the leading rating organisation, came to the same conclusion. Platts senior editor Eklavya Gupte said of the incident, It shows that the tensions between Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the wider Middle East are definitely growing We have not seen the big impact yet on oil price; in fact the price has fallen slightly due to concern over Delta variant spread. More cities in China witnessed lockdown so we will see a decrease in oil demand there. But he did not rule out an impact later: The more these incidents increase, the more it will add to geopolitical risk and we will see its impact in the second half of 2021. With insurance premiums increasing, that might affect the cost of oil. But as there is no disruption in oil supply from major producers, the impact is yet to be seen. Increased attacks on shipping outside the Gulf and into the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean complicates the Arabian Gulf countries efforts to keep maritime trade going smoothly. Not only for the 188 million barrel per day (bpd) of oil that go through the Strait of Hormuz, but for other trade as well. For example, the Dubai port of Jebel Ali and its free zone, which is the main regional hub for re-export, relies heavily on these maritime routes. As Iran threatened to close the strait in case of attack by the US or Israel, Gulf countries developed alternative routes for their energy exports and other trade to go beyond Hormuz, such as through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Alternatives to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz include the East and West pipeline carrying Saudi oil from the eastern region to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, with a basic capacity of five million bpd and the HabshanFujairah oil pipeline with a basic capacity of 1.8 million bpd. This is also supplemented by building Saudi refineries and export ports on the Red Sea. In addition to this, Omani ports like Sohar and Doqm have developed on the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Gulf countries also worked on expanding the road and railway network to increase land freight. The new developments beyond Hormuz threaten such efforts. As Andrew Hammond noted, there has been in fact a state of war, a hybrid war, going on in the Middle East since Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018. Its a managed war between Israel and Iran involving cyber attacks, drones, proxies, and several countries. The best chance of reducing tensions is for the US to make a new agreement with Iran. Iranian-American talks on the nuclear deal are due to resume in Vienna early next month. That is why Washington might be incentivised to neutralise any escalations with Tehran. Even if the Israelis are seeking war, the Americans might restrain them. And this makes the likelihood of a full-fledged tanker war even lower. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Taliban Members of the Taliban, left, drive with other motorists through city of Herat, Afghanistan, west of Kabul, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, after the province was taken from the Afghan government. AP Taliban Taliban fighters drive an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle through the streets of Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban A Taliban fighter rides a motorbike through a street in Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters drive an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle through the streets of Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban U.S. Chinook helicopters fly over the city of in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. AP Taliban Taliban fighters and local residents sit over an Afghan National Army (ANA) humvee vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters sit over a vehicle on a street in Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban A Taliban fighter stands over a vehicle on a street in Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban A Taliban fighter sits over a vehicle on a street in Laghman province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban A U.S.Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. AP Taliban This video frame grab taken from AFPTV footage shows Taliban fighters and local people sitting on top of a captured Afghan National Army (ANA) Humvee vehicle along a street in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters and local people sit on an Afghan National Army (ANA) humvee vehicle on a street in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters sit on a vehicle along the street in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters and local people are pictured along the street in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021. AFP Taliban Taliban fighters and local people are pictured along the street in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021. AFP Republished: The Nile Flood Festival Al-Ahram Organisation and Information Technology Centre (Microfilm), Sunday 15 Aug 2021 Every year Egypt paid tribute to the Nile (Wafaa Al Nil); adopting the same gesture of gratitude, Ahram Online reviews what, why, and how such a celebration was conducted using archived Ahram newspapers In celebration of the annual Egyptian Wafaa Al-Nil Festival a tribute to the Nile which is held on 15 August, Ahram Online is republishing this article that was first posted on Sunday 25 August 2013. The feast that dates back to the ancient Egyptians brings to the fore a lot of intangible heritage regarding how Egyptians have perceived the crucial river throughout the ages. ---------- Every year Egypt used to pay tribute to the Nile river (Wafaa Al Nil). Adopting the same gesture of gratitude, Ahram Online reviews what, why, and how such a celebration was conducted through the lens of old archived Ahram newspapers. Al Ahram Newspaper (0014)pdf ## 28 August, 1957 When the Nile married the land of Egypt Wrote: Kamal El Malakh 'Do not freak out if you heard cannon fire at 5:30 pm. Actually, you have to be prepared to celebrate Wafaa Al Nil, (the flooding of the Nile festival). Tomorrow is a holiday for Cairo residents only, which makes no sense because the Nile runs through all Egypt. Today the boat named Karim, after being designed in Pharonic style, shall sail carrying the cannon from Abbass bridge to Maadi. According to the old myth, the Nile was a man who originally reached Egypt in order to marry her. Then came a flood that fertilised the dark land (Kemet), which in turn provided a prosperous harvest . According to other ancient beliefs, this day concerning the flood water is none other than the tears of Isis, who was mourning the death of her beloved husband Osiris, whilst trying to put together his body parts that were shredded to pieces by his evil brother Set. However, the Nile wasn't only a source of great mythology. It was a significant scientific site, by which ancient Egyptians created their Calendar. The rising of the Sirius star towards the East was the sign of the Nile Flood, and the flood was in turn the beginning of the new ancient Egyptian Year (now known as the Egyptian Agrarian Year). The ancient Egyptian year is divided into three seasons: flooding, planting and harvesting, each taking four months. Due to the importance of the Nile flood, ancient Egyptians created two Nile-meters to measure water levels in Aswan.' Al Ahram newspaper ## Flooding of the Nile Festival (003pdf) (excerpt) 23 August, 1909 'Yesterday afternoon the Wafaa Al Nil (Flooding of the Nile) celebration was brilliant. The Umma, with its various social classes gathered to celebrate in gratitude for its generous source of prosperity and wealth : (The Nile) From 3:30pm, a large crowd of high-ranked employees and the cream of society cued on the Boulak marina and sailed in the Al Aqaba boat. The boat, which was decorated beautifully, sailed amidst cries of joy, cannon guns and music, lapped by the Nile until it reached Al Rouda bridge at sunset.' Al Ahram Newspaper ## Flooding of The Nile Festival (001pdf) (excerpt) 19th August, 1981 'This date also commemorated the marriage of the ancient Egyptian Gods: Amoun (creator deity, often affiliated with the sun), Mut (mother goddess) and their son Khonso (moon god). On this occasion, Egyptians have never thrown a human sacrifice into the Nile (often referred to as the 'bride of the Nile'). On the contrary, they would send wooden dolls of Amoun, Mout and Khonso, as well as the current Pharaoh, and let them sail to Karnak against the tide so they would reach the source of the Nile (the origin of the flood) as a gesture of gratitude, respect and hope for the sustenance of prosperity.' ## ## https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/419094.aspx KYODO NEWS - Aug 15, 2021 - 15:48 | All, Japan Japan on Sunday commemorated the 76th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, scaling back a memorial service to mourn the war dead for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic. In his first address at the ceremony since taking office last year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed to help solve the world's problems "under the flag of proactive contributions to peace." But Suga's speech, which largely followed that of his predecessor Shinzo Abe, did not refer to Japan's wartime aggression in Asia. Abe caused a backlash when he modified his speech to remove any mention of aggression and remorse after he took office in December 2012. Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito, attending the ceremony for the third time as emperor, expressed "deep remorse" during the annual memorial service, as he did in previous years. "Looking back on the long period of postwar peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated," he said, while also touching on the "unprecedented ordeal" inflicted by the pandemic. With over 80 percent of the country's population born after the war, including the 61-year-old emperor, relatives of the dead as well as the other attendees mourned the loss of life as they vowed to keep alive the memory of past horrors. A moment of silence was observed at noon for the approximately 2.3 million military personnel and 800,000 civilians who perished in the war, including those killed in the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ceremony was held in Nippon Budokan, with around 185 people attending, the lowest on record since the government started holding the event in 1963, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. With Tokyo and several other areas under a state of emergency, relatives of the war dead in 22 of Japan's 47 prefectures did not attend the memorial service due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. New Delhi: At least six people, including a Japanese national, were killed after a helicopter with seven people on board crashed in a dense forest area in Nepal on Saturday, official sources said adding a female passenger was rescued. Also Read | United States accused of blocking UN climate talks amid protests Six passengers, including a Japanese National, died after a chopper with 7 people aboard crashed in Nepal. One female passenger has been rescued Nuwakot District Chief District Officer Uddab Bahadur Thapa was quoted by ANI as saying. The single-pilot Kathmandu bound Altitude Air helicopter, airlifting a patient along with other passengers from Samagaun in Gorkha had lost radio contact with Kathmandu tower after flying some 20 miles at around 8:10 am, sources said. Also Read | Japan toll rises to 35 after powerful earthquake The Chopper, crash-landed in the forest area bordering Dhading and Nuwakot districts, according to eyewitnesses. A Nepal Army helicopter and a private chopper along with rescuers had been despatched to the crash site. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Reliance Jio has come up with Celebrations offer to mark its two-year anniversary in India. As part of the promotion, all Jio subscribers are being offered 8GB of high speed data at no extra cost. Its been 2 years since Reliance Jio launched its 4G VoLTE services in India. As per data shared by the company, Jio users consume over 240 crore GB of 4G data on its network every month. The telecom operator currently boasts of a subscriber base of over 215 million recorded till June 30. ALSO READ | Vivo V11 Pro with waterdrop notch launched in India; Know specs Jio Celebrations Offer: How to avail According to Jio, two vouchers of 8GB high speed data (2GB/day for 4 days), where the first voucher would be credited this month maximum by 20th September, 2018 and the second voucher will be credited in October 2018. The voucher will be automatically applied on your existing plan and you can check usage by visiting My plans section in the MyJio app. ALSO READ | Apple iPhone XS 2018 launch nears; Know how to watch live stream Earlier, Jio collaborated with Cadbury to celebrate its second anniversary. Jio users can get 1GB of free 4G data with the purchase of a regular Dairy Milk chocolate. The offer is valid till September 30. New Delhi: Crippled by floods and landslides for more than a month, the northeastern state of Nagaland awaits financial assistance from the Centre for the restoration of the damages caused by the monsoon fury and so far, two rain-hit districts had submitted reports of the damages and the fund required to return to normalcy to the central team. Also Read | Nagaland flood: 12 dead, thousands homeless in deluge-hit state; CM seeks relief from Centre Nagaland has been battling floods and landslides caused by the continuous rainfall since July 26, in which at least 12 people have lost their lives and more than 3000 families have lost their home in around 400 villages. On Friday, the district administrations of Phek and Kiphire, the worst affected districts of month-long rain in Nagaland till mid-August, presented reports to a central team during debriefing of a five-member inter-ministerial central team in Kohima, according to official sources. Officials said that the reports from other districts were yet to come. Phek district Deputy Commissioner Orenthung, in a consolidated report of damages, stated that a sum of Rs 416.06 lakh was required to repair damages of infrastructure, while it need Rs 281.34 lakh to rebuild agricultural, animal husbandry and fisheries sector. Orenthung stated that no relief had been received by the district, while two sorties have been made by IAF chopper for supply of essential commodities to Phokhungri and Wuzu villages under Meluri sub-division and added that the district administration and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) extended immediate relief of Rs 10,000 each for severely damaged houses and Rs 5000 each for partially damaged houses. Also Read | Nagaland floods: State requires Rs 800 crore 'immediately' for restoration work Kiphire district Deputy Commissioner and DDMA Chairman Md Ali Shihab sought immediate attention of the Central government for repair of the National Highway and village roads. Shihab stated that Kiphire remained cut-off from all sides due to landslides for over a month, adding the district is facing acute shortage of rice. The main NH-202 connecting Kiphire to Kohima and Tuensang districts remained cut-off at various locations since July 29 last due to torrential rain with major affected areas being Meluri in Phek district and Yei bridge in Tuensang district. Due to the bad road conditions, normal supply of essential commodities from Dimapur has been affected severely and the district is facing acute shortage of rice, Shihab stated. Kiphire district has around 110 villages and the DDMA is not able to reach maximum villages with relief material due to bad weather condition and damaged roads, Shihab added. The five-member Inter-ministerial central team, led by Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs K B Singh, conducted on-the-spot assessment of the monsoon damages in the state from September 4 to 7. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: As many as 19 children, including eight girls, were rescued from an unregistered orphanage in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua district during a raid and a pastor, who run the orphange has been arrested, officials said on Saturday. On Friday, the civil administration and police conducted the raid following complains by some children that they were being harassed and tortured at the facility, which was run by a pastor from Kerala. Also Read | Delhi Police arrests two suspected ISIS terrorists near Red Fort Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathua, Shridhar Patil said that the rescue operation was conducted based on a complaint and further investigation was on and said that the orphanage had been operating for several years. Officials seized some items from the orphanage. The rescued children are being given medical treatment and counselling, Patil added. The children, aged 5 to 16, have been shifted to government-run Bal Ashram and Nari Neketan, the officials said, adding they belong to different parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. Accused Antony Thomas had been arrested and booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the connection. Thomas, however, denied all charges of any wrongdoing at the orphanage and said a total of 21 children were staying at the asylum and two of them had gone to their native place to attend a marriage. Also Read | Yogendra Yadav detained in Tamil Nadu, alleges manhandling by police Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Kathua, Jitender Mishra, who led the joint raid, said that Thomas failed to produce any document for running the centre during the rai, adding the motive behind operating the facility is under investigation. Meanwhile, a group of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal activists on Saturday protested outside the Press Club in Jammu, seeking severe punishment to the accused. They also set ablaze an effigy of the pastor. (With PTI inputs) Washington: Several US lawmakers have urged the new government of Pakistan to treat its ethnic and religious minorities with equality and dignity. Addressing The Minorities Day on the Hill organised by South Asia Minorities Alliance Foundation (SAMAF) and Voice of Karachi (VOK) on Wednesday, the lawmakers urged the Imran Khan government to stop human rights violation of minorities in Karachi as well as other parts of the country, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. In his speech as the host of the event, US Congressman Thomas Garrett Jr appealed to all countries in the world to treat their minorities with respect and dignity they deserve and grant them equal rights. Also Read | Mass grave with 166 bodies unearth in Mexico He said that Mohajirs (Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from India during the partition in 1947) had left their homes hoping for a better life but they were not welcomed in their new homeland. I clearly understand the plight of Mohajirs who are the product of post-independence ethnic cleansing. They were forced to leave their homes hoping they are going to somewhere theyd be welcomed, but they werent, he said. They have a story that needs to be told. I am not advocating on behalf of any group to demand a radical change in policy except that we expect our allies to treat their minorities with equality and dignity they so much deserve, Garrett said. Congressman Scott Perry said that we in the United States see and treat all ethnic and religious minorities equally and we demand that our allies do the same. We can all live together and practice our faith in peace and harmony. This is the way it is now in America, but that should be everywhere. Read More | 2+2 dialogue: India, US sign historic Communications Compatibility, Security Agreement The lawmaker from Pennsylvania said that America should take lead on this and demand all those countries the US does business with or have relations with to treat their citizens equally, so everyone could realise their full potential. In his speech, Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman highlighted the geo-strategic importance of Karachi, particularly in the wake of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative and Karachi ports importance in providing logistical supplies to Afghanistan. He assured minorities in the region his full support and promised that he would continue to work in this direction as a member of the influential Armed Services Committee. Congressman Andy Harris said that practicing ones religion is a basic human right, and as humans we should share this right. It doesnt matter which part of the world we live in, or which ethnic or religious group we belong to, we have the right to exist peacefully and enjoy our basic human rights. US lawmakers who attended the event and expressed their support for the cause of ethnic and religious minorities included Perry, Adam Kizinger, Dave Brat, Morgan Griffith, Jeff Duncan, Raul Labrador, Gary Palmer, Rod Blum, Randy Huttgren, Jodz Rice, Andy Biggs, Tom Rice and Alex Mooney. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Producer Goldie Behl has urged people to be more responsible about the content they share on social media platforms. Behl, husband of Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre, asked the users to not spread or believe in rumours. "I appeal to all to please use social media more responsibly. Let us not believe in rumours and spread them, unnecessarily hurting the sentiments of those involved. Thank you," he tweeted Saturday. Also Read | Don't think I'll get married again: Kalki Koechlin The filmmaker's tweet comes after BJP MLA Ram Kadam posted a message Twitter which read "Sonali Bendre, the actress who ruled Hindi and Marathi cinema was no more." He later clarified his tweet writing, "About Sonali Bendre ji. It was rumour. Since last two days... I pray to God for her good health and speedy recovery." Sonali is currently receiving treatment for cancer in New York. Also Read | Shahid Kapoor, Mira and Misha take baby Zain home For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Sustained weakening of the rupee is credit negative for Indian companies which generate revenue in rupees but rely on US dollar debt to fund their operations, Moodys Investors Service said Monday. The Indian rupee has depreciated 13 per cent so far in 2018 and has touched a historic low of Rs 72.32 to a dollar. Also Read | Amid Bharat Bandh, petrol-diesel prices touch new high; Check September 10 rates here Nevertheless, most rated India-based corporates have protections in placeincluding natural hedges, some US dollar revenues and financial hedgesto limit the negative credit implications of a potential further 10 per cent weakening of the rupee to the US dollar from Thursdays (September 6) rate (of 72.11 a dollar), Moodys VP and Senior credit officer Annalisa DiChiara said. Of the 24 Moodys-rated India-based corporates across the high-yield and investment grade categories, 12 generate most of their revenue in US dollars or have contracts priced in US dollars, providing a natural hedge, and thus limiting the effect a weakening in the rupee could have on their cash flows, it said. Read More | Bharat Bandh: 12 East Coast Zone trains cancelled in view of nationwide protest; bus services shut in Kerala These 24 corporates include those in the IT, oil and gas, chemicals, automobiles, commodities, steel, and real estate development sectors. A sustained weakening of the rupee would be credit negative for its rated Indian companies, particularly those that generate revenue in rupees but rely on US dollar debt to fund their operations and have significant dollar-based costs, including capital expenses, Moodys said. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: Kerala, which was ravaged by floods in August, is ready to welcome tourists from October, a senior official from the southern state said here Saturday. The Kerala Disaster Management Control Room on Tuesday had stated that, since May 29, a total of 491 people had died there due to the rains, the maximum number of deaths occurring after August 8. Also Read | IMD erred in predicting extreme heavy rainfall for Kerala Kerala tourism is quickly bouncing back from the flood-related damage which has not affected most of the tourist spots, hotels and resorts in the state, P Bala Kiran, director, Keralas Department of Tourism, told reporters. Addressing a press conference here on the sidelines of the Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF), Bala Kiran said priority was being accorded to the restoration of road links in the state. He also said that that the arrival of tourists had started picking up from August 29. Airports, road and rail networks are operational. The fourth airport at Kannur in north Kerala will be opened soon, he said, adding that the states Malabar region would get a fillip due to Kannur airport. Also Read | Monsoon rains, floods claim over 1,400 lives in 10 states, says Home Ministry Munnar, Thekkady and Wayanad, which were affected due to rains and landslides, are now open for tourists and public as was Eravikulam National Park, he said. Kerala Travel Mart 2018, being held as scheduled from September 27-30, and the 4th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), the biggest contemporary art event in Asia, will be held from December 12, 2018 to March 19, 2019, he said. A federal judge late Friday revived a Trump-era immigration policy that ordered asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico as they waited for their U.S. court hearings. President Joe Biden halted the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols border policy, known as "Remain in Mexico," during his first days in office, making good on a campaign promise. The program required thousands of non-Mexican migrants to wait in Mexico an unprecedented handling of immigration protocol. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in June formally ended the program, saying keeping it intact "would be a poor use of the departments resources. However, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, directed the Biden administration to reinstate the program, saying the administration failed to consider several critical factors when ending the program. Kacsmaryk delayed his order for seven days to give the administration a chance to appeal. Kacsmaryk said Mayorkas did not see the "benefits" of the program, which deterred migrants from the border. He also said Mayorkas failed to heed warnings from DHS officials who alleged the program's repeal would lead to a surge in undocumented immigrants into the U.S and ignored the fiscal cost to states of repealing the policy. The lawsuit was brought in April by the Republican attorney generals of Texas and Missouri, who argued that ending the MPP led to a surge in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. "Today, in a huge win for the Missouri Attorney Generals Office and in a big step towards securing the border, a federal court issued a nationwide permanent injunction, reversing the Biden Administrations suspension of the program and ordering the Biden Administration to reimplement the program, Missouri state Attorney General Schmitt said in a statement. More than 300 people died in the deadly Haiti earthquake! "Covid-19 pandemic will become an endemic after Delta variant spread": Former FDA commissioner Innumerable people will die if countries start booster shots: experts Israel has recalled its diplomatic envoy to Warsaw over the changes, branding the law "anti-Semitic". The legislation relates to claims on property stolen by Nazi Germany, then seized by Poland's communist regime. The law sets a 30-year limit on challenges to such confiscations. As most happened soon after the war, many outstanding claims will now be blocked. The Polish government says the change will end a period of legal chaos, but Israel condemned it forcibly. "Poland today approved - not for the first time - an immoral, anti-Semitic law," Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement. Mr Lapid also said he was recommending Poland's ambassador to Israel remain on his summer holiday in Poland. "He should use the time available to him to explain to the Poles what the Holocaust means to the citizens of Israel and how much we will not tolerate contempt for the memory of the victims and the memory of the Holocaust," he tweeted. Mr Duda said signing the bill into law ends an era of legal chaos in the process of handing back confiscated properties. In recent decades property restitution has become deeply mired in corruption, with title claims being bought and sold, and tenants suddenly finding themselves thrown out of their apartments from one day to the next. Jewish claims account for just a minority of total claims, most of which have been made by Poles. As a result, the law received the backing of Poland's opposition as well as the government. University students safely evacuate Tigray region Zambia elections: Hichilema takes early lead NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says zero cases now near impossible Kathmandu, August 15 The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 807,402 as of Sunday afternoon. The ministry said 2,212 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours. In this period, 8,088 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 1,793 returned positive. Likewise, 4,018 people underwent antigen tests for the virus, of which an additional 419 tested positive. Of total tests, 22.16 per cent of the PCR and 10.42 per cent of antigen samples returned positive, keeping the overall per-day positivity rate at 18.27 per cent. As of today, there are 39,298 active cases across the country. Of them, 4,280 are hospitalised, 758 in intensive care units and 193 on ventilators. In the past 24 hours, 1,867 people have achieved recovery whereas 33 deaths have been reported. Of the total cases so far, 682,682 people have achieved recovery. Likewise, 10,292 died, according to the ministry. The countrys recovery rate is 93.2 per cent and the death rate 1.5 per cent. Likewise, 3,364,157 people have received their full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 4,684,509 have received their first dose. Today, 70,770 people were vaccinated throughout the country. Home Just In From east to west: This is how Nepal share market is affecting family economy Every day from 11 am to 3 pm, Ramila Bhattarai Khatiwada, from Khotang, is glued to her phone. She does not watch YouTube or Netflix. Instead, she refreshes the website of the Nepal Stock Exchange looking at the changing prices of shares. Two years ago, she had no idea how to trade shares. But now, she does and has shares of 22 companies in her portfolio. I only had IPO shares, but now Ive ventured into the secondary market which has been quite profitable, says Khatiwada. She entered the market with the money she received selling goats. She started off by investing a few thousand rupees, which quickly reached Rs 400,000, getting her a profit of Rs 40,000 a month. By May 2021, her portfolio reached Rs 600,000. She was holding on to her shares waiting to sell them after the market went up, but sadly, it did not and she was quite worried. But, things changed in the market as the government changed. The bullish trend continued and with that, her portfolio has increased as well. There are many people like Khatiwada who have recently developed their interest in the stock market. The rising attraction shows the market has grown in such a way that it affects thousands of Nepali families individually. It had not been a case in the past. Similar stories everywhere Indira Regmi also dipped her hand into the share market after her income was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Regmi, who runs a hostel in Lalitpur, invested whatever she had in savings into the share market. Initially, I did mess up but gradually I started understanding things. Now, I earn enough to sustain myself, says Regmi. She says that she has learnt a lot in the past few months as she has profited and lost money. She had made a handsome profit on a few shares and wanted to sell before the market went down. But, the fear of missing out meant she did not. Since then, I set a profit margin and trade shares. Ive stopped being greedy, says Regmi. Padam Regmi from Gulmi also entered Nepals share market after he was allotted shares of the Nepal Infrastructure Bank. He had been told that he would never incur a loss if he invested in IPOs alone and jumped into the bandwagon. Since then, he has applied for all IPOs and has made a good enough profit from them. But, he has yet to venture into the secondary market because he knows how risky it is. That said, he has gone through all possible procedures to enter the secondary market. Ive opened a TMS (trade management system) and am looking at how to move forward now, says Regmi who does not think he is going to be a full-time trader as he already has a farming business. Bikas Shrestha from Udayapur lost a lot of money in the share market. But, he has taken that as a life lesson. A transport businessperson, Shresthas income stopped once Nepal was hit by Covid-19. After his peers asked him to invest in Nepals share market, he thought about it and invested in it having seen his friends make a good profit. In the secondary market, the first share he bought was Standard Chartered Banks 200 units. After that, he bought 500 units of the Global IME Bank and 1,000 units of Singati Hydro. He continued to purchase shares he felt would get him a profit. But, as he entered the market, the market did not go up. Even when it went up, he did not sell as he felt holding shares during this bullish trend would be the right thing to do. He started joining various share-related groups and started listening to a lot of people regarding how the price of shares would go up. People in various groups started to say how prices of Muktinath and Garima development banks would go up. Hearing that, I margin-lent and bought the shares of these banks. But, that was just a hoax a and the prices didnt go up and I incurred quite a loss, says Shrestha. Despite incurring a loss, he says he has learnt a lot from this as he says he will now assess things before investing. Bigya Pokharel from Thimi of Bhaktapur also says that the share market has taught her to respect money and to have patience. She entered the share market a year ago after applying for an IPO, and by Dashain, she entered the secondary market. I dont know how much Ive made, but this has been quite profitable, says Pokharel. Parsas Sadhu Sah who had mostly been busy with agriculture also got into Nepals share market in the past year. He says the share market has given him a new means to earn money to sustain himself. We cant be reliant on agriculture throughout the year. This has given me a good chance to make some money when its offseason, says Sah who entered the market after hearing the villages teachers talk about NEPSE and the money that can be made through it. Changing times Damaru Ballav Ghimire has been investing in the share market for the past 45 years. He says that in this time, a lot has changed in the market. When he started, one could apply for as many shares as one could. The number has been limited to 10 units for most IPOs now. There were only a few people who applied for IPOs. If you wanted 100 units, you could apply, but it was hard to manage capital to apply more shares, says Ghimire. He says the number of people investing in shares has also changed. From investment firms to farmers, currently, over 1 million people have invested in the Nepal share market. Everyone from the east to the west is involved in Nepals share market, says former president of Stock Broker Association, Bharat Ranabhat. More people have joined in due to the use of online transactions to trade. All one needs to trade shares is a mobile phone and the internet. While everyone had to go to a brokers office in the past, now they can do things in the palm of their hands. Ranabhat also says that people have been learning about the share market from the internet that has also helped the market. That said, Ranabhat says that people must fill the forms carefully, otherwise, problems can arise while trying to trade shares. According to CDS and Clearing Ltd, the NEPSE-promoted company formed to provide centralised depository, clearing and settlement services in Nepal, the most number of investors are from the Bagmati province. The company says there are 1.6 million people from the province invested in the market while Province 1 is second with around 700,000 and Gandaki third with 500,000. Province 2 has around 335,000, Lumbini has 400,000 and Sudurpaschim has 188,000 people invested in shares. Karnali is the lowest as only 70,000 from the province are invested in Nepals capital market. Housewives find financial independence Nepals capital market has also given housewives the chance to make money. As of today, there are 1.5 million women investing in the share market compared to 2.1 million men. There are two share investor associations in the country and both of them are led by women: Radha Pokharel is the chairperson of Nepal Punjibazar Laganikarta Sangh while Samarkshyana Chaudhary is the chairperson of Nepal Punnjibazar Sangh. Pokharel says she is seeing a lot of women, particularly housewives, invest in the share market. Weve been going out of the valley to see how we cant develop the market and weve seen that a lot of women have been investing. Weve been getting calls asking us to help explain to them how the market works and how they can invest in it, she says. Pushpa BK, like many others, entered the share market when NIFRA announced its IPO. She was allotted 50 shares, for which she had spent Rs 5,000. In a few months, that Rs 5,000 became Rs 30,000 which made her apply for every IPO that was announced after NIFRA. I apply for all IPOs. Some I get and some I dont, says BK, who is planning to enter the secondary market. She says that the market has given her financial security as she no longer has to ask her husband for money to do things that she wants. Interest in the monetary policy Three years ago, only 40 per cent of Nepals population had access to banks. The number has now increased to 65 per cent, according to Nepals central bank. As it is mandatory to have a bank account and a demat account before entering the share market, the number of people who have opened bank accounts has also significantly gone up, admit the Nepal Rastra Bank officials. To raise banking awareness among people, the central bank also started one person, one bank account campaign. But, the share market did more than that campaign in raising the number of account holders in the country. The former president of the Stock Broker Association, Ranabhat, says the share market has also helped people understand the importance of money. He further adds that the share market has also helped the banking sector in current times. People even in the remote parts of Nepal have understood the importance of the share market. In the past, people bought land, but now they buy shares, he says. This, Purna Prasad Acharya, the CEO of the CDS and Clearing Limited, says has made people look forward to the monetary policy. The market has raised a lot of awareness as people are keen on the policies that the government and the central bank will bring, says Acharya. (Adds details on sale, background) Aug 5 (Reuters) - Australian gold miner Resolute Mining Ltd said on Thursday it would sell its Bibiani mine in Ghana to Canada's Asante Gold Corp for $90 million. The sale comes months after China's Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining cancelled a deal to buy the mine, saying it had not received timely information about the termination of a mining lease. Resolute Mining shares rose 4.5% to A$0.58 in early trade. The deal had been approved by Ghana's minister of lands and natural resources and is expected to be completed in the next 10 days, Resolute Mining said in a statement. The Australian miner, which had acquired Bibiani in 2014, and also operates the Syama gold mine in Mali and the Mako gold mine in Senegal, said it would use $30 million of the proceeds to repay debt. (Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi; Editing by Rashmi Aich) By El Planteo. "What's in your lifes black box?" In tune with the new winds of communication 2.0, generational change and new ways of relating to content, the famous Spanish streamer, Ibai Llanos, interviewed Lionel Messi after his arrival to Paris. On the same day, one of the most popular journalists on the Internet was able to do the same with the Argentine president. This is Julio Leiva, radio host, editorial director of Filo News and head of Caja Negra (Black Box), the interview series that has built bridges between generations and has already consolidated itself as one of the most interesting YouTube products of the 2020/2021 harvest. Something that, as he told to El Planteo, never ceases to surprise him. His versatile guests range from top streamers, athletes, musicians, artists and top politicians. And, on this occasion, Julio Leiva's special guest on Caja Negra is none other than Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina. Recently, Fernandez caught the attention of the cannabis world, first, with the authorization of the Registry for the Self-Cultivation of Medicinal Cannabis (REPROCANN), his repeated statements on the legalization of adult-use marijuana, and his progressive view of the issue. In this conversation, Leiva had the opportunity to ask the President about his view on Cannabis for adult use. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Here are some of the highlights of the interview: "In my case it's a matter of care for the unknown." "I have no problem in stimulating that debate." "There are some things that it makes no sense for us to discuss at this point: marijuana use is widespread. It is also true that it is a drug that harms health. Our problem is with alcohol consumption, not with marijuana consumption." "We have to open a debate on the legalization of marijuana. Alcohol does much more harm and no one is affected by this." "I look with great interest at what is happening in Uruguay." Alberto Fernandez with Julio Leiva in Caja Negra Story continues Note: turn on auto-generated English close captions to understand the conversation. Below, we share with you the transcript of the "cannabis moment" during the talk between Leiva and Fernandez. Julio Leiva: One of the topics of interest has to do with marijuana. During your term, is the project to decriminalize recreational cannabis going to be presented? Alberto Fernandez: Look, it is an issue: it seems to me that everybody is tempted to come to me with the issue of marijuana. And there are some things about which it does not make much sense for us to discuss at this point. First, that marijuana use has expanded, that a lot of young people use it. That is true. It is also true that marijuana is harmful, that it is like any other drug and that it generates damage to health. We should ask ourselves, and I am not in a position to answer this question, if the damage to health caused by marijuana is greater or lesser than the damage caused by tobacco or alcohol. Because the biggest problem we have with youth is alcohol consumption, not marijuana consumption. And on alcohol consumption there are no restrictions. An 18-year-old can, drink a bottle of gin every night, and there are no restrictions on that. And it's a problem, a huge problem now. When I'm invited to this debate, I always think "well, let's debate, but without hypocrisy". The first thing we have to do is to put an end to hypocrisy. Marijuana is harmful. Tobacco kills with cancer and alcohol degrades the human being. If these two are legal, I would like to know, why this one is illegal? That is the first thing I ask myself. I always ask myself that question. If I would stop here with my statement, you would think: "This guy is going to legalize marijuana". I think that, little by little, we have to take steps. We have already legalized marijuana for therapeutic purposes, for medicinal purposes. We are promoting hemp for textile purposes, for textile production. And we have to think and open a debate at some point about the legalization of marijuana. Now, those who pay for the consumption of marijuana are the consumers. They are not the ones who are most responsible for the problem. In any case, the problem will be the traffickers. Since they are part of the organized crime, who touch the knobs of power to avoid being prosecuted. That happens here and in the world. Therefore, I follow with great interest and attention what is happening in Uruguay. We must pay attention to it. It is a debate that is very good to hold, we must have it. Julio Leiva: Could we see it during your presidency? Alberto Fernandez: I have no problem in generating these debates. To tell you the truth, I am a very liberal guy in these matters. And I believe that, in the end, everyone has the right to decide, even to harm themselves. However, the State has to warn them about this harm. And then, move forward, if that harm puts others at risk. We all know people who smoke tobacco, who drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, we surely know people who use other types of harder and more complicated drugs. These are already in another field: they have other characteristics, and are clearly harmful. Continue reading: See more from Benzinga 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 15, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced that the Government of Canada has increased total AgriRecovery funding to up to $500 million to address extraordinary costs faced by producers due to drought and wildfires. This includes initial funding of $100 million announced on August 6, 2021. Given the extraordinary circumstances that farmers in Western Canada and parts of Ontario are facing, this increased funding ensures the federal government is ready to contribute to eligible provincial AgriRecovery costs on the 60-40 cost-shared basis outlined under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Government of Canada and the governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario continue to work with the utmost urgency to complete joint assessments of the disaster and launch support programs. This will include direct assistance to affected livestock and agricultural producers, and help them with added costs of obtaining livestock feed, transportation and water. Producers can also apply for interim payments under AgriStability to help them cope with immediate financial challenges. The Government of Canada and the governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario have agreed to increase the 2021 AgriStability interim benefit payment percentage from 50% to 75%, so producers can access a greater portion of their benefit early to meet their urgent needs. British Columbia and Manitoba have also opened up late participation in AgriStability to farmers who did not register in 2021 so they can benefit from this important income support. In addition to this support, the Government of Canada announced designations for Livestock Tax Deferral on July 22, 2021, and August 6, 2021, for prescribed drought regions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. This will allow beef producers who are forced to sell a significant amount of their breeding herd due to drought conditions to offset the resulting revenues with the costs to replace the herd. Story continues The Government of Canada continues to stand with farm families during this difficult time and is taking concrete action to respond. Quote "Our Government is doing everything it can to support farm families so they can get through these challenges today, and be better positioned for a sustainable future. Today's commitment of up to half a billion dollars shows we stand ready to contribute our share toward AgriRecovery programs with the provinces. We are united in our goal of ensuring that farmers are fully supported through this crisis." - The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Quick Facts To date, the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario have announced provincial commitments under the AgriRecovery Framework totaling up to $322 million. Using the 60-40 cost-shared basis, as outlined under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the federal share would be up to $482.5 million, not including British Columbia's planned program. The final federal funding amounts will be for eligible extraordinary costs and will be determined once the joint assessments and program developments are completed. As the situation continues to evolve, the Government of Canada stands ready to take additional action as necessary to ensure farmers have the support they need. Producers have access to a suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs to help them manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farm and are beyond their capacity to manage. AgriRecovery is a federal-provincial-territorial disaster relief framework intended to work together with the core BRM programs to help agricultural producers recover from natural disasters. AgriRecovery helps with the extraordinary costs associated with recovering from disaster events. AgriStability is one of the BRM programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. It protects Canadian producers against large declines in farming income for reasons such as production loss, increased costs and market conditions. While the deadline to enroll for the 2021 program year has passed, provinces may request late participation to make the program available to other producers during a crisis situation. An interim payment under AgriStability is based on estimates of a participant's program year production margin and reference margin. To receive an interim payment, the participant's estimated production margin must decline by more than 30% of their estimated reference margin. Participants can apply for an interim payment to access program funds early. Minister Bibeau continues to urge provinces to accept the Government of Canada's offer to raise the AgriStability compensation rate from 70% to 80%. This would provide farmers across the country an additional $75 million per year, benefitting distressed farmers who need help now more than ever. During a crisis such as this, farmers facing the stress and uncertainty of providing for their families may suffer serious mental health impacts. Those needing help are encouraged to reach out for support, and can contact The Do More Ag Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focusing on mental health in agriculture across Canada. Related Products Video - Minister Bibeau announces additional AgriRecovery funding Additional Links AgriRecovery Framework AgriStability Program Canadian Agricultural Partnership Livestock Tax Deferral Provision Livestock Tax Deferral Provision - 2021 Prescribed Regions Drought Watch Government of Canada announces $100 million in AgriRecovery funding to further support farmers facing continued extreme weather Government of Canada taking action to support farmers facing extreme weather Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2021/15/c1382.html The U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul are being moved to the airport amid the Taliban advance on the Afghan capital, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, as Western states look to bring their embassy staff in Kabul to safety. "It's why we had forces on hand to make sure we could do this in a safe and orderly fashion. The compound itself, folks are leaving there and going to the airport," Blinken told ABC TV. U.S. officials were quoted as saying on August 15 that diplomats were being ferried by helicopter to the airport from the U.S. Embassy in the fortified Wazir Akbar Khan district. Helicopters could be seen on TV broadcasts shuttling to and from the U.S. mission, along with armored vehicles. Sweden's embassy personnel in Kabul will leave immediately and the evacuation is expected to be completed on August 16, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on August 15. U.S. Embassy officials have been instructed to destroy sensitive materials as well as items such as embassy or agency logos, U.S. flags, or items that could be "misused in propaganda efforts," CNN reported, quoting a notice sent to embassy staff. The first U.S. troops from a contingent of 3,000 began arrived in Kabul on August 13 to help in the evacuation and to secure the city's airport. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that most of the additional troops will be in place by August 15 and "will be able to move thousands per day" out. Moscow Embassy 'Calm' As Britain, Germany, Italy, and other European countries also accelerated efforts to evacuate diplomats and other embassy staff, Russian Foreign Ministry official Zamir Kabulov said Moscow had no such plans. Kabulov told Russian news agencies he was "in direct contact" with Moscow's ambassador in Kabul and that embassy employees continued to work "calmly." According to TASS, the Taliban promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian mission. Russia's state news agency quoted a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar as saying that the organization had "good relations with Russia" and a "policy in general to ensure safe conditions for the functioning of the Russian and other embassies." Meanwhile, British media reported that the country's ambassador to Afghanistan is to be airlifted out of the country by August 16 amid fears that the Taliban could seize the airport imminently. A Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft was reported to have flown out of the airport on August 14 carrying diplomats and civilians. Last week, the U.K. Defense Ministry said 600 British troops were being deployed to Kabul to help evacuate some 3,000 British nationals and about 2,000 Afghans who worked with British forces. Meanwhile, German media reported that the country is sending military transport planes to the city to begin the withdrawal of local Afghan staff working for the German Embassy. A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP that paratroopers will secure the operation. "The top priority now is the safety of our embassy staff. We will not risk our people falling into the hands of the Taliban. We are prepared for all scenarios," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the tabloid newspaper Bild. Most personnel at the Italian Embassy in Kabul were reportedly being transferred to the Afghan capital's airport in preparation for evacuation. The Corriere della Sera daily reported that the move affects some 50 Italian staffers and 30 Afghan employees and their families, along with Carabinieri paramilitary police protecting the embassy. Sweden will also evacuate all its embassy staff on April 15, public broadcaster Swedish Radio reported, citing sources. With reporting by AP, Reuters, CNN, and AFP Albania and Kosovo have accepted a U.S. request to temporarily take in Afghan refugees seeking visas to enter the United States, the two Balkan countries said. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama Rama said U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had asked fellow NATO member Albania to assess whether it could serve as a transit country for a number of Afghan refugees whose final destination is the United States. "We will not say 'No', not just because our great allies ask us to, but because we are Albania," Rama said on Facebook. Sources had told Reuters that Biden's administration had held discussions with such countries as Kosovo and Albania about protecting U.S.-affiliated Afghans from Taliban reprisals until they completed the process of approval of their U.S. visas. In Pristina, Luan Dalipi, chief of staff of Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, confirmed the information for RFE/RL. "Since mid-July, we have been in constant communication and cooperation with U.S. state and military authorities on this painful and sensitive issue. There is a lot of logistical and technical, security, and social work that we are handling with care. The U.S. is our main ally and our strategic partner. Everything will end well," Dalipi said. Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani said the government had been in contact with the U.S. authorities about housing Afghan refugees since July 16. "Without any hesitation and...conditioning I gave my consent to that humanitarian operation," Osmani said on her Facebook account. Osmani said Afghan refugees would be vetted by the U.S. security authorities, and added they would stay in Kosovo until their documentation for U.S. immigration visas was arranged. Hundreds of U.S. troops are still stationed in Kosovo as peacekeepers more than two decades after the 1998-99 war with the then-Yugoslav security forces. "Nobody better than us knows what it means to be expelled and to leave by force from where you grew up, to separate from your loved ones, to be forced to flee to save your own life," Osmani said. With reporting by Reuters and dpa Pakistan has closed the Torkham crossing with neighboring Afghanistan with the Afghan side of the border now under Taliban control, Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said. Ahmad said on August 15 that the decision to close the Torkhan border was made due to an extraordinary situation on the other side. He told Geo TV that the border was closed when Afghan police surrendered to the Taliban. Pakistan has already said that it cannot bear any new wave of Afghan refugees in the wake of crisis in the war-torn country. Based on reporting by AP and dpa Nobody should bilaterally recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, and it's clear that there will be a new administration in the country very shortly. "We don't want anybody bilaterally recognizing the Taliban," Johnson said in an interview clip. "We want a united position amongst all the like-minded as far as we can get one." Johnson on August 15 recalled Parliament from its summer break to discuss the situation on Afghanistan. London is deploying around 600 troops to help evacuate its roughly 3,000 nationals from the country, and Johnson said the "vast bulk" of remaining embassy staff in Kabul would return to the Britain. Johnson vowed on August 13 that Britain will not "turn our backs" on Afghanistan, even as he confirmed the imminent withdrawal of most embassy staff in the face of a rapid Taliban onslaught. NATO, which this summer completed military operations in Afghanistan and withdrew most troops from the country after two decades, said it was maintaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul and helping to keep the city's airport running. "NATO is helping keep Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter. Stoltenberg said he had discussed the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan with Johnson and the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands. A NATO official told Reuters the alliance was maintaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul. "NATO is constantly assessing developments in Afghanistan," the official said, adding that the security of the alliance's personnel was paramount and NATO would continue to adjust as necessary. Earlier on August 15, Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons between the U.S. departure from Kabul and the chaotic exit after the Vietnam War, as the Taliban surrounded the Afghan capital. "This is not Saigon," Blinken told ABC TV. "The fact of the matter is this: We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission in mind. That was to deal with the people that attacked us on 9/11. That mission has been successful." Estonia and Norway requested the 15-member United Nations Security Council meet on Afghanistan as soon as possible, diplomats said on August 15. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry official Zamir Kabulov said on August 15 that Moscow was "working" with others to schedule an emergency meeting. Russia is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with the United States, Britain, France, and China. With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Mesa County Sheriffs Office and Chief Judge Brian Flynn are named in an ACLU lawsuit by a woman who claims she was wrongly held for 15 days, in violation of her constitutional rights, over a warrant from Boulder County. In accordance with the latest guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service will be requiring employees, the public, and contractors to wear a mask while inside of all National Park Service buildings, as well as in crowded outdoor areas managed by the department. This new mandate applies regardless of vaccination status and local transmission levels of COVID-19. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Dan Backer is a veteran campaign counsel, having served more than 100 candidates and PACs, including two of the largest pro-Trump super PACs. He is a member of Chalmers & Adams LLC, a political law and litigation firm. As part of a series of meetings initiated by the Autonomous Administration of al-Jazira region since the 10th of this month with the people and dignitaries of clans, it held a meeting today with the sheikhs and dignitaries of clans in the city of al-Hasakah and Tel Tamr district to explain the latest developments on the political level in the region, and to find solutions to the difficulties and obstacles that confront them. The meeting which was held in the council hall of al-Hasakah canton was attended by Co-chair of the Executive Council in al-Jazira region Nazira Gewria, Co-chair of the Justice Council in al-Jazira region Rafiq Jamil, Co-chair of the Economy Body in al-Jazira region Mahmoud Mohamed, Administrator of the Fuel Directorate in al-Jazira region Abdel Salam Abbas, Administrator of the Peoples Relations Office in al-Jazira region Doran al-Hashimi, Co-chair of Al-Hasakah District Council Samar Abdullah, and Co-chair of the Environment and Municipalities Committee in al-Hasakah district Magda Amin. The meeting began with holding a minute of silence, then Co-chair of the Executive Council in al-Jazira region, Nazira Gewria, explained the current political situation and what the region is going through, and indicated, "Today, an administration without the will of people will not be an administration, and the administration is the response and will of people." Nazira said during her speech, "We are experiencing the current stage of a crisis within Syria which was a peaceful revolution and became an armed revolution that was exploited by regional parties to serve their agendas and objectives in the region, turning it in some areas into armed terrorism." Nazira noted that today, after the liberation of the areas and the establishment of the Autonomous Administration and an administration based on the ground, it was able, with all its capabilities, to lay the foundations and program for changing the Middle East. She added that from the regional point of view, Turkey or Iran sought to achieve their interests and agendas in the region, "Turkey aims to be the leadership for Sunnis, restore the Ottoman era, control and occupy regions, divide the Syrian crisis, mobilize mercenaries and fight the will of the region's peoples." She added, "Iran is still dominant and present, and its presence worries all parties on the ground because it wants to get out of its tragedy and problems and export them to the Syrian interior." Nazira confirmed at the end of her speech that the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria is the initiative for a peaceful solution, through a political solution and sitting at one table with all parties. She said, "But until now, it has remained without any result due to the failure of all components to participate in conferences and political dialogues whether in Geneva or Sochi." D.H ANHA SYDNEY Australias most populous state on Monday reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths. The previous record daily tally in New South Wales was 466 new cases reported on Saturday. Two of the dead had taken a single dose of a two-shot vaccine. The rest were unvaccinated, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Only 26% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Saturday. Australia has one of the slowest vaccine rollouts among wealthy countries, which is making the delta variant outbreak particularly dangerous. The first shipment of one million Pfizer doses that Australia bought from Poland arrived in Sydney overnight. Residents aged 16-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected suburbs will be given 530,000 of the new doses, the government said. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall Amid a limited supply of vaccines, tensions arise in Africa between those seeking first and second vaccine shots Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19 Man stabbed at LA anti-vaccination protest leaves hospital __ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lankas government has announced nightly curfew starting Monday to control a surge in the COVID-19 cases. A government statement says curfew will be enforced from 10 p.m to 4 a.m from Monday until further notice. Travel for essential services will be allowed during the curfew. Authorities have also banned all public gatherings and wedding receptions. Sri Lanka is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 patients with the doctors warning that medical facilities and morgues in the country are reaching their maximum capacities. Story continues The government however has rejected repeated calls from doctors and other health sector associations to announce a full lockdown, because of an ailing economy. Sri Lanka has reported 364,968 positive cases so far including 6,096 deaths. ___ AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Supreme Court has blocked mask mandates ordered by two of the nations largest counties that defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals are stretched thin. Sundays order by the states highest court which is entirely comprised of elected Republican justices halts mask requirements that county leaders in Dallas and San Antonio put in place as new infections soar and students begin returning to school. Texas reported more than 11,500 patients hospitalized with the virus Sunday, the most since January. The ruling is temporary pending a court hearing, though the timing of a final ruling is unclear. Officials in Houston and Austin, as well as public school districts, had also imposed mask mandates despite Abbott prohibiting local governments from reverting back to pandemic restrictions. White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said last week that Texas and Florida accounted for nearly 40 percent of new virus hospitalizations nationwide. The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nations unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than patients typically were during earlier phases of the pandemic. ___ ___ EASLEY, S.C. -- COVID-19 cases have prompted the largest South Carolina school district already back open to return to virtual lessons as students in more than 60 other districts prepared to return to class. Pickens County school officials made the decision at an emergency meeting Friday, after nine days of in-class learning for its 15,000-plus students, the Greenville News reported. We dont know if its safe to continue as is, and other districts should pay attention, district spokesman Darian Byrd said during the meeting. He said four staffers and one student are hospitalized and 142 students have tested positive for COVID-19. Last school years peak was 85 students in January of this year, Byrd said. The countys remote schooling will last at least this week, with the first two days giving students a chance to pick up laptop-like Chromebooks, officials said. Byrd said the district will announce next weeks plans by Thursday. Most other districts openings are scattered from Monday to Thursday. School leaders have said students and teachers are welcome to wear masks, but they cant mandate them even with another spike in COVID-19 cases. They also cant require vaccines for students who are eligible for the shots. ___ WASHINGTON -- The director of the National Institutes of Health says the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall. Dr. Francis Collins tells Fox News Sunday that federal health officials are looking at the U.S. numbers almost daily but no decision has been made because cases so far still indicate that vaccinated people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant. He acknowledges, though, that there is concern that the effectiveness of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson regimen may wane over months. If so, Collins says that may necessitate a booster maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward with others, such as the elderly. Collins says because the delta variant only started hitting hard in July, the next couple of weeks of case data will help the U.S. make a decision. ___ COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government on Sunday banned all public gatherings, its latest move to contain a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases. The ban will be effective from Sunday night and people are urged to avoid visiting public places as much as possible, according to a government statement. Also, restaurants are now allowed to accommodate only 50 percent of their capacity and wedding receptions will be banned beginning Aug. 17. Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths over the last two weeks. Doctors have warned that hospitals and morgues are reaching their maximum capacities. The government has ruled out an immediate lockdown because of the countrys ailing economy, despite repeated pleas from doctors. Sri Lanka has so far reported 351,533 COVID-19 confirmed cases and 5,935 deaths. ___ BOSTON The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that every county in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts are the site of high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus. The rise of transmission in the two states mirrors a nationwide and regional trend. Some health authorities are recommending that even vaccinated people go back to wearing masks indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission. That includes almost all of New England. The CDC reported that every county in the six-state region was the site of high or substantial transmission on Sunday except Orange County, Vermont, and Kennebec County, Maine. In Connecticut, New London, New Haven, Middlesex and Hartford counties were the site of high transmission and the other four counties in the state were listed in the substantial category. In Massachusetts, Suffolk, Nantucket, Dukes, Plymouth, Bristol, Essex, Hampden and Berkshire counties were the site of high transmission and the other six counties in the state were substantial. ___ MOSCOW -- Daily coronavirus deaths in Russia exceeded 800 for the fourth straight day on Sunday, with the authorities reporting 816 new fatalities. The daily tally surpassed 800 for the first time in the pandemic on Thursday and has remained at that level ever since. Russia faced a surge of infections last month that officials have blamed on the spread of the delta variant. New confirmed cases soared from around 9,000 a day in early June to 25,000 a day in mid-July. New infections have since decreased slightly to about 21,000 daily this week, but the daily death toll has remained high. Officials are working to boost vaccine uptake, which has remained lower in Russia than in many Western countries. As of Aug. 6, more than 39 million Russians -- or 26.7% of the 146-million population -- had received at least one dose, while over 30 million, or 20%, was said to be fully vaccinated. Russias state coronavirus task force has reported over 6.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the pandemic and 170,499 deaths. However, reports by Russias state statistical service Rosstat that look at coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively have revealed a much higher number. ___ KAMPALA, Uganda At a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, tempers flared among those waiting for scarce AstraZeneca jabs, with some accusing others of trying to jump the queue. Nurses intervened, telling them the accused had been waiting since the previous day and averting violence in what has become a tense atmosphere as Ugandans jostle for vaccinations. In the aftermath of a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The delta surge has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses cant keep up with, compounding the continents vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. The urgency to obtain a second dose across much of the worlds least vaccinated continent contrasts sharply with rich countries now beginning to authorize third doses. Dr. Alfred Driwale, the top official with Ugandas immunization program, said the small number of doses will do little to remedy the situation as the 5 million Ugandans eligible for vaccination everyone from soldiers to health workers scramble for shots under a first-come, first-serve system. You cant make a policy when there is no certainty of supply, Driwale said. ___ SYDNEY Poland has sent 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Sydney where the delta variant continues to spread, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. The first of the Pfizer vaccines left Warsaw via the United Arab Emirates and will arrive in Sydney over Sunday night, Morrison said. Australia bought the vaccines after weeks of negotiations between Morrison and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Morrison did not reveal the price. A key factor in being able to secure these doses from our Polish friends has been that we have had a significant outbreak in our largest city, Morrison said. Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 due to an outbreak first detected 10 days earlier. Surrounding New South Wales state was entirely locked down from Saturday because of recent infections detected in regional towns and virus found in wastewater in the states north and west. Residents aged 20-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected areas would be given 530,000 of the new doses. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread, Morrison said. The remaining doses would be shared with other Australian states and territories. Only 25% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Friday. ___ ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Foo Fighters rock band is requiring that people who attend their upcoming shows in Alaska be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a negative test result 48 hours before attending. The 12-time Grammy-winning-band plans to perform in Anchorage on Aug. 17 and 19 at the Denaina Center and in Fairbanks on Aug. 21 at the Carlson Center. Negative test results or proof of vaccination must be provided before entering either the original card or copy of card with an ID to match, according to a statement Saturday from Ticketmaster. ___ PHOENIX Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases for the second straight day. The states seven-day rolling averages for cases and deaths also continued to rise along with virus-related hospitalizations. The states coronavirus dashboard reported 1,601 hospitalizations as of Thursday, along with 3,418 additional cases and 27 more deaths. In another development, the superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District said increased spread of COVID-19 threatens to end in-person learning. Also, the Salt-River Pima-Community Indian Community announced residents and visitors must help curb spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks while visiting government offices, businesses and schools on the tribes Phoenix-area reservation. ___ OLYMPIA, Wash. The Washington Department of Health recommended a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people with severely weakened immune systems. The recommendation Saturday comes as the delta variant surges in the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that immunocompromised Americans can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for better protection. The FDAs announcement applies to about 3% of U.S. adults who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called the right thing after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections. The White House said Saturday that the Democratic president had spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in Florida and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson in Arizona. Biden thanked them for their leadership and discussed their shared commitment to getting all students back in safe, full-time in-person instruction this school year. Bidens phone calls of support come as tensions build over whether local school districts can and should require face coverings for students and school staff as in-person classes resume. In Texas, several school districts along with the states most populous county won temporary legal victories Friday in seeking to override Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico health officials say an increase in hospitalizations across the state has prompted them to put out an urgent call for volunteer nurses to help boost the states medical work force. The New Mexico Department of Health has called on nurses or anyone with a medical license to volunteer to help because they believe hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with patients. They want recently retired health workers or anyone qualified to sign up for the states Medical Reserve Corps. Hospitals in New Mexico and across the nation are seeing increased hospitalizations because of long-postponed surgeries and a surge in COVID-19 patients. The delta variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious than previous strains. The state Friday reported 798 additional COVID-19 cases and five new deaths. They bring the count of confirmed New Mexico virus cases since the pandemic began in early 2020 to 218,569 and the number of deaths to 4,446. State officials said their modeling predicts more than 1,000 new cases a day in the next several weeks. ___ MINNEAPOLIS The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The university will allow medical and religious exemptions to this mandate. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people. System leaders said they will soon share more details about the vaccination requirement, including how much time students will have to get the shots after FDA approval and any consequences for not complying with the mandate. Solinas sul concerto di Salmo Non sembra placarsi la bufera mediatica che si e abbattuta sul rapper Salmo, dopo che il cantante ha tenuto un concerto a Olbia, nella serata di venerdi 13 agosto 2021, totalmente in barba alle normative anti-contagio. In prima linea contro Salmo si e schierato il collega Fedez, che ha attaccato duramente anche i vertici della Regione Sardegna, per questo motivo il Presidente della Regione, Solinas, ha replicato alle accuse mosse contro di lui dal marito della Ferragni. Solinas sul concerto di Salmo: Grave e pericoloso errore Non accennano a placarsi le polemiche sul concerto organizzato da Salmo a Olbia, per sostenere le famiglie colpite dagli incendi in Sardegna, una trovata benefica che si e trasformata in un maxi assembramento di giovani, per la maggior parte privi di mascherina e di alcuna forma di distanziamento sociale. Nella serata di sabato 14 agosto 2021, sulla vicenda si e espresso il Governatore della Sardegna, ossia Christian Solinas, ecco cosa ha dichiarato: Non si rimedia ai danni di un incendio appiccandone un altro. Il concerto improvvisato ad Olbia con lintento, almeno cosi e stato detto, di sostenere le popolazioni danneggiate dai roghi, potrebbe averne acceso un altro, pandemico, considerata la grande folla di giovani accalcati e privi di protezione. Solinas ha poi definito levento di beneficienza con queste esatte parole: Un grave e pericoloso errore. Solinas attacca Fedez sul concerto di Salmo: Nessuna autorizzazione dalla Regione Christian Solinas, Presidente della Regione Sardegna, e poi passato alla replica alle accuse mosse da Fedez nei suoi confronti e nei confronti del Sindaco di Olbia, in particolare il Governatore ha voluto precisare che nessuna autorizzazione per levento e stata concessa a livello regionale, ecco le sue specifiche dichiarazioni in merito: Come e un errore affermare che levento e stato autorizzato dalla Regione, come scritto dal cantante Fedez, che ha ingaggiato con il collega un tiro incrociato di accuse insulti che pur appassionandomi assai poco, mi spinge ad intervenire per chiarire la verita. Continua a leggere E ancora: Quindi lamico Federico Leonardo Lucia, in arte Fedez, sappia che non ho autorizzato alcun evento. Quanto al modo e agli strumenti per difendere dal virus non solo i Sardi ma anche i nostri graditi ospiti come lui, sappia vi sono migliaia di persone ogni giorno, ogni momento, impegnate non a chattare sotto lombrellone, ma a spendersi sul campo con generosita e dedizione. Solinas sul concerto di Salmo: nessuna replica da parte del Sindaco di Olbia Mentre il Governatore della Sardegna si e prontamente attivato per replicare alle accuse mosse alla Giunta Regionale e Comunale, in merito alla gestione dellevento di Salmo, che rischia di trasformarsi in un mega focolaio di Covid-19, nessuna replica sembra al momento essere pervenuta da parte di un altro soggetto che e stato attaccato da Fedez, in particolare stiamo parlando del Sindaco di Olbia, Settimo Nizzi. 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. Vote View Results Russian-Chinese Military Relationship Not Just a Marriage of Convenience Aug. 14, 2021 (EIRNS)U.S. Strategic Command chief Adm. Charles Richard isnt just worried about Chinese ICBMs. Hes also worried about what he thinks the implications of the developing Russian-Chinese military relationship are. I think its a mistake to think about them in isolation of each other, Richard stated, citing a series of recent military exercises between the two powers. The continued defense relationship should not be underestimated or ignored, and I dont think our national intellectual capacity has been sufficiently engaged to consider all the ramifications here. Richard, in fact, was speaking as the PLA and Russias Eastern Military District were wrapping their joint exercise in northern China. Both the Chinese and Russian defense ministers highly praised the exercise as a success. These drills have great significance, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said yesterday, reported RT. These are the first joint drills organized in China since the outbreak of the epidemic. And these are the first-ever Chinese operational and strategic maneuvers with the participation of Russian troops. Wei went on to explain that the exercises reflect the unwavering support between China and Russia, noting the development of inter-army ties at a high level. This fully demonstrates the close relationship between China and Russia, the unbreakable bond between the Chinese and Russian armed forces, and the strong and enduring friendship between us personally, Wei said, talking to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu, for his part, observed the troops coherent operations and the high professionalism of the participants in the joint maneuvers and awarded the personnel who had distinguished themselves during the drills. For Russia and China, the military relationship is more than a marriage of convenience as it is often portrayed in the West. For Artyom Lukin, an associate professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, it is getting clear that Russia-China military drills are not just symbolic shows of camaraderie, but are increasingly aimed at enhancing battlefield interoperability, he told South China Morning Post. SCMP observes that since their first joint drill in 2005, the Chinese and Russian militaries have sought to increase the frequency, scope and complexity of their exercises, but have yet to demonstrate the ability to conduct a major joint operation. Vasily Kashin, a military and China specialist at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said sharing of weapons and equipment contributed to a better understanding of each others capabilities and was standard NATO practice. The current exercises, starting from Vostok-2018 joint strategic exercise, are more aimed at fighting a high intensity war against a major power, he said. The level of trust appears to be very high. Currently the level of access which the Russians give to the Chinese appears to be similar or higher than that given to the closest allies among the former Soviet countries like Belarus and Kazakhstan. Retired PLA colonel and military commentator Yue Gang said China had never given this level of access before to a foreign military. Chinas treaty with North Korea is only on paper and the exercises we had with Pakistan were much smaller in scale, Yue said. China and Russia have to stick together when facing the United States. We are not allies but as good as allies with our collective capabilities. The Chinese military, which has not taken part in any real armed conflicts since the 1980s, has long sought to absorb experience from its Russian counterpart. Russias battlefield experience in Syria, Crimea and Chechnya is very valuable to us, in particular on how they have adjusted their military strategy across time, Yue said. When a person in the United States gets the COVID-19 vaccine, the person receives a small piece of paper called a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. It is a piece of paper with the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, and the name and date of the vaccine. Because it is so simple, it could be easy to fake. Many people in the U.S. are still unsure about getting the vaccine. As universities, workplaces and other places are requiring proof of vaccination, some people are now buying fake vaccination cards without getting a shot. The Associated Press reports that students and teachers at universities around the U.S. are worried about fake cards. Sellers are using social media apps like Instagram and Telegram to advertise fake vaccine cards. The prices range from $25 to $200. The AP notes that many college students seem interested in buying the cards. On the site Reddit, one person wrote: I need one, too, for college. I refuse to be a guinea pig. A person on Twitter said his daughter bought a different kind of fake document from someone in China for $50. He asked if people were doing the same thing for vaccination cards. The Chronicle of Higher Education is a publication that follows college and university news. It reports that more than 700 universities and colleges require proof of vaccination. Most schools simply ask their students to take a photo of their card and send it to a school website. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is not permitting students to register until they show a record of being vaccinated. At the University of Michigan, a spokesman said the school does not believe students have sent in fake cards. Benjamin Mason Meier is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC. He studies international health policy. He said, unlike some countries, the U.S. is not using a digital system to record vaccine status. He said the U.S. is depending on a flimsy paper card, and students have told him they knew of others who had used fake vaccination cards. In a statement to the AP, UNC said it has not found evidence that students are sending in fake vaccine record cards. Rebecca Williams also works at UNC. She is a researcher at the schools Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She said she is not surprised that people are worried about fake vaccine cards. This is why I think the development of a reliable national digital vaccine passport app is very important, she said. Michael Uhlenkamp is a spokesman for the chancellors office for the California State University system, which has almost 500,000 students. With anything that requires certification, he said, there is the possibility for an individual to falsify documentation. There is a law that should prevent people from making false vaccine cards. If someone uses the CDC logo without permission, they can be fined and punished by up to five years in prison. The U.S. Department of Justice recently charged a person in California with making fake vaccination cards. The top law officer in 47 states also asked the leaders of Twitter, Shopify and eBay to remove ads for fake cards, which they did. Sellers, however, quickly returned with different search words. And fake cards are still easy to find online. Dr. Sarah Van Orman is the chief health officer at the University of Southern California and an advisor with the American College Health Association on COVID-19. She said even if students can get into universities with fake vaccination cards, the number will not be high enough to affect the schools herd immunity. College students who already have the vaccine are criticizing those who would rather spend money to buy a fake than get a free shot. Maliha Reza is an electrical engineering student at Pennsylvania State University. She called those students dumb. Im angry about that, she said. Like, there is more anger than I could describe right now. Im Dan Friedell. Roselyn Romero wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. What would you do if you were in charge of a university, and you thought students were using fake vaccination cards? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - University Leaders Worry About Fake Vaccination Cards Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________________ Words in This Story logo n. a symbol that is used to identify a company and that appears on its products fake v. to make (something) seem real or true in order to trick someone guinea pig n. a person or thing used for testing something status n. the current state of someone or something usually singular flimsy adj. easily broken, torn, etc. : not strong or solid reliable adj. able to be believed : likely to be true or correct app n. a computer program that performs a special function certification n. official approval to do something professionally or legally herd immunity n. a group of people who develop resistance to a disease due to either vaccination or already being sick dumb adj. not showing or having good judgment or intelligence : stupid or foolish Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. In this file Friday, Aug.6. 2021 file photo, a Kenyan soldier guards a consignment of 182,000 AstraZeneca vaccines from the Greek Government via the COVAX facility, at Kenya Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi. In late June, the international system for sharing coronavirus vaccines sent about 530,000 doses to Britain more than double the amount sent that month to the entire continent of Africa. It was the latest example of how a system that was supposed to guarantee low and middle-income countries vaccines is failing, leaving them at the mercy of haphazard donations from rich countries.Credit: AP Photo/Brian Inganga, file At a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, tempers flared among those waiting for scarce AstraZeneca jabs, with some accusing others of trying to jump the queue. Nurses intervened, telling them the accused had been waiting since the previous day and averting violence in what has become a tense atmosphere as Ugandans jostle for vaccinations. In the aftermath of a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The delta surge has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses can't keep up with, compounding the continent's vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. The urgency to obtain a second dose across much of the world's least vaccinated continent contrasts sharply with rich countries now beginning to authorize third doses. Dr. Alfred Driwale, the top official with Uganda's immunization program, said ruefully that the small number of doses will do little to remedy the situation as the 5 million Ugandans eligible for vaccinationeveryone from soldiers to health workersscramble for shots under a first-come, first-serve system. "You can't make a policy when there is no certainty of supply," Driwale said. Health officials throughout Africa's 54 nations have repeatedly expressed disappointment over what they see as vaccine nationalism as rich nations appear to hoard doses while poor countries lag far behind. In June, amid severe shortages, the World Health Organization warned that vaccination campaigns in Africa had come "to a near halt," underscoring the continent's plight at a time when many countries faced deadly surges. Less than 2% of the continent's 1.3 billion people are fully vaccinated and African countries have received just over 100 million vaccine doses, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Donations of AstraZeneca from countries such as France are not considered large amounts in efforts to vaccinate 60% of Africa's population by the end of 2022, said John Nkengasong, the group's director. He told reporters Thursday that large shipments of AstraZeneca are not expected anytime soon until the situation with an Indian manufacturer changes. "The best vaccine to use as a second dose is any vaccine that's available," he added, using the example of getting the first AstraZeneca dose and then the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has begun arriving in African countries after the continent purchased 400 million doses. Uganda recently received 300,000 doses of China's Sinovac vaccine that authorities insist cannot be used in combination with AstraZeneca. In Congo, health experts are awaiting a Sunday shipment of more COVID-19 second doses, said Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, who is coordinating the government's pandemic response. Some 81,910 people have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca since the start of the vaccination campaign in April, and more than 4,000 people have returned for the second dose. AstraZeneca is out of stock there. The scarcity of AstraZeneca is causing anxiety in countries that used it widely while hoping substantial shipments would continue arriving. Some health workers, teachers and others who spoke to The Associated Press said their second dose has been due for several weeks, leaving them feeling unsafe. A Kenyan woman receives a dose of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine donated by Britain, as her son watches, at the Makongeni Estate in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. In late June, the international system for sharing coronavirus vaccines sent about 530,000 doses to Britain more than double the amount sent that month to the entire continent of Africa. It was the latest example of how a system that was supposed to guarantee low and middle-income countries vaccines is failing, leaving them at the mercy of haphazard donations from rich countries. Credit: AP Photo/Brian Inganga "We are told that (the delta variant) is very deadly and we are all scared. So most of my colleagues have taken the first AstraZeneca vaccine, but we are unable to the second jab now," said Ifeoluwa Oluseyi, a teacher in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with more than 210 million people, earlier this month received 4 million Moderna doses donated by the U.S. and expects a delivery of more than 29 million Johnson & Johnson doses purchased by the government through the African Union. Oso Kowe, a Nigerian physician who is among many yet to be fully vaccinated, said she considers herself lucky to have escaped COVID-19 as she waits to get a second dose after a first one received on May 7. Kowe, of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, said she has tried three times to get her second dose. "My not getting the second dose wasn't really my fault," she said. "So, I will just try my best and hope for the best that I won't contract the virus." Dr. Misaki Wayengera, head of a technical committee advising Uganda's pandemic response, said it was inevitable that "some, unfortunately, are going to have to wait longer" for doses. A Ugandan teacher, waiting her turn at a crowded vaccination site on a recent morning, said she would not leave until she got her second shot, due since June 2. "My question is, does that first dose still work? I mean, was it wasted? Will I need to get a third shot? There are questions in the air and no one is giving me answers," Racheal Nambuya said. "I am trying my best to get this shot and, as you can see, I am not the only one." There have been reports of fake vaccination certificates issued to people who got jabs outside designated centersand some even paying bribes to get jabsadding to the confusion surrounding a vaccination campaign that teeters on availability. And because of logistical challenges, vaccines take even longer to reach remote places outside urban centers. With some vaccination sites allocated about 100 doses per day, the struggle for vaccines can literally be physical. "Some people almost exchanged blows here this morning," said Robinah Wataba after getting a second dose that had been due for several days. "There was too much disorganization here. More than you can imagine." She felt discouraged the previous day when she came to Kampala's City Hall and witnessed the clamorous crowd. "This second doseeveryone wants it. I was asking myself, 'What is the probability that I will be among those people who will be able to get it?'" she said. "I pity those who haven't gotten it because from now on it's going be even harder." 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A young mother had just celebrated her first wedding anniversary and was one of six members of a Jacksonville church to die over a 10-day span. Another Florida woman had just given birth to her first child, but was only able to hold the newborn girl for a few moments before dying. A California man died a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday while his wife was on a ventilator at the same hospital in Oakland, unaware of his passing on Aug. 4. The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nation's unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic. The U.S. is now averaging about 650 deaths a day, increasing more than 80 percent from two weeks ago and going past the 600 mark on Saturday for the first time in three months. Data on the the age and demographics of victims during the delta surge is still limited, but hospitals in virus hotspots say they are clearly seeing more admissions and deaths among people under the age of 65. Florida hospital officials are seeing an influx of young, healthy adults filling their wards across the state, many requiring oxygen. In the past week in Florida, 36% of the deaths occurred in the under-65 population, compared with 17% in the same week last year when the state was experiencing a similar COVID surge. Florida is the national leader in coronavirus deaths, averaging more than 150 a day in the past week. The younger patients mark a shift from the elderly and frail, many living in nursing homes, who succumbed to the virus a year ago before states made seniors a priority to get inoculated first. More than 90 percent of seniors have had at least one shot, compared to about 70 percent for Americans under 65. At a predominantly Black church in Jacksonville with a hipster vibe, contemporary music, and a strong social media presence reflective of its young, energetic congregation, six members died over 10 days starting in late July. All were under the age of 35. They were "all healthy, all unvaccinated," laments Pastor George Davis of Impact Church, who knew each one personally and has struggled with his own grief at the funerals. He's held two vaccination events for his congregation of about 6,000 where over 1,000 received shots. Among the church members who died were a 24-year-old man Davis watched grow up since he was a toddler, and a woman from his worship team who celebrated her first wedding anniversary only weeks before she died. Her husband recovered. Davis said the young woman was "just the picture of health, vibrant." "There is a sense among younger people that they are somehow invincible," said Dr. Leana Wen, public health professor at George Washington University and former Baltimore Health Commissioner. "Unfortunately, though, some people who are hospitalized are going to die and that's going to mean some people who are younger; and as you've seen these are people in some cases who are leaving behind young children." Among those parents are Kristen McMullen, who had decorated her baby's room with rainbows and suns, fully embracing her favorite season, summerafter which she would name her first child. The 30-year-old woman fell ill three weeks before her due date and was admitted to a hospital in Melbourne, Florida, with COVID-19. After an emergency cesarean section, McMullen was able to hold her baby girl for a few moments before being rushed off to an intensive care unit, where she later died. "She would say that she was scared and that she didn't want to die," her aunt Melissa Syverson said, struggling to talk in between sobs. "She was fighting to get back to the baby." McMullen's aunt said her family did not want to disclose whether McMullen was vaccinated. Carlos Reyes was skeptical of the vaccine and so was his wife, Mariauntil they and their two teenage children had to be rushed to the hospital in Oakland. Their 14-year-old son, Sergio, did not need to stay after getting oxygen while 19-year-old Emma joined her parents in the intensive care unit. She was released after a few days, and the parents were put on ventilators. Their 32-year-old daughter who has an auto-immune disease was the only one vaccinated when they fell ill. "We were all just a little hesitant at the beginning," said the couple's oldest daughter, Jasmine Rivas Fierro, 34. Their four children didn't want to break their mother's heart by telling her while she was still in intensive care that Carlos had died a day after their 22nd anniversary. "She loved him so much," Rivas Fierro said of her mother, who is still in the hospital. The family is telling people that they must be fully vaccinated to attend Carlos' funeral next week. Cindy Dawkins also left behind four children, ranging in age from 12 to 24. She died Aug. 7, less than a week after she celebrated her 50th birthday with her family at Universal Studios in Orlando. She had a cough and seemed tired that day before her condition quickly deteriorated and she had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Her family believes she contracted the virus at her waitressing job at a bistro in their hometown of Boynton Beach, Fla., where her coworkers have also tested positive. She was healthy and had been getting tested regularly but was still mulling over getting the vaccine. "Maybe the vaccine would have helped fight it, but I don't know if it would have completely stopped it," her 20-year-old son, Tre Burrows, said. As the family wrestles with grief and sorts out guardianship of Dawkins' youngest children, they are also saddened by what could have been. Dawkins came to the U.S. from the Bahamas when she was in high school and her children say she was close to becoming an American citizen, an event the family planned to celebrate with a trip over Thanksgiving. "Everything was finally going right," her daughter Jenny Burrows said. "And then this happened." Explore further Virus surge overwhelms Barcelona hospital staff 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A US military helicopter is pictured flying above the US embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2021 (AFP via Getty Images) The US is rushing to complete a full withdrawal of its embassy in Kabul within 72 hours as Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday blamed the Afghan military for being unable to defend the country. The fact of the matter is weve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, Secretary Blinken told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated. He added: That status quo was not sustainable. Like it or not, there was an agreement that forces would come out on May 1. Had we not begun that process... then we would have been back at war with the Taliban... with tens of thousands of troops. The acceleration of the US exit strategy comes as Taliban fighters poured into Kabul on Sunday after the insurgents made rapid takeovers of provincials capitals across the country. Most US embassy staff still in Kabul are being transferred to the airport to be flown home. However a small core staff, including the top US diplomat in the country Charge dAffaires Ross Wilson, will remain in a facility at the airport for now. It means that the US embassy in Kabul will be closed by Tuesday. US officials have told reporters that they dont have a solid intelligence gathering on the ground in Afghanistan and have therefore made the decision to leave. Military helicopters were pictured taking off from the US compound in Kabul over the weekend, drawing associations with the iconic image of people fleeing from the roof of the American embassy in Saigon, Vietnam nearly 50 years ago. The South Vietnamese capital fell to the North Vietnamese Army on 30 April, 1975, effectively putting an end to the Vietnam War. In the day leading up to 30 April, US forces evacuated thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese in what the US State Department has called the most ambitious helicopter evacuation in history. Smoke was also seen rising above Kabul embassy as US staff burned important documents and destroyed equipment. Once the US flag is lowered, the embassy will officially be closed. Story continues Sec Blinken pushed back on the comparisons to Vietnam on Sunday, saying: This is not Saigon. During another Sunday show appearance on Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd put a question from a US veteran to Secretary Blinken. Why did my friend die? This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. First off, I say thank you for your service. God bless you, Mr Blinken said. You succeeded in accomplishing the mission that was set out for you way back on 9/11. In the Afghan capital on Sunday, Taliban fighters were seen armed and in the city streets. US officials had hoped that the Afghan capital would hold for three months, but have had to drastically lower their expectations and expedite the US exit. Taliban leaders demanded that the Afghan government step down and surrender Kabul to the extremist group in the hope of avoiding more violence. Weve not declared a ceasefire, they warned. President Biden has authorized 5,000 US troops to help with the evacuation, the White House said on Saturday, with as many as 10,000 US citizens, including Afghan Americans, and Afghan US government employees still in the country, according to an estimate by a senior official. Mr Biden warned the Taliban that any action that put Americans in harms way will be met with a swift and strong US military response. The unmitigated disaster in Afghanistan the shameful, Saigon-like abandonment of Kabul, the brutalization of Afghan women, and the slaughter of our allies is the predictable outcome of the Trump-Biden doctrine of weakness. Ben Sasse Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse blasted the Afghanistan policy of both the Trump and Biden administrations in a statement on Sunday. History must be clear about this: American troops didnt lose this war Donald Trump and Joe Biden deliberately decided to lose. Politicians lied: Americas options were never simply this disgraceful withdrawal or an endless occupation force of 100,000 troops (we havent had that in Afghanistan in a decade), Mr Sasse said. Read More Secondary school girls in Afghanistan are facing an uncertain future Afghanistan news live: Taliban enter Kabul as leaders head to Doha for talks on peaceful transition Afghanistan on verge of Taliban takeover as fighters enter Kabul Afghan president was isolated before slipping into exile Zambia's opposition leader takes lead in presidential poll Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer turns 83 amid urging for him to retire before 2022 midterms You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Eskom is one of South Africas largest technical skills employers, with nearly 45,000 employees across the country. Eskom was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply CommissionESCOMby the South African government in terms of the Electricity Act. The coal-fired Congella Power Station in Durban and Salt River Power Station in Cape Town, both completed in 1928, were the first power stations built by Eskom. The power utility significantly ramped up its capacity to keep up with rapid economic growth in the sixties and seventies. From 1960 to 1990, Eskom increased its installed power production capacity from 4,000MW to 40,000MW. Eskom became one of the worlds leading electricity companies and supplied more than half the electricity in Africa by the end of 1990. It was also highly efficient. In its 1994 annual report, it promoted that it was the worlds lowest-cost producer of electricity. In December 2001, Eskom was presented with the Power Company of the Year Award at the Global Energy Awards ceremony held in New York. Over the last two decades, the company faced challenges because of corruption and mismanagement, but it remains a sought after employer in South Africa. Over the last 15 years, Eskom consistently featured as one of the top job searches in South Africa. While Eskom is currently reducing the number of employees to create a more streamlined company and reduce costs, it continues to develop important skills. The company is currently looking to recruit employees, especially at the Koeberg nuclear power plant in the Western Cape. Eskom highlighted that they are mostly looking to make internal appointments from existing staff and not new recruits. These vacancies are mostly marked Internal and are being advertised to the rest of the organisation to give every current Eskom employee a fair chance to apply, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said. Eskom is on the record as to the need to reduce overhead costs and has specifically and publicly stated on numerous occasions the need, and action it is undertaking to reduce headcounts through natural attrition. The table below provides an overview of the positions and skills which Eskom is currently recruiting for. All the positions can be viewed here. Eskom Advertised Jobs Name Department Province Officer Compliance Megawatt Park Group Insurance Gauteng Principal Technical Official CNC Zonkizizwe X1 Dunnottar X1 Katlehong X2New Maintenance & Operations Gauteng Senior Advisor Master Data Management (Transmission) Megawatt Park Procurement Gauteng Manager Support Services Works ERI Production Works Gauteng Middle Manager Security National Control(Finance) Megawatt Park Security National Control Gauteng Senior Project Leader (Rosherville) ERI Spares Logistics Gauteng PPM Manager Ekurhuleni (Distribution) Gauteng, RoshervilleNew Specialised Maintenance and Support Gauteng Assistant Officer Info Architecture(Group IT) Megawatt Park Strategy Execution and Architecture Gauteng Chief Engineer (Risk and Sustainability Division) Rosherville, Gauteng Technology Strategy and Research Management Gauteng Senior Plant Operator Chemistry x1 (Generation) Matimba Power Station Engineering (Chemistry) Limpopo Engineer Prof Engineer (Design and Specification) X2 Generation_Medupi Power Station Engineering (Design and Specification) Limpopo Engineer Prof Engineer (Electrical) X1 (Generation) Medupi Power Station Engineering (Electrical) Limpopo Senior Engineer Prof Engineer (Boiler) X1 Generation Medupi Power Station Engineering Boiler Limpopo Engineer Prof Engineer (Boiler) X2 Generation_ Medupi Power Station Engineering Boiler Limpopo Engineer Prof Engineer (Process) X1 (Generation) Medupi Power Station Engineering Process and Reliability Limpopo Turbine Plant Manager (Matimba) ERI New Maintenance Limpopo Senior Engineer Civil Design Re Advert (Generation) Tutuka Power Station Civil Engineering Mpumalanga Snr Technician (Generation Division) Grootvlei Power StationNew Coal Mpumalanga Manager Coal (Generation Division) Kusile Power Station Coal Mpumalanga Middle Manager Compliance (Generation) Grootvlei Power StationNew Compliance Mpumalanga Re Advert,Engineer Prof Engineering (Electrical) X 2(Generation)Kusile Power Station Electrical Mpumalanga Senior Supervisor Tech Chemistry x 2(Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Engineering Mpumalanga Manager Auxiliary Engineering (Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Engineering Mpumalanga Engineer Prof Engineering x 3 (Electrical, Auxiliary and Turbine) Generation Engineering Mpumalanga Engineer Prof Engineering Re advert x8 (Generation) Camden Power Station Engineering Mpumalanga Senior Engineer Prof Engineering Re advert (Generation) Camden Power StationNew Engineering (Civil) Mpumalanga Environmental Management Officer (Generation Division) Grootvlei Power StationNew Environmental Mpumalanga Senior Supervisor Tech Maintenance x 2 (Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Maintenance Mpumalanga Senior Supervisor Non Tech Warehousing (Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Maintenance Mpumalanga Manager Work Management (Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Maintenance Mpumalanga Manager Mechanical Boiler Aux and Turbine Manager Re Advert (Generation)Tutuka Power Station Maintenance Mpumalanga Manager Mechanical Boiler Aux and Turbine Manager Re Advert(Generation)Tutuka Power Station Maintenance Mpumalanga Officer Local Control (Generation Division) Kusile Power StationNew Operating Mpumalanga Senior Technician Ops Support x2 (Generation) Arnot Power StationNew Operational Support Mpumalanga Security Officer Operations (Primary Energy Division) x 1 Primary Energy Mpumalanga Occupational Hygienist Re Advert(Generation)Tutuka Power StationNew Risk and Assurance Mpumalanga Safety Risk Officer (Generation) Grootvlei Power StationNew Risk and Assurance Mpumalanga Assistant Officer Security (Generation) Grootvlei Power StationNew Risk and Assurance Mpumalanga Risk and Assurance Manager (Generation) Grootvlei Power Station Risk and Assurance Mpumalanga SHE Officer (Kusile Power Station) ERI SHEQ Mpumalanga Snr Engineer Prof Engineering Support (Distribution Division) Kimberley Maintenance & Operations Northern Cape Middle Manager Network Operations (Distribution Division) Kimberley Maintenance & Operations Northern Cape Senior Advisor Projects (Contracts) Business Support (Generation) Koeberg NPS Business Support Western Cape Senior Technician Chemistry x 2 Chemistry (Generation) Koeberg NPS Chemistry Western Cape Technician Chemistry (Generation) Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Chemistry Western Cape Officer Management Accounting (Finance) Generation Koeberg NPSNew Finance Western Cape Senior Technician Nuclear x1 ISED (Generation) Koeberg NPS ISED Western Cape Technician (E and S) (Generation) Koeberg NPSNew Maintenance Western Cape Artisan x2 (MMS) Maintenance (Generation) Koeberg NPSNew Maintenance Western Cape Technician X1 Electrical Maintenance Services (EMS) Maintenance (Generation) Koeberg NPS Maintenance Western Cape Senior Technician (MSS) (Generation) Koeberg NPS Maintenance Western Cape Site Cataloguer (Assistant Officer Cataloguing) x1 Nuclear Commercial Generation Koeberg NPS Nuclear Commercial Western Cape MRP Controller (Materials Planner) (Generation) Koeberg OU Nuclear Commercial Western Cape Senior Store Person x4 (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Commercial Western Cape Engineer Prof Engineering x 2 Civil (Structural) Nuclear Engineering (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Engineering Western Cape Engineer Prof Engineering x 2 (Mechanical) Nuclear Engineering (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Engineering Western Cape Prof Engineering x 3 (Elec light current C and I) Nuclear Engineering (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Engineering Western Cape Project Leader Project Management x3 (Generation) Nuclear OUNew Nuclear Project Management Western Cape Chief Technologist (Generation) Nuclear Operating Unit Nuclear Safety Assurance Western Cape Assistant Officer (Crime Risk) (Generation) Koeberg NPSNew Nuclear Services Western Cape Officer Security Business Intelligence Risk Management Nuclear Services Security (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Services Western Cape Environmental Management Officer (Environmental Officer) X1 (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Services Western Cape Officer Fire Risk Management (Training) x1 Nuclear Services (Fire Risk) Nuclear Services (Fire Risk) Western Cape Assistant Officer Fire Risk Management (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Services (Fire Risk) Western Cape Snr Supervisor Nuclear Training x1 (NLO) Nuclear Training, Operator Training Group Nuclear Training Western Cape Officer Nuclear Training (Operating) Education, Training and Development Practitioner (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Training Western Cape Officer Nuclear Training (Rigging) (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Training Western Cape Officer Nuclear Training (Education, Training and Development) (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Training, Training Material Group Western Cape Officer Nuclear Training (Mechanical Maintenance) (Generation) Koeberg NPS Nuclear Training, Training Material Group Western Cape Manager Operating Support x1( Generation Division) Palmiet Power Station Operating Western Cape Snr Advisor Nuclear Training (SRO Instructor) X1 Generation Koeberg NPS Plant Training Western Cape Manager Nuclear Training x1 Plant Training (Generation) Koeberg NPS Plant Training Western Cape Instructor Nuclear Training (Security) x 1 Plant Training (Generation) Koeberg NPS Plant Training Western Cape Instructor Nuclear Training (Legislative) x 1 Plant Training (Generation) Koeberg NPS Plant Training Western Cape Senior Official Tech Radiation and Protection x3 Radwaste Generation Koeberg NPSNew Radiation Protection (Radwaste section) Western Cape Senior Advisor Projects x 2 Work Management (Generation) Koeberg NPS Work Management Western Cape Assistant Officer Tender Management X4(Finance)Witbank and Limpopo Risk and Governance Various Now read: Eskom in talks to raise R33 billion Armenia's defense and high-tech industry ministers meet with representatives of military industrial enterprises Armenia health minister: COVID-19 has rejuvenated Armenia Police disciplinary committee decides to dismiss two officers Armenian police-border guards leave for military posts Israel PM receives third vaccination against COVID-19 Afghanistan's militia recaptures a part of Baghlan Province from Taliban Putin: It is necessary to put an end to irresponsible policy of imposing foreign values Armenia FM holds phone talks with Georgian counterpart Merkel asks Putin to focus on humanitarian issues during negotiations with Taliban Armenia MOD strictly criticizes companies catering the army, orders to fix the shortcomings quickly Karabakh emergency situations service: Searches for remains of servicemen in Fizuli region were fruitless Nearly 5,800 US soldiers deployed at Kabul International Airport Armenia police enhance service in Kapan and Goris 9,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan by US since Aug. 15 Armenia PM returns to Yerevan after visit to Kyrgyzstan, greeted by Security Council members at airport Health minister: Monitoring requirement to wear face masks indoors will help curb spread of COVID-19 in Armenia Putin gives Merkel flower bouquet, her mobile phone's ringtone heard at that moment Taliban to not announce members of future government until Aug. 31 Armenia legislature to convene session on August 24 Dollar still dropping in Armenia Armenia parliament speaker, China ambassador discuss cooperation Russias Lavrov to Armenias Mirzoyan: I invite you to Moscow at convenient timeframes for you Yerevan citizen goes into company's building with grenades, demands meeting with director Ardshinbank and Russian Fora-Bank offer instant money transfers by phone number Remarkable item discovered during excavations in Van Province Armenia, Karabakh FMs discuss situation due to Azerbaijan-Turkey aggression Two people apprehended during scuffle between local residents, police in Yerevan neighborhood Putin, Merkel begin talks at Kremlin 16 prominent politicians join Australian Friends of Artsakh group NATO: More than 18,000 people evacuated from Kabul since Taliban takeover Local residents, police clash in Yerevan neighborhood Armenia MOD announces start of 3-month training for reservists Pristina asks Azerbaijan to recognize Kosovo independence Yerevan judge wears T-shirt with Artsakh flag during international competition ArmLur.am: Internal investigation underway at Armenia MOD on finding of 3 soldiers dead in Syunik Province 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 Armenia ombudsman: New income sources needed for residents of Syunik Province villages that are now border communities 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 Police and protesters clash again near Thai PM's home A protester fires a slingshot during clashes with police in Bangkok on Sunday. Photo: AFP Thai police clashed with protesters near the residence of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Sunday for a fifth time in the past week, with officers using water cannon and tear gas against demonstrators hurling projectiles towards them. A separate "car mob" convoy of thousands of cars and motorcycles urging Prayuth to resign amid anger over his government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic had earlier passed through Bangkok peacefully. But once again the anti-government protests of recent weeks resulted in violent clashes in front of Prayuth's residence. Authorities say public gatherings are illegal under the COVID-19 emergency. One of the organisers of the so-called car mob, Nattawut Saikua, a veteran political activist, went to the site of the clashes to urge protesters to head home. Thailand's youth-led anti-government protest movement appears have regained momentum and its support has broadened after demonstrations last year attracted hundreds of thousands of people before a crackdown by the authorities. Other political groups, including some of Prayuth's former allies, are now joining the protests as the country struggles to cope with its worst wave of Covid-19, with many blaming the government's handling of the crisis. Throughout the day thousands of protesters carried red flags, honked their horns and tied red ribbons on their vehicles as they moved peacefully in several large convoys through Bangkok. The organisers made speeches and music performance to supporters through social media platforms to maintain a degree of social distancing throughout the protests. Police defended their use of force during the clashes, saying it was sometimes necessary to maintain public order. They added that they had complied with international standards in using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon. (Reuters) BGR Marvel had scheduled four MCU movies this year, and two of them are already out. Black Widow launched in mid-July, and Shang-Chi will premiere on September 3rd, but lucky fans saw it earlier this week. Also earlier this week, Marvel debuted its final Eternals trailer that was full of exciting revelations. That leaves Spider-Man: No The post Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer release mystery finally addressed by Marvels boss appeared first on BGR. Afghanistan's warlords vowed defiantly to defend their strongholds from the Taliban and crush the insurgents. But, like the government's forces, they too gave up with surprising ease. As the insurgents swept through the north in a surprise offensive targeting Afghanistan's anti-Taliban bastion, President Ashraf Ghani called for a national mobilisation of militia forces. Despite Ghani's chequered history with the country's warlords, the beleaguered president was hoping they could help turn the tide. In the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Ghani was looking to longtime strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and ethnic Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum. Both were known for their dogged defence against the Taliban in the 1990s, and had remained influential figures during the past two decades of war. In the days leading up to their defeat, the greying commanders appeared to be the fearsome figures from their younger years. "The Taliban never learn from the past," Dostum told reporters last week after flying back to Mazar-i-Sharif, while offering a not-so-subtle reference to the alleged massacre of the insurgents by his fighters in 2001. "The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped. It is not easy for them to get out." Noor took to social media to issue his own warnings, posting graphic pictures of Taliban killed by his troops while promising to fight to the death. "I prefer dying in dignity than dying in despair," wrote Noor on Twitter, alongside other defiant posts vowing to "defend the nation". In a video posted to Facebook on Saturday, Noor spoke calmly to camera dressed in military fatigues while rifle fire could be heard close by. - 'Cowardly plot' - Ultimately, bravado did not beat back the insurgents. Late Saturday, both men's militias were routed after the Afghan military units they were supporting surrendered to the Taliban. Story continues Dostum and Noor fled across the nearby Uzbek border. Noor claimed they had been the victims of deep-seated betrayal, saying on Twitter their resistance came to an end "as a result of a big organised & cowardly plot". He offered no other details. Video posted on pro-Taliban social media accounts, meanwhile, showed a group of young Taliban fighters combing through Dostum's gaudy residence, digging through cabinets and testing out overstuffed furniture. Their rout came days after fellow strongman Ismail Khan was captured by Taliban fighters in the western city of Herat. Khan had in the lead-up to his defeat sounded like the same powerful figure who had ruled his fiefdom with such authority for decades that he earned the nickname "Lion of Herat". "We demand all the remaining security forces resist with courage," Khan said last month. But with a look of resignation, Khan was on Friday forced to pose for pictures with Taliban fighters and give an interview to an insurgent media outlet. After all the hefty promises and chest thumping, it was a humiliating end. bur-ds-fox/kma/qan ISTANBUL (AP) As the Taliban mass at the gates of Kabul, they are promising a new era of peace in Afghanistan, with amnesty for those they have been battling for two decades and a return to normal life. But Afghans who remember the Taliban's brutal rule and those who have lived in areas controlled by the Islamic militants in recent years have watched with growing fear as the insurgents have overrun most of the country while international forces withdraw. Government offices, shops and schools are still shuttered in areas recently captured by the Taliban, with many residents either lying low or fleeing to the capital, Kabul. But already there are indications of a return to the harsh version of Islamic rule Afghans lived under from 1996 until 2001, when the U.S. drove the Taliban from power after the 9/11 attacks. Many fear the Taliban will roll back two decades of gains by women and ethnic minorities while restricting the work of journalists and NGO workers. An entire generation of Afghans was raised on hopes of building a modern, democratic state dreams that seem to have melted away before the Taliban's relentless advance. As the insurgents reached the capital early Sunday, a photo circulated on social media showing the owner of a beauty salon painting over posters depicting women. Young men raced home to change out of their jeans and tee-shirts and into the traditional shalwar kamiz outfit. Shops, government offices and schools remain closed in cities seized by the Taliban in recent days, with residents staying indoors or fleeing to Kabul because of security fears. Many appeared to be lying low until they see what kind of order the militants impose. A 25-year-old university graduate who works for a local NGO in the western city of Herat, which fell to the Taliban last week, said she hasn't left home in weeks because of the fighting. From speaking with other residents, she said there were few if any women out on the streets, with even female doctors staying home until the situation is clearer. Story continues I cant face Taliban fighters," she said by phone from Herat, asking that her name not be used for fear of retribution. "I dont have a good feeling about them. No one can change the Talibans stance against women and girls, they still want women to stay at home. She had planned to begin a master's program this year at Herat University, where women make up more than half of the student body. I dont think I would be ready to wear a burqa," she said, referring to the all-encompassing blue robe women were forced to wear under Taliban rule. I cant accept it. I will fight for my rights, whatever happens. The Taliban have issued statements aimed at reassuring Afghans. They say there will be no revenge attacks on those who worked for the government or its security services, and that life, property and honor will be respected. They are urging Afghans to remain in the country and have pledged to create a secure environment for businesses, embassies, and foreign and local charities. But some of their actions send a different message. Last month, after capturing the Malistan district of the southern Ghazni province, Taliban fighters went door to door looking for people who had worked with the government, killing at least 27 civilians, wounding 10 others and looting homes, according to the semi-official Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. After capturing Herat, Taliban fighters paraded two alleged thieves through the streets with black makeup on their faces. That's considered a warning, while repeat offenders risk having a hand cut off. The Taliban have also been known to stone suspected adulterers and carry out public executions in accordance with their harsh version of Islamic law. During their earlier rule, the Taliban barred women from working outside the home or attending school. Women were required to wear the burqa and had to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. These days, the Taliban leadership says it is open to women's education, but rights groups say the rules vary depending on local commanders and the communities themselves. Afghanistan remains an overwhelmingly conservative country, especially outside major cities. The gap between official Taliban statements on rights and the restrictive positions adopted by Taliban officials on the ground indicates that the Taliban are far from an internal consensus on their own policies, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report last year. One issue on which they seem to be in agreement is intolerance of dissent. Human Rights Watch says the Taliban routinely threaten and detain journalists, particularly women and reporters who are critical of the group. The Taliban and the government blamed each other for a recent string of killings of journalists, some of which were claimed by the more radical Islamic State group. On Friday, the Taliban commandeered a radio station in the southern city of Kandahar and renamed it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law. It's unclear whether the insurgents purged the station's employees or allowed them to return. But the station will no longer broadcast music, which is banned in Taliban-run regions. The Taliban also closed a radio station in the southern Helmand province that offered women's programming, but the insurgents said it was a temporary decision. Fear is running especially high among the ethnic Hazara minority, Shiite Muslims who were persecuted by the Taliban and made major gains in education and social status over the past two decades. They are seen as having been deeply invested in the Western-backed government, which could open them up to reprisals following its demise. In recent years, the Sunni extremists of the local IS affiliate have carried out a wave of horrific attacks targeting Hazaras. An attack on a maternity ward last year killed 24 people, including mothers and their newborn babies. The Taliban have condemned such attacks and engaged in turf wars with the IS affiliate. But it remains to be seen whether, once in power, the Taliban will crack down on such groups, which share some their ideology and include former Taliban fighters. ___ Krauss reported from Jerusalem. A family enters Yuma, Ariz., to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents on May 13, 2021. The Biden administration this month extended a Trump border policy due to the ongoing pandemic. The administration said that it would be keeping in place Title 42, a health law that prohibits entry in the U.S. when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes there is a danger of disease being brought into the country. This allows authorities to quickly expel migrants, lest they spread the coronavirus. In a statement, the CDC said that Title 42 will remain in effect until the Order is no longer necessary to protect the public health. Public health doesn't permit being anti-immigrant This is a disappointing move from an administration that says it supports a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system. The use of Title 42 is rooted in politics, not public policy. Sadly, its continuation reflects a broader problem with the Biden White House. Seven months into his term, the president has still not prioritized critical reforms to our immigration system. Public Health: Once we were all fighting COVID-19 together. Now it's us against the unvaccinated The idea of restricting border crossings to stop the spread of the coronavirus sounds good, as does Title 42s endorsement by the CDC. But Title 42 is narrowly aimed at migrants only. Public health experts have questioned the laws usefulness, while federal courts have rejected its legal basis. Some of the CDCs own doctors have argued that the laws use was not based on public health and safety. In fact, the only reason Title 42 is in place is because in 2020 Vice President Mike Pence overruled CDC experts and ordered the measure to be implemented. Never mind that COVID-19 is all over the U.S. already, and that its persistence is due more to the unvaccinated among us, rather than immigrants. What was bad policy under Trump remains bad policy under Biden. Unfortunately, Title 42 is one piece of a bigger picture, as Biden has not yet made a sharper break with the harmful immigration policies of his predecessor. Immigrant detentions have recently soared, with the number of detainees nearly doubling since February. Thousands of migrant children are still stuck in poor conditions in temporary shelters. And the administration has resumed fast-track deportation flights of migrants, which denies asylum-seekers the opportunity to make their claims before an immigration judge. Story continues Biden certainly has taken positive steps on immigration. His administration restarted a program to help Central American minors, and it rolled back the Remain in Mexico policy, which forced asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while they waited for their cases to be processed. (On Friday, a federal judge ordered that the policy be reinstated, but the Biden administration has time to appeal.) Instead of workplace raids, interior immigration enforcement is now focused on people who are threats to national security and public safety. However, just doing better than Trump on immigration is not enough. Most Latinos recognize that the president is an ally to our communities. A May CNN analysis of Gallup polling during the Biden presidency found that his approval rating with Latinos is 72%, compared to his overall approval rating of 55%. Biden does not use harsh language to describe people from other countries, and he has demonstrated sound leadership in tackling the economy and the coronavirus. Thats what makes his reluctance to go bigger and bolder on immigration so puzzling. True, the administration is probably concerned about appearing soft on immigration. The White Houses 21-point plan on immigration, for example, notes a commitment to border security and immigration enforcement. Yet, no matter what Biden does on immigration, Republicans will accuse him of favoring open borders and amnesty. He might as well fulfill his promises to his supporters, rather than trying to appease conservatives who will never back his immigration moves. Time is running out, too, because the closer we get to the midterms, the more hesitant that vulnerable Democrats will be to standing with the president on this issue. Border Crisis: We met injured, dehydrated, exhausted migrants at the border. Listen to their pleas. In this highly partisan era, some Latinos may feel uncomfortable criticizing a president who we see as an amigo. But pressure on Biden regarding immigration is needed now. Consider that DACA, which both Obama and Biden are proud of, was enacted only after relentless activism and protests by young immigrants who wanted to live and work without fear of deportation. The extension of Title 42 was a mistake. The Biden administration can and must do better and soon, before the president's grace period on immigration is over. Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and a member of the USA TODAY Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @RaulAReyes You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden promised to reform immigration. We're still waiting. Rarely has an American president's predictions been so wrong, so fast, so convincingly as President Biden on Afghanistan. Usually military operations and diplomacy are long; the outcomes, foggy. Not here. Flashback: Just five weeks ago, President Biden assured Americans: "[T]he likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely." Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. In April, Biden said: "We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. We'll do it responsibly, deliberately and safely." This morning, the Taliban is entering the Afghanistan capital, Kabul, "from all sides," a senior Afghan official told Reuters. Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not held by the Taliban, fell earlier today. Afghan forces today surrendered Bagram Air Base, the Grand Central of America's longest war, to the Taliban. CNN showed video of choppers over Kabul believed to be ferrying U.S. diplomats to the airport. The U.S. is completely pulling out of the embassy over the next 72 hours, and Taliban representatives are at the Kabul presidential palace, CNN reports. The top of the Sunday New York Times: "Free Fall in Afghanistan." The big picture: It's a stunning failure for the West, and embarrassment for Biden. And it's a traumatic turn for U.S. veterans who sacrificed in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, the 20,000+ wounded in action, and survivors of the more than 2,300 U.S. military personnel who were killed. Ryan Crocker, a U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan under President Obama, said last weekend on ABC's "This Week": "I think it is already an indelible stain on his presidency." Richard Fontaine, head of the Center for a New American Security and former foreign policy adviser to Sen. John McCain, told Axios: "It's striking that, with 20 years to think it over, the United States withdrew its forces without a plan for the aftermath. Story continues "As the bulk of American troops departed," Fontaine added, "there was no plan for securing regional base access, for the contractors that maintain the Afghan military, for training that military after the U.S. departure, for evacuating interpreters and helpers." At Camp David on Saturday, President Biden held a video conference on Afghanistan with his national security team. Photo: The White House Between the lines: Critics of the Biden approach tell me it's not the drawdown per se that they object to. It's that the U.S. was run out of town, rather than planning a measured and managed departure. Doug Lute, a retired Army general who directed Afghan strategy at the NSC for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told The New York Times that the puzzle for him "is the absence of contingency planning: If everyone knew we were headed for the exits, why did we not have a plan over the past two years for making this work?" A top U.S. government official gave me a window into Biden's thinking, which boils down to three points: Any other alternative would have been worse. The collapse proves that if the U.S. stayed, it would have been Americans in a shooting war with the Taliban, with an unknown number of casualties, and no end in sight. Americans support bringing troops home. "If people think our August withdrawal is too fast, what would a May withdrawal have looked like?" the official said, referring to President Trump's deadline of May 1. "And if people think we should stay whose kids are they sending to fight the Taliban when the Afghan army wont?" Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. (Bloomberg) -- The sobering United Nations-backed report on global warming last week prompted a lot of hand wringing from governments and the general public about fossil fuels. The response from investors in the oil and gas industry? A big shrug. Shares of energy companies, which led the S&P 500 higher for much of the year, ended the week little changed. Oil prices rebounded from a selloff earlier in the month, despite the warnings that the world must wean itself off fossil fuels, and fast. Investors must now weigh the industrys soaring revenue and improving profitability against the long-term prospect of a carbon-light world. The key is how long it will take for countries to phase out internal combustion engines in the coming decades and what kind of supply and demand imbalances occur along the way. Investors for the most part are not buying into the sky is falling climate change narrative, said Martin Pelletier, portfolio manager at Wellington-Altus Private Counsel. There is no doubt a transition towards renewables, but the pace of that transition is what is under question. Energy stocks have jumped this year as oil prices bounced back from Covid-19 lockdowns and investors rotated into cyclical sectors. The energy group, which includes oil majors like Exxon Mobil Corp. and refiners like Phillips 66, has advanced 30%, beating out more expensive sectors in the benchmark like technology. Blip or Beginning It remains to be seen if this years strength is a blip in the long-term decline or the start of a sustained rebound. Unlike most other sectors, energy stocks remain well below pre-pandemic levels after years of poor returns and souring sentiment over their contribution to global warming. The S&P 500 energy index now has a weighting of just 2.5% in the broader index, down from 11% in 2014. Read more: Leaders of Reopening Trade Are Running Out of Gas: Taking Stock Energy stocks face a number of hurdles, from the increasing adoption of electric vehicles and environmental, social and corporate governance investing to risks to global growth from rising Covid-19 infections. The International Energy Agency on Thursday cut its oil demand forecasts for the rest of the year, citing the virus surge. Story continues The U.S. is set for a wave of investment in electric vehicles, renewable power and clean energy initiatives as part of a massive infrastructure spending bill passed this week by the Senate. Keeping Allure The list of problems for oil and gas companies hasnt dimmed the allure of their stocks for some Wall Street strategists. Last week, RBCs Lori Calvasina recommended investors maintain a higher exposure to energy and financials, despite dialing back expectations for value stocks in general. Bank of Americas Savita Subramanians named energy as a top pick with the potential for higher earnings and depressed valuations the most supportive of all sectors. Energy companies in the S&P 500 saw revenue more than double in the second quarter and sales growth is projected to exceed that of every other sector for the remainder of the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. Meanwhile, total cash on balance sheets leaped to $72 billion in the second quarter, up 36% from a year earlier. The S&P 500 Energy Index is trading at 16 times estimated profits over the next 12 months, while the S&P 500 sits at 22. Energy stocks will likely face plenty of headwinds in the future, but for the time being, they appear well positioned after years of underinvestment in capital spending, according to Ryan Bushell, president and portfolio manager at Newhaven Asset Management. Now, you have a real supply side problem, he said in an interview. Youre going to continue to have earnings and cash flow that look good. 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. At hospitals, mandatory deadlines for staffers to get coronavirus shots are arriving. At big corporations such as United Airlines and Google, workers are being told to roll up their sleeves. Even unions that once balked at vaccine mandates are signaling support. And it's not just shots: In dozens of cities and counties, indoor mask mandates are back, with city leaders and public health officials arguing the requirements are necessary to save lives and preserve the economic recovery. In some corners of the nation, the government mandates extend to vaccination. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. "This is to protect kids [and] protect those who can't get vaccinated," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Thursday as she announced the city would require a variety of businesses to demand proof of vaccination - a move that came 10 days after reinstating an indoor mask mandate. "To make sure that I never have to get up in front of you and say, 'I'm sorry, I know we just reopened and now the city is closed again because we are seeing too many people die.'" The summer of 2021 is a season of mandates, with rules requiring masks and vaccines reemerging as the pandemic's latest cultural and political flash point. In many parts of the country - including states hit hardest by a resurgence of the virus - the mandates are pitting blue cities against red governors, sparking protests and placing new burdens on already harried workers. Video: Florida mask fight overshadows back-to-school season "There are days that I feel defeated - like today," said Justin Short, an assistant property manager at a luxury apartment building in downtown Kansas City, Mo. This month, Short helped post fliers announcing that masks were required in the building and thanking the 300 residents "for helping keep the community safe." An unknown culprit started ripping down the fliers and even shattered one of the plexiglass frames. Story continues "I had this idea that we would work together for the greater good," Short said, a smile dissolving on his face. "I was wrong." Public health officials highlight data that mask mandates are widely supported and that face coverings are a simple way to ward off transmission. About 6 in 10 Americans support mask requirements in areas with high coronavirus transmission, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this month. "It makes sense with caseloads going up like they are," said Brian Kendall, an infectious-disease physician at Providence Portland Medical Center in Portland, Ore., praising new mask rules taking effect in the city this month as he headed into a local gym - clad in a face covering. "A lot of my colleagues are extremely frustrated, to the point of cynicism." Virus-linked hospitalizations across the United States have quadrupled in the past month, to nearly 80,000, according to The Washington Post's rolling seven-day average, and hospitals in Florida and Mississippi warn they're out of beds and staff. The virus surge has posed new risks to Americans who let down their guard and others who have yet to take steps to protect themselves. About 57% of adults say they regularly wear a mask in public, according to an Axios-Ipsos poll released this month, compared with more than 90% in early 2021. Meanwhile, more than 90 million Americans who could get a shot haven't, four months after all U.S. adults became eligible. And according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, workers are more likely to get vaccinated when employers encourage it. The foundation found in June that 4 in 10 unvaccinated workers said they would get the shots if required - a takeaway that suggests vaccine mandates could sway tens of millions of Americans who have ignored months of appeals. But vaccine mandates have been the source of significant controversy, prompting lawsuits, walkouts and political grandstanding from critics - even as many vaccinated Americans demand the measures, saying such protections are overdue. Health-care workers, backed by conservative advocacy organization Liberty Counsel, this week staged national walkouts to protest coronavirus vaccination requirements. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association this month posted a message on Facebook seeming to threaten mass resignation if the city proceeds with a vaccine mandate this fall. "If deputy sheriffs are forced to vaccinate, a percentage of them will retire early or seek employment elsewhere," the group wrote. At Pennsylvania State University, the school's leader sensed the brewing storm. In an open letter released Thursday, Penn State president Eric Barron defended the school's decision not to institute a vaccine mandate, saying leaders were trying to protect the community with "as little polarization as possible." "When you ask people if they want vaccine mandates, they're pretty divided," said Liz Hamel, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation who helps oversee the organization's polling. For instance, most workers don't want their employer to require vaccinations - but most Americans also support health workers and teachers being ordered to get shots. But from a public health perspective, "a lot of efforts at persuasion have reached their maximum," Hamel added, saying vaccination incentives and similar tactics have mostly run their course. "I think this is why we're seeing more mandates arise now." A vocal minority of Americans are frustrated that mask mandates came back at all. Ned Fasullo, a business development executive in Baton Rouge, helped block a local plan in July to separate vaccinated and unvaccinated students in Catholic schools, worried it would keep his unvaccinated children away from their friends. That victory was short-lived: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards this month issued a statewide indoor mask mandate that led schools - including the Catholic schools attended by Fasullo's children - to require students and teachers to wear masks indoors. "I think people at the state level stepping in has been incredibly divisive for our state," Fasullo said, decrying the Democratic governor's order - which the state's Republican attorney general has worked to subvert by arguing Edwards's mask mandate lacks legal authority. "It has torn Louisiana into multiple factions. It is not the government's job to tell people to wear masks and get vaccinated." Increasingly, officials disagree: More than 50 cities and counties have reinstated mask mandates in the past month, according to a Post review, in addition to statewide mask mandates reimposed in Oregon and Nevada. And several cities and states - including New York City and New Orleans - have moved forward with strict new requirements to provide proof of vaccination when visiting restaurants, gyms and other public spaces. After months of vowing not to impose vaccination mandates, the White House has increasingly nudged employers to take action. President Biden on Wednesday hosted a summit with business leaders who had moved to require workers to get vaccinated, touting them as a model for others. Last month, Biden told millions of federal workers they faced a choice: get vaccinated or undergo regular testing, masking and other restrictions. Administration officials said they believed that helped push private employers to adopt their own shot requirements. "It gave businesses an umbrella, especially because they did not want to go first," said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's strategy. "And then it gave them a road map - that this is one way to do it." Other experts said business leaders were heartened by the failure of lawsuits against organizations that required workers to get shots. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett this week turned back a challenge to Indiana University's vaccination mandate for students. "A few people dipped their toes in the water and found that the water was fine," said Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's public health school, praising Houston Methodist and other health systems that were among the first to impose vaccination mandates months ago. Some labor groups, including the Washington Teachers' Union in the District of Columbia, also signaled they are newly open to vaccine mandates, if they're able to shape the requirements. Jha said the arrival of coronavirus variants motivated action, with the highly infectious delta variant linked to an explosion of cases. Confirmed coronavirus infections across the United States have risen from about 13,000 a day in early July to more than 128,000 a day now, according to The Post's rolling seven-day average. "I've been talking to a lot of companies, businesses, universities," Jha said. "One of the things that they're realizing with delta - it's really hard to know how to bring students and employees back if you don't have mandates." Some vaccinated Americans cautioned against pressuring wary holdouts. Chad Sivertson, a 40-year-old Republican in Minnesota, said vaccine-hesitant Americans should be given time to work through their concerns, rather than be ordered to get vaccinated to keep their jobs or take trips. Sivertson said he initially balked at getting vaccinated before learning more about the process and getting his first Pfizer-BioNTech shot in March. "If it were to have become a requirement, and I hadn't gotten the vaccine yet, I probably would have been a conscientious objector. Because I don't want to be forced to take a vaccine," Sivertson said. Compared with vaccine mandates, much less animus envelops requirements to wear masks, experts said. More than 6 in 10 parents support requiring unvaccinated children to wear masks in school, according to Kaiser Family Foundation polling, while a similar number of parents oppose requiring schoolchildren to get vaccinated. Still, frustration and notable partisan splits exist: 88% of Democrats back requiring masks for unvaccinated children in schools, while 69% of Republicans oppose it. At the Kansas City apartment building he helps manage, Short - a 33-year-old who said he still suffers breathing problems and heart palpitations after a week-long bout of coronavirus - said he is empathetic when building residents are frustrated about the return of the local mask mandate. "I know why they are groaning and rolling their eyes," Short said. "There was this idea that when it ended the first time, we were going be done." But "my main concern is the grocery workers," Short said. "I'm concerned about the people on public transit. The waiters. The bartenders. There isn't any enforcement of the mandate. So, enforcement is left up to the grocery workers. To the waiters. To the bartenders." Short paused, then, with a nod of his head, smiled. "And to the leasing agents." Short's enforcement days might be over sooner than expected. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has challenged Kansas City's mask mandate in a lawsuit virtually identical to a complaint he filed to overturn a mask mandate in St. Louis County. Schmitt, a Republican bidding for a U.S. Senate seat, said he filed the lawsuit on behalf of residents "to stop this insanity." St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, a Democrat, called Schmitt's lawsuit "frivolous" and politically self-serving. Ultimately, the St. Louis County Council voted to rescind the mask mandate there. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, predicts his city's mask mandate will be upheld, saying it's procedurally different from St. Louis County's. Meanwhile, virus cases in Jackson County, Mo. - home to Kansas City - have surged nearly 600% since July 1, according to The Post's tracker. City and county leaders in Florida and Texas have similarly clashed with Republican governors trying to outlaw vaccination and mask mandates. In Dallas, city school leaders this week defied Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, by announcing that students and staff will be required to wear masks in school buildings as coronavirus cases spike. Abbott last month issued an executive order barring government entities, including public schools, from mandating masks or vaccines. Some small business owners say they're grateful for officials stepping in to issue mandates, such as when Berkeley, Calif., officials Aug. 2 ordered that masks would again be required indoors. "It makes my job and my life a lot easier," said Leanne Shanszad, owner of Gold Leaf Cafe in Berkeley, who reinstated mask requirements this summer as she grew nervous about the delta variant. "I have to support these people who work for me and whose job is not to fight with customers about personal freedoms." Even some of the youngest Americans say they're willing to sacrifice in hopes of protecting others. For 9-year-old Lilian Robbins, the masks have become a part of life. At Portland's Oregon Park on Tuesday, she carried her mask to put on when she got too close to others or had to use the bathroom. "We've been doing this for over a year," Robbins said. "We shouldn't just stop doing this now, there could still be a surge." The soon-to-be fourth-grader said she's hopeful she can get vaccinated by the end of September or early October, but she will follow her elementary school's rules. "It's just a mask," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Alissa Greenberg in Berkeley, Calif., contributed to this report. Diamond reported from Washington; Mueller from Kansas City, Mo.; Baumhardt from Portland, Ore.; and Capochino Myers from Baton Rouge, La. Related Content A Colorado county offers glimpse of America's future With stress on officers spiking, New York joins wave of police agencies using therapy dogs The Dixie Fire destroyed this small California town. A week later, its residents remain in limbo. The calls came fast, first with a cardiac arrest case, next with multiple patients who were having trouble breathing, and all were suspected to have COVID. Usually, Stew Eubanks, a paramedic in Sumter County, Florida, deals with lots of minor emergencies, but now its mainly life-threatening cases. After a nonstop 24 hours, his Wednesday shift ended with another cardiac arrest. Its bad right now, Eubanks, 39, told BuzzFeed News. Were stacking patients in the hallways, stacking patients in the waiting room. Floridas hospitals are filling up, with nearly 85% of inpatient hospital beds occupied, according to the Florida Hospital Associations latest report. In the last week, the state has averaged more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, with nearly 15,000 people hospitalized. Thats shattered previous case records for the state, and COVID-19 deaths, which had been steadily declining since February, are also steeply rising. By the end of his shift, Eubanks had transported 14 patients, a sharp increase from the six hed see on a normal day prepandemic servicing the Villages, the largest retirement community in the country. Not only did he have more patients than normal, but they were also much sicker and required more critical care. Of the 13 hospitals in the local area, eight had limitations on which patients they would accept, including a standalone ER that warned it did not have enough oxygen to admit more COVID patients. Eubanks said even patients who manage to get admitted are waiting over 12 hours to receive care and that hospitals no longer have the space to separate highly contagious COVID patients from other people requiring emergency medical attention. Everybody is on fire and nobody has any water, Eubanks said. Florida has emerged as the nightmare scenario for this summers surge in COVID-19 cases. The highly contagious Delta variant is spreading rapidly across the state, where less than half of the population is fully vaccinated. As school starts this week, pediatric COVID-19 cases are already on the rise, and with Gov. Ron DeSantiss ban on mask mandates, that will likely continue. Pregnant women with COVID-19 are being hospitalized. And with nearly 68% of the states hospitals warning that they will face a critical staff shortage in the next week, healthcare workers in the state say theyre already overwhelmed and fear the worst is yet to come. Story continues Florida and Texas alone have accounted for nearly 40% of new hospitalizations across the country, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said on Thursday. In the past week, Florida has had more COVID cases than all 30 states with the lowest case rates, combined. The latest surge in cases is taking a toll on Florida healthcare workers, who had borne the brunt of previous waves of outbreaks. Our frontline healthcare heroes are finding themselves stretched thin and physical and mental exhaustion is taking its toll, Florida Hospital Association CEO Mary Mayhew said. I see it in the faces of all the other people I work with, Eubanks said, calling the high level of critical care required for Delta patients a huge mental and emotional drain for healthcare workers. The incoming crew are supposedly fresh and ready to come in, and theyre beat down as they're walking through the door already because theyre still not recovered. At the same time, a heavy load of non-COVID cases has also hit Florida hospitals. That reflects both delayed care for chronic illnesses like heart disease during the pandemic and higher rates of other respiratory illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus in both kids and adults, which typically spread in the fall and winter. And elective procedures are once again being delayed to prioritize COVID patients. Sam Atallah, a colorectal surgeon from the Orlando area, usually performs at least 10 surgeries every Friday, predominantly on cancer patients. With hospitals on code black, nonessential surgeries can only go ahead with permission from hospital administrators. As you can imagine, most people having surgery must have some level of urgency, Attalah told BuzzFeed News. Yet 1015 surgeries I was planning to do last Friday were essentially denied, and maybe rightly so because we dont have the resources to manage things at this time. We don't know how much more of this surge our hospital system can take. Healthcare delivery in central Florida is basically almost frozen, Atallah said. The Delta variant, now responsible for more than 80% of COVID-19 cases, is highly contagious. While with the original coronavirus, an infected person was expected to infect two to three others, a person infected with Delta is expected to infect anywhere from five to nine. Thats caused its rapid spread, with outbreaks sweeping across the many parts of the country with low vaccination rates. The strain has even been linked to outbreaks among the vaccinated, though the shots overwhelmingly protect people from severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Across the entire US, 90% of all counties are now seeing high or substantial levels of transmission due to Delta's spread, with Mississippi and Florida seeing the highest rates of positive test results reported by the CDC. We simply dont have enough people vaccinated here [in Florida], that is whats driving things, epidemiologist Cindy Prins of the University of Florida said. We also let our guard down, there was a turning away from masking statewide. Those are the two things you really need to get vaccinated and wear a mask. Tourism, Floridas mainstay industry, may have also played a role in Floridas outbreak, said Emory University biostatistician Natalie Dean by email. Tourists spreading infections could explain why Florida was hit earlier with the Delta variant than other US states and why it then turned up everywhere across the state. If America is the melting pot of the world, Florida is the melting pot of the country, Eubanks said. We are where everyone comes to retire, where everyone comes to vacation and when that happens, our system can't keep up with it. Atallah said a pediatrician colleague on Tuesday had a 17-year-old patient test positive for COVID. The girl had visited Universal Studios the day prior with a group of her family and friends. She spent all day in public, basically spreading COVID throughout the park, because she didn't feel unwell enough to not go, Attalah said. And entire families are being impacted, with paramedics sometimes responding to calls to help multiple family members at once. Weve doubled and tripled up ambulances in front yards, said Eubanks, recalling a time when he responded to a COVID-positive husband and wife, both struggling to breathe. Still, Prins is more skeptical that tourists are playing a leading role in the states surge, noting that cases are turning up in rural counties far from amusement parks and beaches. We have plenty of unvaccinated people who live right here to explain things, she said. Pandemic politics has also played an outsize role in Floridas outbreak. DeSantis has repeatedly condemned COVID restrictions and mask mandates, instead blaming surging caseloads on media hysteria and migrants crossing the southern border. DeSantis forbade schools in Florida from requiring students to wear masks last month, despite those younger than 12 being ineligible for vaccines and widespread evidence that masks lower infection risks. This week, he threatened to withhold salaries from local officials who ignored his order. The CDC recommends all schools require universal masking, kindergarten-age and older, regardless of vaccination status. And the state has seen an increase in pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19. While the vast majority of kids will experience mild symptoms runny noses, coughs, congestion, and fevers around 1% have ended up being hospitalized, according to data compiled to date from 23 states and New York City. But as case numbers continue to rise, and with schools in Florida opening this week, more children are expected to be hospitalized. Just over 6 weeks ago, we were averaging about 6 confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions among children each day in Florida. Recently we have been averaging about 50 each day, a more than 8-fold increase, University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi said. In that time, the state went from 8.5% of all new confirmed COVID-19 pediatric hospitalizations in the country to about 22% of the national total. The rate of COVID-19 cases in children under 12 is now higher than adults over 60 in Florida, and the rate among teens is 18% above the states total average. Deaths, which are typically reported weeks after hospitalizations, have also surged in Florida in the last 14 days. We do know how to treat COVID-19 better, said Prins, who hopes that the spiking case numbers will not lead to as many deaths as previous waves. Cases of pregnant people with COVID-19 have also been rising across the US in the past several weeks, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing on Thursday, as the CDC updated its guidance encouraging pregnant people to get vaccinated. Just 23% of pregnant people in the US have received at least one shot of the vaccine. Pregnant people are at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19, which can cause serious complications like preterm birth. On a recent shift in the labor and delivery ward at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Florida, just south of Orlando, nurse Marissa Lee was caring for four expectant mothers who had COVID-19. One, who was critically ill, had an emergency C-section performed while she was intubated. She didnt know we took the baby out, said Lee, who was on her way to cover her second overtime shift in a row when she spoke to BuzzFeed News. A 30-year-old hotel manager, Kristen McMullen, from West Melbourne, Florida, died on Aug. 6, just two weeks after giving birth via an emergency C-section. McMullen had contracted COVID-19 while pregnant and had to be put on a ventilator, dying of cardiac arrest as her family watched on FaceTime and her husband, Keith, sat beside her. She was an amazing person and she was strong, her aunt, Melissa Syverson, told BuzzFeed News. Syverson did not want to disclose whether her niece was vaccinated or not, but called on people to be extra careful around anyone who is pregnant because they are more at risk of serious effects of COVID. There are a lot of people that think theyre strong and young and Im going to be fine if I get COVID, Syverson said. And then something like this happens. More on this New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in the face of numerous allegations of sexual harassment. The investigations into his abusive behavior will continue to have ripple effects throughout the states government. COVID cases are rising across the state as the virulent Delta variant spreads around the country, creating both health and economic challenges for the state; federal investigators are examining Cuomos handling of nursing homes during the first wave of the crisis; the Supreme Court has blocked New Yorks pandemic-related eviction moratorium; and the relationship between Albany and the states most populous and economically productive city is in tatters after years of acrimony between the governor and the mayor of New York City. Welcome, Kathy Hochul, as New Yorks first woman governor. Cleaning up Cuomo's scandals Will these crises be an opportunity for Lieutenant Governor Hochul to showcase her leadership upon assuming the governorship? Or is she being thrust into power at a time of crises rife with the potential for failure the proverbial glass cliff that women executives frequently face in business and politics? Its a position weve often seen women in as they are expected to clean up a scandal left behind by their male predecessor. To be sure, opportunities like these are rare in the United States. When Hochul ascends to the governorship, she will be just the 45th woman governor in American history, and, after she makes history in New York, there will still be 19 states that have never had a woman governor. Hochul will become the ninth woman governor currently serving, matching a record first achieved nearly two decades ago and one that has never been surpassed. Of course, these numbers are all the more stark for women of color: just three women of color have ever served as a state chief executive, only one of whom New Mexicos Michelle Lujan Grisham is currently in office, and no Black women have ever served as governor. Story continues Andrew Cuomo resigns: He personifies abuse of power at the expense of the vulnerable. Why are these offices so difficult to win for women? Over the past two election cycles, women have burst through records for representation in the U.S. Congress and in state legislatures. Executive office, as opposed to the collaborative functioning of a legislature, remains freighted with masculinized expectations of leadership. Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathy Hochul speaks on stage during World AIDS Day at Baruch College on November 30, 2018, in New York City, New York. These gendered biases played out on the national stage in the 2020 presidential election, when six women ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, four of whom were accomplished and well-regarded senators, yet none were able to clear the hurdles of the murky concepts of likability and electability qualifications that rarely appear on the checklist of leadership qualities for men. Unfortunately, even today in the year 2021, the image of a singular, decisive, and determined leader is still shaded in the colors of masculinity. A woman's way to power Hochul has an opportunity here, however, to short circuit the pathways to executive authority, which is particularly significant in a state like New York where powerful political gatekeepers wield significant influence, and that influence is frequently wielded to the detriment of women, people of color, and other newcomers and outsiders. Of the 44 women who have served as governor, a full 25% ascended to their position from lieutenant governor or other first-in-the-line positions upon the resignation, removal, or death of their predecessor. Of these 11 governors, six have gone on to win election to the governors office in their own right. Chris Cuomo's ethical failure: Why CNN anchor's actions hurt journalists across America Notably, since 2004 every woman to ascend to a governorship in this way has subsequently been re-elected to the position. When Hochul takes office, four of the nine (44%) current women governors will have first entered office through succession rather than election. Three of those Kate Brown of Oregon, Kay Ivey of Alabama, and Kim Reynolds of Iowa were subsequently elected in their own right. These facts simultaneously speak to the depressing current reality of American politics and to Hochuls potential future success. New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is poised to become the state's first female governor after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment claims. Hochul has 15 months before the next gubernatorial election to show voters in New York something theyve never seen before the executive skills of a woman at the helm of their state government. Should she successfully manage the states battle with a resurgent COVID wave and guide New Yorks economic recovery, she has the potential to position herself for the electorate as an effective steward of their state. Hochul also faces controversies created by the Cuomo administration that require her to build an atmosphere of transparency and good-governance as the policies and practices of the former governor undergo intense scrutiny. Albany's culture of corruption These are daunting tasks that leave her dangling precariously over the glass cliff. The pandemic has shown a terrifying resilience even in the face of miraculous medical advancements. Unethical and corrupt behavior in New York is deep-seated and bipartisan; its a state where the most recent elected governor before Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer, also resigned in disgrace, as did former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and both a Republican majority leader of the state Senate, Dean Skelos, and a Democratic speaker of the state Assembly, Sheldon Silver, were convicted of corruption in 2015 (and re-convicted in 2018). New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, during a cabinet meeting at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. At her first news conference after the announcement of Cuomos resignation Hochul said, At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment. But systemic change in Albany wont be accomplished under a single leader, no matter how impressive her executive skills turn out to be. USA TODAY Opinion in your inbox: Get insights, analysis every day in our newsletter Kathy Hochuls swearing-in as the 57th governor of New York will be steeped in symbolism, as another apparent serial sexual harasser falls away, and, this time, a woman rises to replace him. Andrew Cuomo was, in many ways, the prototypical male executive: the scion of a political dynasty, overconfident in his decisions and unwilling to reevaluate them, a combative interlocutor, and hungry for attention and credit. Hochul, by contrast, worked her way through the political system without a pedigree, serving in local, county, national, and now statewide office, showing throughout her career a penchant for relationship building, consensus seeking, and a willingness to reconsider her positions with new information. These might not be the qualities people imagine when they think of a governor or a president, but they will only become more valuable in our increasingly fractured political climate. When women prove themselves in executive office, theyre not just proving to us that they can lead theyre showing proof for different models of leadership. Theyre showing us the future of leadership. Debbie Walsh is the director of Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Follow her on Twitter: @DebbieWalsh58 You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kathy Hochul, New York's first woman governor A Google office. TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images Google Search isn't a public utility just because it's popular, the company told an Ohio court. Ohio's AG in June said Google prioritized its own products and needed to be regulated. States have "no business dictating the online information it wants people to see," Google said. See more stories on Insider's business page. Google on Friday sought dismissal of a lawsuit brought by Ohio's attorney general, saying its search engine wasn't a public utility just because it's popular. "To claim, as Ohio does, that Google Search is a 'public utility' is to declare it a business that Ohio could acquire, construct, own or operate. But that is absurd," Google said in its filing. "The State could not possibly undertake such a burden for countless reasons, not the least of which is that it has no business dictating the online information it wants people to see." Ohio AG Dave Yost in June sued Google, saying the company's search function should be regulated like a public utility - the same as water, electricity, and transportation companies. Google on Friday said the state's request "has no more validity under the law than a request to declare Fox News, the New York times, or Walmart a 'public utility' because most people in a particular town prefer to get their news or groceries from them instead of someone else." Yost had said the company acted in an anti-competitive manner when it prioritized its own products, like Google Flights, alongside organic search results. Rival products should be offered up as often as Google's products were, the lawsuit said. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Tony Dejak/AP Photo Google said its results were protected under the First Amendment, since they were editorial decisions. "The State cannot interfere with this protected expression, let alone try to control what Google must or must not include on its Results Page," Google said. The company's argument was also technical. The mechanics of how Google Search results end up on an Ohioan's computer were important, the company said. Google cannot be classified as a "common carrier" under Ohio law, in part because it doesn't actually carry anyone or anything. Internet service providers move the data, the company said. Story continues "Google Search is not shipping a commodity product, but constantly working to provide useful information in response to people's unique queries," the company said. Insider has reached out to Google and Yost's office for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider In the 1990s, the Martin Luther King Apartments in Hartfords Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood blended into the areas deteriorating, bleak landscape. Two decades later, the low and moderate income rentals stand out in a neighborhood transformed by the revitalization of the once-decaying Colt manufacturing plant, the Capewell Horse Nail Co. factory, the Dutch Point public housing complex, Dillon Stadium and the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy, a magnet middle and high school. A $50 million plan to raze and rebuild the MLK Apartments on Van Block Avenue is the final major piece of a redevelopment puzzle envisioned in the 1990s to strengthen Sheldon/Charter Oak, just a short walk from downtown. The project, however, wont come without major disruptions for the tenants, some of them living in the apartments for decades. The tenants will first need to pack up and be temporarily relocated elsewhere, either in the city or the surrounding area. Their moves will be paid for, and tenants could qualify for rent subsidies if their temporary rents are higher than at the MLK Apartments. The move will affect households in the complexs 64 units and is expected to begin early next year, in late winter. Once that is complete, construction on 161, mixed-income units will start after demolition, with the project anticipated to unfold over 18 months. Tenant Greta Green admits shes anxious about all the changes and where she will live in the meantime. Green said she doesnt want to be relocated far from her customer service job downtown. And Green, who just turned 50, definitely wants to return to the only place shes ever called home. She does have a good shot because current tenants are being given first preference at the new apartments. Its bittersweet but you know what, its time, its time, Green said. I see other places are getting renovated, torn down, so I think its time. Its bittersweet, but Im OK with that. About a year ago, Green walked out of her apartment and noticed that the letter F marking her area of the complex on the ground. Story continues It was so tired that my letter just fell off, Green said. A place with potential Neighborhood leaders in the Sheldon/Charter Oak see the redevelopment as a milestone even capstone to two decades of efforts to revitalize the neighborhood, mixing market-rate apartments with affordable units and attracting investment in development projects. People no longer look at this as a place to be avoided but as a place that has potential, said Chris McArdle, treasurer of the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood, a neighborhood revitalization zone organization. Owner and developer Sheldon Oak Central, a Hartford-based housing nonprofit, plans both market-rate and affordable apartments. The affordable apartments include some with Section 8 rental subsidies, not currently offered at the MLK Apartments. That, the nonprofit said, will ensure the new development will offer a broad range of affordability. The mixing of incomes in housing developments seeks to avoid the dense concentration of lower-income households, which was the standard in the late 1960s when the MLK Apartments were built. What Sheldon Oak is doing is really transforming MLK from a sort of backwater of people who are living on the edge of poverty to a place where it is going to be a mix of the population, McArdle said. Hopefully, that will mean more of the workforce will continue to move into this neighborhood. Emily Wolfe, executive director of Sheldon Oak, said the seven acres encompassed by the MLK Apartments also are isolated from the rest of the neighborhood because the complex lacks streets running through it. It looks a little forbidding, so the important thing is that we want to integrate it back into the neighborhood, Wolfe said. Were doing that with a pedestrian design, a pedestrian boulevard going through, now there are just cul-de-sacs. The design, Wolfe said, will connect the MLK Apartments to Stonington Acres, another development rehabbed by Sheldon Oak, and Dutch Point, a mix of apartments and townhouses, as well as the surrounding community, close to Colt Park and the riverfront. They will be one community, not separate, Wolfe said. The way they were designed they were separate housing projects, which is a very public housing way of looking at it. Looking to the future When the MLK Apartments were built in 1969, the project won architectural accolades for its innovative design, appearing from the air in the shape of a chevron. But in achieving that shape the complex took on secluded atmosphere that invited crime and created apartments that were small with sharp angles. The complex also was originally twice as large, with 124 units. Sheldon Oak purchased the complex in 1996 from the nearby Church of the Good Shepherd under the leadership of former executive director Daniel Merida. Sheldon Oak demolished half of the units, cutting back on low-income density that was then viewed as fostering urban crime. The remaining apartments were then renovated. Sheldon Oak considered another renovation in recent years, but it would have cost millions. A renovation would not have solved fundamental problems of all the units being townhouses with bathrooms exclusively on the second floor, a hardship as tenants age, Wolfe said. There also are no one-bedroom apartments, which are sought after in the Hartford market, she said. Looking to the future, Sheldon Oak and its partner, Vesta Corp. of Simsbury, an owner and developer of affordable housing, plan a project that will borrow from the look of the historic, former Colt worker houses across Van Block Avenue. The apartments will be a combination of flats and townhouses, with one, two and three bedrooms, ranging in size from 774 square feet to 1,683 square feet. The design includes one large, L-shaped central building with flats and an elevator with older tenants and the physically disabled in mind. There will be 14 smaller building with six or seven apartments. Greta Greens next door neighbor, Mamie McGriff, has lived at the MLK Apartments for decades, just about as long as Green. But, at 78, McGriff is finding it tougher to climb the stairs to the bathroom and would like an apartment on one floor. I had to buy one of those potty chairs from Walgreens so I could have it in the hallway, McGriff said. I cant be hitting those stairs too many times. Monthly rents now range from $1,050 to $1,225 for two- and three-bedroom units. Projected rents will rise, ranging from $1,200 for one-bedroom apartments to $1,800 for three-bedroom units. Wolfe, of Sheldon Oak, said the nonprofit has applied to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the citys support to designate 40 apartments, or 30% of the projects rentals, for Section 8 subsidies. The subsidies mean tenants would only have to pay 30% of their income in monthly rent. Plans call for buildings to be arranged around a central green with a gazebo and playscape. All ground floor apartments will have front porches to open to the street. An existing mural mounted on a building, depicting landmarks in Sheldon/Charter Oak, will be saved and displayed at a new entrance. The city has approved the master plan for the project. Financing is nearing completion and is expected to include a mortgage from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and federal low-income housing tax credits. Worries about gentrification Linda Nelson moved to the MLK Apartments 20 years ago and has since retired from a job as an operations manager at UConn Health. Nelson said she wants to return to the redeveloped complex. But she worries about gentrification and being able to afford to move back. Were used to being in this area not saying that we dont want improvement in our city but give us a chance to live in it, Nelson said in the living room of her apartment. We see all these buildings going up and its like, they are cornered off from us, Nelson said. Its going on all-around us, and everybody is living the luxury life. Nelson said she took a tour of the rentals in the converted Capewell factory. She loved the apartments but bottom-line, she couldnt afford to live there. Its really frightening for an older person like myself, Nelson said. I dont work, so Im basically low income. Im on Social Security but the thing that is scary, not only for myself, but a lot of us, we see these buildings if our Social Security were up to par or keeping up with the cost of living, we could probably get one of these apartments but were stuck. Wolfe said the primary goal as the propertys owner is to not displace any tenants. So thats a first-order goal, Wolfe said. A lot of people have lived here for a very long time, and its always been naturally affordable. Were very conscious as neighborhoods change, we dont want to displace the original residents. Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com. Katherine Taylor/Reuters/Axel Springer The GAO released a takedown of Jeff Bezos' complaints against NASA's selection of SpaceX. Blue Origin accused NASA of favoritism toward Elon Musk's company. The GAO report found that SpaceX's design beat out Blue Origin's proposal at every level. See more stories on Insider's business page. SpaceX was selected over Blue Origin for a NASA contract to take humans back to the moon, and a new report from government officials highlights exactly why. Last month, Jeff Bezos filed a complaint against NASA, calling its decision to select SpaceX for its Human Landing System Program "unfair." Bezos even offered to cover up to $2 billion in costs for the mission to help Blue Origin compete with SpaceX's $2.9 billion offer, but it was not enough to sway NASA. When SpaceX was chosen in April it came as a surprise, as NASA had originally selected three companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics) to create proposals for a lunar landing system that could bring astronauts back to the moon by 2024. When the competition was announced, NASA had indicated that it would choose two proposals but ended up leaving Blue Origin and Dynetics in a lurch. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed Bezos' complaint, which was filed alongside Dynetics and rejected the protest. In a public report, the GAO laid out why Elon Musk's company was chosen over Blue Origin. Here are a few key responses from the GAO takedown of Bezos' complaints against NASA: Blue Origin hinged its complaint around the fact that NASA had promised to select two companies Bezos said in a letter following the complaint that NASA risked compromising the mission by eliminating the element of "competition." In response, the GAO pointed to NASA's limited funds for the mission. The group even took a stab at Blue Origin, saying NASA was not "required" to choose an applicant whose proposal NASA did not find attractive. In other words, NASA was not forced to take on two companies if it only found one company up to par. Story continues The GAO then broke down how SpaceX's proposal compared to Blue Origin based on NASA's analysis. Each proposal was graded on technology, management, and price. The technical aspects were found to be most important in NASA's analysis, followed by price, and management. NASA graded each company's proposal based on whether its strengths outweighed its weaknesses, grading each level of weakness or strength based on a scale of how much it would impact the overall mission. For example, both SpaceX and Blue Origin's communication systems were graded as weak, but Blue Origin's received a "significant weakness" for having less systems that were effective. "Even assuming a comparative analysis was required, SpaceX's proposal appeared to be the highest-rated under each of the three enumerated evaluation criteria as well as the lowest priced," the GAO said. Despite Bezos' offer to lower Blue Origin's $5.9 billion contract and take on $2 billion out-of-pocket, the GAO said NASA had found it "implausible" that the company could reduce its price without significantly changing its design. Blue Origin complained the decision showed favoritism to SpaceX Bezos said NASA had unfairly evaluated Blue Origin. For example, the company argued that it was not specified that the vehicle should be able to land in the dark. The GAO contended that NASA was not required to lay out all minute details, and Blue Origin should take into account the conditions on the moon or space itself - which is dark. Blue Origin also raised issue with the fact that SpaceX received extra points for developing a system that focused on the health and safety of the crew - an objective that NASA had not made a requirement. The GAO said NASA had the freedom to choose which design function to prioritize. Here's how the two companies' proposals stacked up, according to NASA SpaceX Technical: 3 significant strengths; 10 strengths; 6 weaknesses; and 1 significant weakness Price: $2.9 billion Management: 2 significant strengths; 3 strengths; and 2 weaknesses Blue Origin Technical: 13 strengths; 14 weaknesses; and 2 significant weaknesses Price: $5.9 billion Management: 1 significant strength; 2 strengths; and 6 weaknesses Read the original article on Business Insider A giant hidden concrete wall buried deep below the Mississippi River has been holding the storied St. Anthony Falls in place for more than 140 years. It safeguards Minneapolis' water supply and helps ensure the river doesn't undermine bridges or other infrastructure. But the wall's condition is largely a mystery. Now some river experts and politicians are calling for a closer examination, fearing that a failure of the aging structure could prove catastrophic. "There's a dramatic threat to the Twin Cities water supply, upstream infrastructure, downstream navigation, billions in central riverfront development," said John Anfinson, a leading Mississippi River historian who has been calling attention to the issue. "How serious is it? We don't know." The problem is the wall is largely inaccessible, lodged in sandstone beneath the riverbed. And it is unclear who is responsible for it; none of the entities most closely associated with the falls believes they are the owner. Roughly the height of a three-story building, the wall helps prevent the collapse of a thick limestone riverbed slab by stopping flowing water from eroding soft sandstone underneath it. It was constructed after one of the biggest disasters in Minneapolis history, when a tunneling project went awry and nearly destroyed the falls in 1869. There is no firm evidence that the wall, often called the cutoff wall, is in danger. But the vast majority of it can't be seen, except for an area where it intersects with old tunnels. Anfinson has been trying to alert public officials about the issue before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which built the wall exits the area after the lock and dam closed to navigation in 2015. The issue has piqued the interest of officials ranging from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, both of whom want the Army Corps to conduct a closer examination. "If history's taught us anything, it's that we need to be proactive when it comes to critical pieces of infrastructure like the cutoff wall," Frey said. Story continues The Congressional Research Service is investigating the legal process that would need to occur for the corps to analyze the wall's condition. Anfinson has written extensively about the history of the riverfront. He says he felt obligated to speak out as someone well-versed in the wall's history. And he's thought about the questions now being asked after the Florida condominium collapse in June. "Who knew what and when? And what did they do about it?" Anfinson said. "This wall may last another 144 years. But how do we know if we haven't done a good study of it?" Anfinson once worked for the corps, though he is not an engineer. He later joined the National Park Service, where he became superintendent of the national park spanning most of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. He retired in January. Nan Bischoff, a corps project manager, said people are raising a lot of concerns over something that is not actively threatening. Bischoff said the wall is effectively insulated by all the material and infrastructure that surrounds it. "It's not going anywhere," Bischoff said. "There's no place for it to go." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy exploded in anger over President Joe Bidens handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during a private briefing with senior administration officials on Sunday, calling it an embarrassment that will reverberate for decades. The California Republican accused the Biden administration of lacking a clear plan as U.S. forces departed the country after nearly 20 years at one point comparing the situation to Vietnam, in the latest display of GOP outrage over U.S. attempts to end its longest-running war. I have passion and I have anger. I want to know where President [Ashraf] Ghani is, McCarthy said, according to two people listening to the call. McCarthy who was largely quiet about former President Donald Trump's efforts to broker a peace deal with the Taliban during his presidency then warned about potential risks here in the U.S.: We have to look to our own border. Are we secure at home over the coming weeks? The outburst from McCarthy came on a nearly hour-long call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The briefing, which was unclassified, took place just moments after officials confirmed the Afghan president fled the country lawmakers first chance to hear directly from White House officials since Taliban began recapturing key Afghan areas. As the call was going on, the Afghan government was on the brink of full collapse, with the Taliban in the process off seizing Kabul, the countrys capital, and U.S. officials preparing to shutter its embassy there. In response to the GOP criticisms, Austin pointed to the weak resolve of the Afghan military to fight off the terrorist group, remarking that they cant buy will and cant purchase leadership, according to people on the call. These remarks however angered Republicans listening to the call like Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who served in Afghanistan, who saw the administration blaming their policy failure on Afghans who fought and died alongside U.S. forces throughout the course of the war. Story continues Speaker Nancy Pelosi who began her remarks by thanking Biden for his clarity of purpose raised additional questions about the treatment of Afghanistan women and how the U.S. was working with non-governmental organizations that remained in the country, according to sources on the call. Blinken said he could not give answers on the unclassified call, but would follow-up on a secure line, a response that further incensed Republicans. One other House GOP lawmaker spoke up on the call, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), an Army veteran. Meijer pressed officials whether there is enough fuel for all the flights evacuating U.S. officials, citizens and allies from the encroaching Taliban advance. Sundays briefing for House members which was followed by an identical briefing for senators is only the first chance for lawmakers to press the Pentagon for answers about the deteriorating situation on the ground in Afghanistan. Lawmakers are also scheduled to receive a classified briefing when the House returns the week of Aug. 23. Still, several GOP lawmakers, including McCarthy, have complained theyve received almost no information about the strategy, and didnt have enough time to ask questions on the call. Earlier Sunday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) pummeled the Biden administrations handling of the Talibans rapid-fire military triumph in Afghanistan as inexcusable. Cheney, for whom the war in Afghanistan is part of her familys political legacy, said the U.S. had failed the people of Afghanistan and that its recent actions would make the nation's allies doubt whether they can trust the United States. "It's not just that people predicted this would happen; everyone was warned that this would happen. Weve now created a situation where as we get to the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we are surrendering Afghanistan to the terrorist organization that housed al Qaeda when they plotted and planned the attacks against us, Cheney said on ABCs This Week. One day earlier, Cheney blamed both Biden and Trump for the current crisis in Afghanistan. "The Trump/Biden calamity unfolding in Afghanistan began with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace, and is ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies, "she tweeted. Cheneys father, Dick Cheney, was vice president in 2001 when the U.S. launched an invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. That invasion ousted the Taliban and drove Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda into the mountains of Pakistan, though the Taliban was able to regroup and extend fighting over the next two decades. Bin Laden was assassinated by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011. Twenty years of U.S. support had failed to provide stability or prosperity to the Asian nation, nor extinguished the threat from the Taliban. But Cheney said that those who claim the U.S. departure from this war was overdue because total victory was never going to be attainable didnt see the situation correctly. This is not ending the war. What this is doing actually is perpetuating it, she argued. David Cohen contributed to this report. The Wyandotte County Sheriffs office is investigating a homicide at a park in Kansas City, Kansas, early Sunday. Deputies were called at about 5:23 a.m. to Matney Park near Shawnee Drive and South 39th Street on a shooting, Capt. Kyle Harvey with the Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. There, first responders found a shooting victim in a car inside the park, Harvey said. The man, whose identity has not yet been released, had been shot several times. The homicide is under investigation by the sheriffs office since the killing happened within one of their parks. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Anyone with information on the homicide is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). The latest killing marks the 24th homicide this year in Kansas City, Kansas, according to data maintained by The Star. KABUL Nasreen Sultani, the principal of the Sardar-e-Kabuli Girls High School in Kabul, has spent years fighting for the rights of Afghan girls, but said she now lives in constant fear for the safety of her students. "I am very sad. When I see all these girls, I get really upset now," she told NBC News last week, her eyes welling up with tears. "I tried, but we couldn't manage to make sure that women get out of this miserable situation," added Sultani, who has led the school for a decade after a major U.S. Agency for International Development restoration project allowed it to reopen. Her despair will only have grown Sunday after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, leaving the Taliban to seize control of the country. She said she had been threatened by the Taliban in the past. Members of the hard-line Islamic militant group had told her about the color of the car they might blow up," she said. "'You all might die,' they told us." Image: Nasreen Sultani, principal of Sardar-e-Kabuli Girls High School in Kabul Afghanistan. (William O'Reilly / NBC News) She added that she had tried to keep the girls motivated for their good and motivate them to study." Taliban fighters swept through Afghanistan, seizing control of the country at a speed that took international observers and Afghans aback. On Sunday, exclusive video put out by Al Jazeera appeared to show extraordinary images of armed Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace. The start of the offensive came after U.S. forces and other international troops began to withdraw in May. The Talibans rapid progress has nonetheless surprised some U.S. defense officials. Sultani is one of many Afghan women in leadership roles who say they fear a return to Taliban rule will also spell a return to its austere and harsh interpretation of Islam, which long severely restricted women's rights until the U.S.-led toppling of the regime in 2001. Under the Taliban's former regime, girls were blocked from attending school, while women were largely barred from appearing in public without full body coverings and male escorts. Story continues Those who violated the Taliban's rules faced flogging in public and execution. Image: Afghan women and children travel in a motorcycle cart during fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces in Herat province (Hamed Sarfarazi / AP) This time around, the Taliban have claimed that they would write laws to ensure that women would be able to participate in public life if they took power in Afghanistan. The purpose would be enabling women to contribute to the country in a peaceful and protected environment, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in May. Fawzia Koofi, a women's rights activist, former lawmaker and member of the Afghan delegation that was working to negotiate peace with the Taliban before the U.S. military's withdrawal, said women felt betrayed. "Women in Afghanistan are the most at danger or most at-risk population of the country," she said, adding that the criminals the Taliban had freed from prisons to swell their ranks now also posed a threat, along with "those who [have been] upset with women becoming powerful in the last 20 years." The future for women in Afghanistan appears "dark," she said. Already, women in cities that have fallen under Taliban control "are like prisoners in [their] home," according to a provincial government official in Afghanistan. Women's rights activist and former Afghan MP Fawzia Koofi says she fears a future under Taliban rule would be "They can't go outside," added the official, who requested anonymity because of fears over safety. Elsewhere, women expressed fears of a future with "no right to education, no right to teach, no right to work" in a letter shared with NBC News by the office of Rohgul Khairzad, the deputy governor of Nimroz province. Khairzads office said the letter was written Monday by a group of women in Zaranj, Nimrozs provincial capital and the first to fall to the Taliban after U.S. forces began pulling out of the country. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics "The Taliban, during the previous regime, showed that they would never allow women to study and work while Islam allowed them to do so, even under Islam," the letter said. "Men are entitled to the same rights in every period of time." "We are awake with thousands of fears and fears until dawn," it added, before calling on "the world community" to step in. "Please stop the Taliban. Respect women and girls." The letter also expressed fears that women and girls could be forced to marry members of the militant group. Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, dismissed the letter as rubbish and baseless propaganda and denied that women would be forced into marriages. Image: Afghan female students talk after school outside the Zarghoona high school (Paula Bronstein / Getty Images) This is not even thinkable in our system, no matter how powerful you are, he said. However, both Koofi and the provincial official said they had received reports that women were being made to "marry by force." NBC News has not been able to verify the reports. While she said she did not believe the practice was widespread, Koofi said that did not mean misconduct was not happening, adding that it was likely that the Talibans political office was disconnected with their military fighters. She said she feared women would be targeted under Taliban rule. The militant group was not afraid of the worlds superpowers, she said, but it was afraid of women. Bill O'Reilly, Kelly Cobiella and Ahmed Mengli reported from Kabul, Mushtaq Yusufzai from Peshawar, Pakistan, and Chantal Da Silva from London. Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas are encountering mounting challenges in their quest to ban mandates requiring masks in schools, as lawsuits advance through the courts and the Biden administration steps in to back districts requiring face coverings. In a pair of letters sent Friday, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote both governors and their education chiefs to express concern about recent executive actions prohibiting school districts from "voluntarily adopting science-based strategies for preventing the spread of Covid-19 that are aligned with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. He also noted that federal pandemic relief funds could be used to make up for state-imposed penalties on local school districts. "The Department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain safe in-person instruction," Cardona wrote. President Joe Biden extended support by phone Friday evening, calling one of the superintendents in Florida challenging DeSantis and his "bad public health measures," saying he "commended their leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools," per a pool report. The federal response comes as lawsuits disputing the governors' orders make their way through courts. Parents in Florida and local officials and school districts in Texas have sued the governors, contending that their restriction on mask mandates and other mitigation measures will risk the health of people in their state, including children resuming class this fall. Texas and Florida account for 40% of new hospitalizations nationwide, the White House said Thursday. The states lead the nation in new cases reported in the past week, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. Story continues Responding to questions from The Post about the letter, DeSantis's office compared the offer of federal funds to $1,000 checks the governor gave out to teachers, which the Biden administration said may have violated covid-19 relief fund rules. "What we're doing in Florida must be working for Secretary Cardona to prioritize funding the salaries of politicians over students, parents, and teachers," spokeswoman Christina Pushaw wrote in an email. Abbott did not respond to requests for comment from The Post. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, tweeted Friday after defeats on the appellate level after attempting to overturn local mask mandates, that he was taking the case to the state Supreme Court. "The rule of law will decide," he wrote. While Abbott and DeSantis have said they believe parents should decide whether their children wear masks in school, surging infections and hospitalizations in both states have left many parents worried about sending their children back into classrooms where others are not masked and could transmit the virus. Parents from a half-dozen Florida counties have sued DeSantis and state education officials, arguing the order infringes on classroom safety guaranteed by the state's constitution. Charles Gallagher, the lead attorney representing parents from a half-dozen counties, told The Post that DeSantis's argument that people should have the individual freedom to decide if they want to wear a mask to prevent spreading the virus to others is "ludicrous." "It's not parent choice," Gallagher said. "It's public health." On Friday, DeSantis's attorney told Leon County Circuit Court Judge John Cooper said the state plans to file a motion to dismiss the case, arguing it would violate the governor's executive branch authority and accusing the parents of political motivations. Amy Nell, one of the parents suing DeSantis, said she's received daily notifications of new cases in just the first four days of school. More than 4,000 students in her son's Tampa school district are isolated or quarantined as of Saturday, according to an email from the school district Nell shared with The Post. "It's nerve-racking to expect that call or text from the front office every day that more kids are sick, and that at some point, we will undoubtedly have to quarantine," Nell said. When Nell first learned of DeSantis's executive order to move forward with allowing parents to choose if their children wore masks to school, Nell weighed keeping her 10-year-old son out of school until the outbreak ceased, transferring him to a Montessori school or moving him to virtual learning, but every option didn't seem fair to the fifth-grader looking forward to graduating elementary school. "We wanted him to have all these experiences," she said. Also stuck with difficult choices are school district leaders who face penalties for straying from the states' orders. In Florida, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said the state could withhold funds equal to the salaries of the superintendent and all the members of the school board. That could cost Alachua County schools $300,000 from its budget of about $537 million, superintendent Carlee Simon told The Post. Simon said Saturday she was "very pleased" about the offer of federal support. "We appreciate the fact that the president and the Secretary of Education are willing to get involved and to help protect the students and our families and our community," Simon said. Less than one week into the school year, Simon said that more than 500 children are quarantined due to exposure. More than 100 students and staff members have tested positive in the past two weeks, according to data provided by the school district. Simon said the district has also received intimidating messages from people who oppose masks, including someone who repeatedly called the district office threatening to bring a "militia" to school campuses. The politicization of masks has effectively made running schools much harder, Simon said, fearing a wave of infections following days of transmission in schools. "We know we have people who have positivity rates at home, and we have families who are still choosing to bring their children to school," she said. "When they do that, they're essentially bringing covid into our buildings, and that's putting everyone at risk." Related Content A Colorado county offers glimpse of America's future With stress on officers spiking, New York joins wave of police agencies using therapy dogs The Dixie Fire destroyed this small California town. A week later, its residents remain in limbo. Photo credit: Getty Images One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush has shared the happy news that she is now engaged to her boyfriend, Grant Hughes. The actress revealed the news via a candid photo of the proposal on Instagram, which shows Grant down on one knee and holding Sophia's hands while they enjoy a boat ride in Italy's Lake Como. She has also shared another snap of the couple lying down on the boat, both looking at Sophia's new ring. "So it turns out that being your favorite person's favorite person is the actual best feeling on planet Earth #YES," she captioned the proposal photo. "Thank you to @comoclassicboats and @bottega53 for helping my favorite human plan the most incredible, moving surprise of my life. My heart. It bursts." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Related: One Tree Hill star "embarrassed" by aspect of show She also called Grant her "Forever Favorite", adding that she will "never recover" from seeing the touching photos. Sophia has received an outpouring of congratulatory messages, including from Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul, Scandal's Kerry Washington, Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz and This Is Us actress Mandy Moore. Big Little Lies star Reese Witherspoon commented: "Oh my heart... love this!! Congrats!" while Queer Eye's Tan France who welcomed a baby son with his husband Rob in July wrote: "OH MY GOSH!! I'm so, so happy for you. Huge congrats". This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Sophia is known for her role as Brooke Davis in One Tree Hill, while she also starred in police drama Chicago PD as Erin Lindsay. The actress was previously married to One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray, who played Lucas Scott, between 2005 and 2006, and she recently revealed that she tries not to speak about her relationship with Chad publicly. "I've tried to poke fun at being a dumb kid and whenever I've done that, it gets twisted into I'm talking shit about somebody who I don't even know anymore, who's clearly a grown-up," she said. Story continues "I think you have to laugh at who you used to be, but when people ask me about history that involves someone else... it's not worth my time." In the latest edition of Digital Spy Magazine, we reflect on the 50 most groundbreaking soap characters of all time. Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+. Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox - and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers. You Might Also Like Camp VI at Guantanamo Bay in 2013. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press) The author, a citizen of Yemen, was detained by the U.S. military from 2001 to 2016 without charges, collateral damage of the American "war on terror" that began 20 years ago after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, opened four months after 9/11 and has proved impossible to close. Time slipped away from me. I had been detained at Guantanamo for six years, long enough to know that I wouldnt leave anytime soon. We had no clocks or watches, and we struggled to keep track of the hours, days, weeks even years. My life narrowed to the sight of green walls, the smell of pine cleaner, and the roar of machinery around me. We were suspended in time while the world spun on without us. And then in 2008, something unexpected woke us with wild debates. The hot topic that occupied us all was the American presidential election. We lived in solitary confinement, locked away in our cells almost 24 hours a day. Many of us were on hunger strike again, protesting our endless detention and inhumane treatment. Twice a day, we had force-feedings in the block hallways that kept us alive. If we were lucky, we had one hour in the rec yard, sometimes with another brother in the cage next to us. Every chance we got, we talked about the election. When guards turned off the noisy fans, we called to each other under the doors. We hated the killer George Bush, so we wished the Black guy Barack Obama would win. We didnt have access to TVs or any news, just DNN the Detainee News Network, which was rumors and news we called out to each other from block to block. It wasnt the most efficient or accurate network, but its all we had. Thats how we heard that Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Some of us also liked him because he was African American. Im sorry to say this, but our hearts were not full of warmth for most of the white guards. It wasnt because they were white, but because they were racists and didnt think of us as humans. Generally speaking, Muslims are forbidden from treating people differently based on color or any another reason. But the Americans were really good at their racism and brought it to new heights. They had so many names for us, and it always hurt. They called Black guards and brown guards the same names and worse. Story continues Now when we had a problem with a white guard, we could say something like, Just wait and see. Your next boss is going to be a Black man. Saying this to some of the guards was worse than when brothers would splash them with dirty toilet water. I was on force-feeding one day with several brothers and we went straight to our favorite topic. Personally, I said, I wanted Hillary to win the primary. I was trying to turn up the heat on the conversation. If Obama wins the election, Adnan said to the nurse, Ill stop my hunger strike. We asked some of the guards and other medical staff whom they wanted to win. All of the Black guards supported Obama, and it was clear that a lot of the white guards didnt want him to win. Magid, who was really educated, turned to me and said, If Obama wins the election, it will be one of the most important events in U.S. history. I knew nothing about American history. I didnt know if either of them would change anything. Id wanted Hillary Clinton to win because I liked the idea of a woman president and I thought she would be more reasonable about our situation here. I was very surprised when an older brother told me that he had sent a letter to Obama in 2006 telling him that he would be the next president. This brother had lived in the United States for many years and was very educated in politics. He believed that Obama would win and close the camp. He could do it with one stroke of his pen, Magid said. Its called an executive order. We had many debates about this point. Could it be that easy to close Guantanamo? I had my doubts. It seemed too good to be true. Tensions rose all over the camp the closer we got to the election, until it turned into an election war between us and the camp. The guards and the admin really didnt like Obama. They were afraid of him. Maybe because he was Black. Maybe because his name sounded Muslim. Maybe because if he won, it would be like saying there was something wrong with Guantanamo and that would make the guards and camp staff feel like they had been part of something really bad. For years, guards and camp staff had made our lives miserable. Now it was our turn. We were determined to know who won right away, as soon as the announcement was made on TV. If it was Obama, we wanted to celebrate and make the guards feel worse. We became obsessed with this. We wanted to send a message to the interrogators that no matter how hard they tried to cut us off from the world or from each other, we still got news and could spread it quickly. Some brothers decided they werent going to sleep on election night until they knew who won. San, a Yemeni brother a little older than me, really wanted to make a big party if Obama won. San had gone to Pakistan to get treatment for a head injury and was sold to the CIA. He didnt fight that much with the camp admin. But he had been imprisoned for seven years without any reason and wanted Obama to win and close the camp. He swore that if Obama won, he would wake up the entire camp. On the big night, San stood at his door hunting for any guard he could ask about the election. He finally spotted one of the Black guards coming back from a meal break. Hey! San called out. The guard didnt say a word; he just smiled from east to west and touched his own skin. OBAMA WON! San screamed. ITS THE BLACK HOUSE NOW! He banged and kicked his door and called out to guards. Its the Black House! Its the Black House! Whos your boss now? Its the Black House! He woke everyone up on the block. We all laughed. He was so excited; it was like he had seen his mom dancing down the block. On another block, brothers quizzed a white guard who didnt like Obama. Hey, man! Hamzah called out. How do you like your new boss? The guard shouted, I dont care, man! Hamzah said he looked really upset. Before the big night, San had spread word through DNN that if Obama won, he would get guards to call a Code Yellow. When those high-level emergencies were called on one block, special guards came running from every other block, banging doors, stomping up stairs, making so much noise that everyone in the camp knew what was going on. As soon as San learned about Obamas win, he covered the window of his cell door with a towel. When the guard asked San to take the towel down, he didnt. And when the guard called to him to answer, San stayed silent. This was a big deal. Ever since three brothers had died in their cells, we werent allowed to cover our windows, so that guards could see that we were alive. Code Yellow! the guard called. Code Yellow, Alpha Block! Soon, guards in riot gear came stomping from every block, making so much noise that brothers everywhere woke up. Allahu Akbar! brothers yelled out in celebration. It was chaos. When the guard team gathered at Sans cage to go in, he uncovered the window. I want to talk to the watch commander, San said. And the camp officer! The watch commander came, and so did a medic with the suicide kit. The watch commander refused to call the camp officer, so San covered his window again. In a few minutes, the camp officer was standing in front of Sans cage. Now that you are here, San said, I have a message for the chicken colonel. Please tell him, THERE IS NO MORE WHITE HOUSE! Its the Black House now! San laughed and laughed. He was crazy with laughter. It was after midnight and brothers in every block were talking to guards, either congratulating the Black guards or making fun of the white ones. How did you all know who won? guards asked. Obama called me himself! one brother said. I just came back from the Black House, another said. Many of us simply said, Its classified. But one brother joked, We have a radio. Not even an hour later, dozens of guards stormed into the camp. Day shift, night shift, guards we had never seen before. They came with civilians and cameras and many high-ranking officers. The last time we saw the camp admin send in so many guards and officers was when our three brothers died in 2006. At first, we thought one of our brothers had died. Guards searched every cage in every block in every camp, and we thought we were being punished because Obama had won. That wasnt it. The camp admin was shocked that we seemed to know that Obama had won the election, all at the same time, even before some of the guards. It didnt make sense to them. None of the guards had told us; that would have been a security breach. And they thought it was impossible for us to communicate from block to block and camp to camp so quickly. When our brother had joked that we had a radio, theyd thought he was serious. One thing we had learned about the Americans was that they were really good at overthinking everything. Instead of believing that we were telling the truth all these years about having no connections to terrorism, they believed we were trained in special counter-interrogation techniques. Instead of thinking about how the Code Yellow woke up the entire camp, they believed we had somehow built a radio network. Imagine the logic. It didnt matter that night. The Americans had a new president, and we all wondered if the time had finally come for change. Thirteen years and two presidents later, we now know we were right to question whether Obama could close Guantanamo with the stroke of a pen. He tried. On Jan. 22, 2009, he signed that executive order to close the detention center within a year. But Congress blocked it. Before Obama left office, he released dozens of men. Of the 779 men who have been detained there, about 730 have been transferred out, including me in 2016. I was sent to Serbia. Last month, President Biden resumed Obamas efforts, approving the release of three men, and releasing Abdul Lattif Nasser, held for 19 years. Like me, he was never charged with a crime. Mansoor Adayfi currently lives in Serbia. This article is an adapted excerpt from his book Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo, which will be published Tuesday. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Royal Caribbean cruise. Bruno Vincent/Getty Images At least six passengers who haven't been vaccinated for COVID-19 were not allowed to board their cruise from Seattle to Alaska. All Royal Caribbean passengers departing from all US ports except Florida must be fully vaccinated, the company says. After not sailing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Caribbean's first ship in over a year set sail in June. See more stories on Insider's business page. At least six Royal Caribbean passengers were left on the dock in Seattle, Washington, because they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, KIRO 7 News reported. The barred passengers on the Ovation of the Seas liner to Alaska thought they only needed to show a negative COVID test from within 72 hours, they told KIRO 7. Some passengers, like Marilyn Sylver, had the trip planned for two years. She and the other passengers that were not allowed to board the ship on Friday say Royal Caribbean did not make them feel welcome. "They're not talking like they are going to help us in any kind of way," Sylver told KIRO 7 over the phone. It was reported that she was expecting to be allowed onto the ship with limited access once on board. Royal Caribbean did not respond to Insider's request to comment before publishing. However, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told KIRO 7 that passengers should have known about the policy. According to Royal Caribbean International's vaccine policy that was updated on August 1, all passengers on cruises departing from all US ports except Florida must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus. Younger passengers who are not yet eligible for vaccination must show proof of a negative COVID test. Unvaccinated passengers traveling out of Florida are subject to regular testing and additional health protocols at their own expense, the policy reads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set health guidelines and restrictions for cruise lines to follow in order to set sail more than a year after being sidelined in the US as the coronavirus pandemic raged. Florida officials have claimed the CDC rules are too restrictive and could prevent most cruises from ever hitting the water. In June, Royal Caribbean launched its first cruise ship out of a US port after 15 months. Read the original article on Business Insider Reuters Abbott had argued that state officials did not have time to go through the regular appeals process and allowing local governments to set their own mandate rules would cause confusion, the report added. However, a few republican states clashed with local officials who are resisting their orders banning school mask mandates, to which, the U.S. President Joe Biden reacted by saying on Aug. 12 that wearing masks is not about politics but about keeping children safe. On Aug. 18, Florida's Miami-Dade County School Board had imposed a mask mandate for the district's 360,000 students, as well as staff from Monday, defying the Governor Ron DeSantis' rule of banning local mask mandates. School districts in Texas, Florida, and Arizona are suing over Republican governors bans on mask mandates for students and staff. A coalition of six school districts in Texas's Rio Grande Valley filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing he exceeded his authority in a May order that prohibited local school boards from requiring students and teachers to wear face masks on campuses. It seems to me [that the governor] is trying to use a disaster declaration to prohibit anybody from responding to the disaster which is odd, said Kevin OHanlon, the attorney representing the school districts. NURSES FLEE HOSPITALS FOR HIGH-PAID TRAVEL JOBS AFTER YEAR OF COVID CARE Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss administration faces legal action from parents across several counties over an order issued in late July that forbade school districts from taking away the parents rights to decide whether their children need to mask up in class. Two different suits argue the option for parents to opt out of masking policies renders them useless. They also call the ban unconstitutional because the power to operate and supervise public schools belongs to counties. Several central Florida counties filed a federal lawsuit in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, arguing DeSantiss order discriminates against students with disabilities who are at greater risk of becoming sick due to COVID-19 infection. According to the lawsuit, students with disabilities unable to return to schools in person safely because of continued health concerns, are being excluded from the public school system in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. A separate suit filed by parents in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Orange, Alachua, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties argues DeSantiss prohibition on masking requirements in those hot spot areas violates the rights of students, their family members, public school staff, and the surrounding communities to protect their basic human needs for health and safety. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper took up the case on Friday. Story continues In Arizona, education and nonprofit groups such as the Arizona School Boards Association, Children's Action Alliance Inc., Arizona Education Association, as well as several individuals and lawmakers filed a lawsuit Thursday evening to challenge Republican Gov. Doug Duceys ban on mask mandates in public and charter schools. The lawsuit did not extend to private schools. Parents involved in the suit argued his order unfairly discriminates against Arizonas public and charter school students as compared to their private school peers regarding their right to a safe education, a fundamental right under Arizona law. Other school districts in Arizona that have enacted mask mandates despite Duceys order have had their budgets threatened by state GOP lawmakers who are pressuring the governor to withhold public school funding. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The highly transmissible delta variant has caused alarming spikes in new cases and hospitalizations in the three states, primarily in unvaccinated populations. In Texas, where about 56% of adults have been fully vaccinated, hospitalizations have increased by about 94% over the past two weeks, reaching their highest point since February. Arizona, also with 56% of adults fully vaccinated, saw hospitalizations increase by 57% over the past two weeks. In Florida, where 60% of adults have been fully vaccinated, hospitalizations have exceeded record highs from previous surges to a weekly average of nearly 15,000 patients being treated at a time. More than 71% of adults in the United States overall have received at least one shot to date, and over 61% have been fully vaccinated, federal data shows. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: Healthcare, News, Coronavirus, Public Schools, Charter Schools, Greg Abbott, Ron DeSantis, Doug Ducey, Republicans Original Author: Cassidy Morrison Original Location: School boards fight GOP governors in court over masking bans KABUL, Aghanistan Afghanistan's president fled the country Sunday as the Taliban and its fighters in Kabul reached the brink of taking political power. Twenty years after it toppled the militant regime, the U.S. rushed to leave the country after the losses of thousands of U.S. lives and billions of dollars failed to bring lasting democracy. President Ashraf Ghani's departure and the hurried evacuation of all personnel from the U.S. Embassy followed a lightning-fast Taliban offensive across the country that brought an embarrassing end to the U.S. military presence after two decades. Later, video put out by Al Jazeera appeared to show extraordinary images of armed Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace, lounging in chairs, strolling around with their guns and taking pictures of one another. The fighters give a tour to the Al Jazeera journalist, and at one point one rolls up an Afghan flag in the palace and puts it on a mantelpiece. Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country in Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021. (Zabi Karimi / AP) U.S. officials had clearly not anticipated a possible fall of Kabul this quickly after President Joe Biden announced the full withdrawal of U.S. forces, and they were scrambling both to protect their staff members and to explain the defeat politically. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, confirmed reports that Ghani had left Afghanistan. "He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable," Abdullah, a longtime rival of Ghani's, said in an online video. Ghani's team confirmed his departure to CNBC. In a statement posted to his official Facebook page, Ghani, who said he left Afghanistan to avoid bloodshed, did not specify his location or destination. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics As Afghans from the presidential palace to the frenzied streets fled the militant group's rapid advance, the Taliban prepared to take full control of the country once more. The Taliban ordered their fighters to enter Kabul because they believed police had deserted all their positions, a Taliban spokesman told NBC News, which could not confirm the claims. Story continues The spokesman urged residents of the capital to remain calm. Earlier, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said fighters would "be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed." In a separate statement to NBC News, a Taliban spokesman said those entering Kabul were unarmed on instructions from senior commanders. U.S. forces evacuated all staff members from the city's U.S. Embassy via Kabul's airport after Biden authorized the deployment of 5,000 troops to the country. And the Pentagon is sending an additional 1,000 troops to Kabul to help with the deteriorating security situation, the Department of Defense said on Sunday. The battalion was already headed to Kuwait when it was diverted to Afghanistan. Image: Taliban fighters on a Humvee after entering Kabul on Sunday. (Jim Huylebroek / The New York Times via Redux Pictures) Amid the rapid security deterioration, the French government announced it was relocating its embassy to the Kabul Airport, adding that it remained operation and was working to remove any "compatriots still left in the country." South Korea temporarily shut down its embassy in the country and withdrew most of its "civil servants to third country in the Middle East," their foreign ministry told NBC News. The evacuations come at the end of a rapid U.S. troop withdrawal launched in April and only weeks before the last remaining U.S. forces were due to depart under an Aug. 31 deadline set by Biden. Biden has remained steadfast in spite of the Taliban blitz. A White House official said Sunday that Biden had spoken to members of his national security team "on the situation in Afghanistan" and would continue to get updates throughout the day. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Chuck Todd on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that Biden was focused "first and foremost" on the safety and security of U.S. personnel. He said the U.S. would maintain a core diplomatic presence, and in effect an embassy, at a location at Kabul's airport. "We've been very clear with the Taliban that any effort on their part to interrupt our operations, to attack our forces, to attack our personnel, would be met with a very strong, decisive response," he said. Blinken said the "inability" of the Afghan security forces to defend their country played a "very powerful role" in the rapid Taliban takeover of parts of it. But he said that in terms of the threat posed to the U.S. before Sept. 11, 2001, he thought the U.S. was in a "much better" place. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the militants encircled the Afghan capital as the group surprised Washington, Kabul and even its own fighters with the speed of the campaign. The Taliban advance and the ensuing collapse of the Afghan government have sent large numbers of civilians fleeing their homes, seeking refuge both from the fighting and the prospect that the Islamist regime that ruled the country before 2001 would be reimposed. In Kabul, thousands of people were living in parks and open spaces. Hundreds of people also gathered in front of private banks, trying to withdraw their life savings, while some ATMs stopped distributing money. People walk near a mural of President Ashraf Ghani at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Rahmat Gul / AP) On Sunday, Afghan forces at Bagram Airfield, once a bustling mini-city where more than 100,000 U.S. troops passed through the gates, also surrendered to the Taliban, two U.S. defense officials said. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not officially authorized to comment, the defense officials said Taliban had started to release prisoners from the Parwan Detention Facility, some of whom were hardened Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. The insurgents also captured the eastern city of Jalalabad, giving them control of one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. They took over the nearby Torkham border post with Pakistan, too, leaving Kabul airport as the only way out of Afghanistan still in government hands. The advances came after Mazar-e-Sharif, the country's fourth-largest city, fell Saturday to give the insurgents control over all of northern Afghanistan. Ahmed Mengli reported from Kabul; Mushtaq Yusufzai reported from Peshawar, Pakistan; Rhea Mogul reported from Hong Kong; and Andrea Mitchell and Courtney Kube reported from Washington. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government, officials said, as Afghans and foreigners alike raced for the exit, signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan. The beleaguered central government, meanwhile, hoped for an interim administration, but increasingly had few cards to play. Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated womens rights rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. Helicopters buzzed overhead as part of an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Several other Western missions were also preparing to get staff out. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure. Instead, the Taliban swiftly defeated, co-opted, or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military. On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but apparently remained outside of the citys downtown. Sporadic gunfire echoed at times though the streets were largely quiet. Workers fled government offices, and smoke rose over the city as embassy staff burned important documents. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatars Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city. He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government. But when pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government. Story continues Taliban negotiators headed to the presidential palace Sunday to discuss the transfer, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, an official said. Abdullah long has been a vocal critic of President Ashraf Ghani, who long refused giving up power to get a deal with the Taliban. The president appeared increasingly isolated. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him without a military option. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them as tense. Acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan sought to reassure the public that Kabul would remain secure. The insurgents also tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldnt enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses. They also said theyd offer an amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. No ones life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk, the insurgents said in a statement. But they also warned no one to enter the area around the capital. Despite the pledges, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing. Rapid shuttle flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began a few hours after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad which had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands. The U.S. decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel, and an official said Sunday that American diplomats were being moved from the embassy to the airport. The official, who was not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity, said military helicopters are shuttling between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions. Meanwhile, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassys roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. The smoke grew heavier over time in the area, home to other nations embassies as well. At Kabul International Airport, Afghan forces abandoned the field to Western militaries, said a pilot who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters. Earlier in the day, militants posted photos online showing them in the governors office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. Abrarullah Murad, a lawmaker from the province told The Associated Press that the insurgents seized the city after elders negotiated the fall of the government there. Murad said there was no fighting as the city surrendered. The militants also took Maidan Shar, the capital of Maidan Wardak, on Sunday, Afghan lawmaker Hamida Akbari and the Taliban said. Another provincial capital in Khost also fell to the insurgents, said a provincial council member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Afghan officials said the capitals of Kapisa and Parwan provinces also fell. The militants also took the land border at Torkham, the last not in their control, on Sunday. Pakistans Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there after the militants seized it. Later, Afghan forces at Bagram air base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News Original Author: Associated Press Original Location: Taliban storms Kabul, demands unconditional surrender of government; US scrambles to pull out embassy workers Most Americans blame President Donald Trump for the Capitol siege, with less than one-fifth saying he's blameless for the violence, according to a new Insider poll. Mandel Ngan/Getty Images A federal judge in Texas ordered the reversal of a key immigration policy. The judge ordered the Biden administration to revert back to Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy. This ruling won't take effect for another week, giving the Biden administration time to appeal. See more stories on Insider's business page. A federal judge in Texas appointed by former President Donald Trump has ordered the Biden administration t0 revert back to the controversial "remain in Mexico" immigration policy. The policy requires those seeking asylum to go through the process of their immigration cases in Mexico before coming into the US, rather than being admitted safe entry before their case is heard. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed by Trump in 2019, said the Biden administration needs to keep enforcing the Trump policy until it is "lawfully rescinded," according to CBS News. That means Congress would have to act rather than letting the president shift course through executive action alone. Kacsmaryk's ruling from last Friday won't take effect for a full week afterward, giving the Biden administration time to appeal it. Deportees walk across a U.S.-Mexico border bridge from Texas into Mexico on February 25, 2021 in Matamoros, Mexico. John Moore/Getty Images The decision came as the result of a lawsuit from Texas and Missouri, with Kascmaryk finding the two states suffered damages from the ruling's reversal. Those applying for asylum, Kacsmaryk argued, will use state resources such as schools and health care services. A human rights nonprofit found in December 2020 that over 1,300 asylum seekers were assaulted while waiting in Mexico, echoing the Biden administration's concerns over safety for those fleeing persecution and other dangerous circumstances that led them to flee their home countries. The Biden administration has still been deporting people and turning some migrants away at the border under the Trump administration's Title 42, which justifies the expulsions for public health reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned of a "lack of stable access to housing, income, and safety" for asylum seekers when he reversed the "remain in Mexico" policy back in June. Read the original article on Business Insider British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Sunday to hold further crisis talks on Afghanistan, his office said, as he recalled parliament from its summer break. A Downing Street spokesperson said Johnson had called a meeting of the COBR emergencies committee to discuss the situation, which follows the withdrawal of US-led forces, the second such meeting in three days. Parliament on Sunday said it had approved Johnson's request to call back MPs on Wednesday for urgent debate on what Britain, which lost 457 troops in the two-decade long war, should do next. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday he had talked to Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, expressing his "deep concerns" and agreeing it was "critical" that the international community tell the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights be protected. Taliban fighters were on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday and on the brink of a complete military takeover of Afghanistan, leading to British politicians to call for a last-ditch intervention. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, urged Johnson to "think again" about stepping in. "We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state," he told Times Radio. "Just because the Americans won't, does not mean to say that we should be tied to the thinking, the political judgement -- particularly when it is so wrong -- of our closest security ally. "We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in," he warned. Ellwood said the government could deploy the Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group to provide air support. He called the crisis "the biggest single policy disaster since Suez". - 'Deeply shocking' - Johnson vowed on Friday that Britain will not "turn our backs" on Afghanistan, even as he confirmed the imminent withdrawal of most embassy staff in the face of a rapid Taliban onslaught. Story continues However, he said that those calling for an intervention "have got to be realistic about the power of the UK or any power to impose a military solution -- a combat solution -- in Afghanistan". With the Islamists seizing control of more Afghan cities, Britain is deploying around 600 troops to help evacuate its roughly 3,000 nationals from the country, and Johnson said the "vast bulk" of remaining embassy staff in Kabul would return to the UK. The Foreign Office said on Sunday that Britain had "temporarily suspended most operations" at its embassy in Kabul and was doing "all we can to enable remaining British nationals, and those Afghans who have worked for us and who are eligible for relocation, to leave Afghanistan". Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer backed the move to recall parliament, saying in a statement: "The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour. "The government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses, which let's be clear will have ramifications for us here in the UK. "We need parliament recalled so the government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists." Most of the remaining British troops assigned to the NATO mission in Afghanistan left last month, according to Johnson. As well as the fallen troops, the conflict has cost Britain around 40 billion ($55 billion, 46.7 billion euros). In 2014, the British mission in Afghanistan, centred on the restive southern province of Helmand, shifted from a combat operation to one focused on supporting Afghan national forces, with the help of around 750 troops. jwp/pbr The NFL rules for roster cuts are a bit different in 2021. Every NFL team must trim their roster from 90 players to 85 after the first preseason game. The Washington Football Team cut the following three players on Sunday: wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, running back Lamar Miller and defensive back Chris Miller. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Only Harmon was a bit of a surprise. And, his release really isnt a surprise. I havent included Harmon on any of my 53-man roster projections all summer. A former sixth-round pick from N.C. State in 2019, Harmon caught 30 passes for 365 yards as a rookie. He played in all 16 games. Unfortunately for Harmon, he suffered a torn ACL last summer and missed the 2020 season and a chance to impress head coach Ron Rivera and the new coaching staff. The release of Harmon shows how much depth Washington has at wide receiver now. There will be other players cut who can play, which is a good problem to have. The competition at wide receiver is stiff right now with DeAndre Carter, Antonio Gandy-Golden, Steven Sims Jr. and Dax Milne battling it out for what is likely one roster spot. Lamar Miller is a 30-year-old running back who signed with Washington late in the season in 2020. A former Pro Bowler with the Texans, Miller was never making Washingtons roster in 2021, barring injuries. Chris Miller was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals in May. After releasing three players, Washington is down to 87 players. Defensive end David Badas roster spot doesnt count against the 90-man roster as he is in the International Pathway program. People in Japan are observing a solemn 76th anniversary on Sunday. On August 15th, 1945, a statement from Emperor Showa was broadcast on the radio, announcing that the country had surrendered in World War Two. Every year, Japan's government organizes a ceremony in Tokyo to remember approximately 3.1 million people who died in the war. Before the coronavirus pandemic, around 6,000 participants would be present. Last year, it was scaled down significantly to about 540 people. This year it will be even smaller, as infections continue to spread across Japan. Under 200 people are expected to participate. Many prefectures have decided not to send representatives to Tokyo. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide will deliver a speech before the participants observe a minute of silence at the stroke of noon. Emperor Naruhito will then make an address. As Japan commemorates the end of the war, there is a shrinking number of people alive who experienced it. Around three quarters of the relatives of the war dead who will attend the ceremony are over the age of 70. Throughout the day, events to remember the lives lost in the war and reflect on peace will be held across Japan. A Japanese jazz pianist who was badly injured during an attack at a subway station in New York last year has made a comeback in a famed jazz club in the city. Unno Tadataka suffered a broken right shoulder after he was beaten up by a group of eight people in September. The incident occurred at a time when a series of hate crimes against Asian people were reported in the US city. Unno underwent rehabilitation in Japan before returning to New York where he gave his first performance since the attack at the Blue Note Jazz Club on Friday. Unno still has limited movement of his shoulder and is waiting to undergo a second surgery. But he looked happy during his performance, and his injury didn't appear to have affected his playing . After the show, Unno said he felt grateful to be able to play music again with his fellow musicians. He said he was filled with emotion, being back on stage. A Japanese woman who lives in New York said she clearly remembers the incident and that she is glad to see the performer make a comeback. She said Unno's performance was so good that people who didn't know about the attack would be unaware that he had been assaulted. Hate crimes targeting Asians have been on the rise across the United States. - NHK Japan will never wage war again, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Sunday (Aug 15), as he commemorated the end of World War II while members of his cabinet visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of the country's past militarism. Nearly eight decades since the end of the war, the conflict remains a source of tension between Japan and its neighbours, particularly China and North and South Korea, with the Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo a focal point for the strain. "Since the end of the war, Japan has consistently walked the path of a country that values peace," Suga said in a speech at a memorial ceremony in Tokyo. "We must never again repeat the devastation of war. We will continue to remain committed to this conviction." His comments were little changed from those of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, at last year's ceremony. Emperor Naruhito again expressed "deep remorse" for Japan's wartime past, something Suga did not mention. Earlier on Sunday, members of Suga's cabinet, as well as Abe, visited Yasukuni, gestures likely to anger China and both Koreas. Suga did not visit but sent a ritual offering through his secretary, the Sankei newspaper said. A representative for Yasukuni declined to comment on whether the prime minister had sent an offering. No one was immediately available for comment at Suga's office outside regular working hours. Yasukuni honours Japan's war dead, including 14 World War II leaders convicted as "Class A" war criminals, making it a flashpoint for tension. Koreans still chafe over Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, while the Chinese continue to resent Japan's invasion and brutal occupation of parts of China from 1931 to 1945. Many Japanese pay respects to relatives at the shrine and conservatives say leaders should be able to commemorate the war dead. China and the two Koreas, however, have voiced objection given that war criminals are included among those honoured at Yasukuni. The shrine saw a constant stream of visitors from early morning, including families with children and people in military uniform, in the face of persistent rain and a recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Tokyo. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Sacred Heart church is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere's poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down. Haiti's civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country's south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals. Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response. "The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," said Henry. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people." People recover the body of Jean Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes, from the rubble of the Hotel Le Manguier destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo / Ralph Tedy Erol He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity. "The needs are enormous. We must take care of the injured and fractured, but also provide food, aid, temporary shelter and psychological support," he said. Later, as he boarded a plane bound for Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted "structured solidarity" to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after as many as 300,000 were killed. U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the U.S effort to help Haiti. USAID will help to assess damage and assist in rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a "close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti." An aerial view of the Hotel Le Manguier destroyed by an earthquake, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port -au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo / Ralph Tedy Erol A growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said. Among those killed in the earthquake was Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes. He died along with several others when his hotel, Le Manguier, collapsed, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. Philippe Boutin, 37, who lives in Puerto Rico but visits his family annually in Les Cayes, said his mother was saying morning prayers when the shaking began, but was able to leave the house. The earthquake, he said, coincided with the festivities to celebrate the town's patron saint, adding that the hotel likely was full and the small town had more people than usual. Several men work to rescue the body of a girl buried in the rubble of a house in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo / Duples Plymouth "We still don't know how many people are under the rubble," he said. On the tiny island of Ile-a-Vache, about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) from Les Cayes, the quake damaged a seaside resort popular with Haitian officials, business leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. Fernand Sajous, owner of the Abaka Bay Resort, said by telephone that nine of the hotel's 30 rooms collapsed, but he said they were vacant at the time and no one was injured. "They disappearedjust like that," Sajous said. People in Les Cayes tried to pull guests from the rubble of a collapsed hotel, but as the sun set, they had only been able to recover the body of a 7-year-old girl whose home was behind the facility. "I have eight kids, and I was looking for the last one," Jean-Claude Daniel said through tears. "I will never see her again alive. The earthquake destroyed my life. It took a child away from me." A woman stands in front of a destroyed home in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo/Duples Plymouth The reports of overwhelmed hospitals come as Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a lack of resources to deal with it. Just last month, the country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Richard Herve Fourcand, a former Haitian senator, rented a private plane to move injured people from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince for medical assistance. He told The Associated Press that Les Cayes' hospital was at capacity. The earthquake also struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was killed, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: "Let's put our shoulders together to bring solidarity." Rescue efforts were hampered by a landslide triggered by the quake that blocked a major road connecting the hard-hit towns of Jeremie and Les Cayes, according to Haiti's civil protection agency. People stand outside the residence of the Catholic bishop after it was damaged by an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean Agency director Jerry Chandler told reporters that a partial count of structural damage included at least 860 destroyed homes and more than 700 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also affected. The National Hurricane Center has forecast that Tropical Storm Grace will reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday. "This is likely to make matters worse since the country is on the verge of suffering the effects of two disasters in quick succession, a magnitude 7 earthquake and a looming storm," Chandler said. Humanitarian workers said gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital, also was complicating relief efforts. "Nobody can travel through the area," Ndiaga Seck, a UNICEF spokesman in Port-au-Prince, said by phone. "We can only fly over or take another route." The back side of the residence of the Catholic bishop is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean Seck said information about deaths and damage was slow coming to Port-au-Prince because of spotty internet service, but UNICEF planned to send medical supplies to two hospitals in the south, in Les Cayes and Jeremie. People in Port-au-Prince felt the tremor and many rushed into the streets in fear, although there did not appear to be damage there. Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. "I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street," Verneus said. Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS, said aftershocks likely would continue for weeks or months, with the largest so far registering magnitude 5.2. Petit Pas Hotel is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean Sacred Heart church is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean A truck is covered by parts of a wall that fell on it during an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean People stand in front of recovered bodies, partially covered, in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo/Duples Plymouth People stand around the body of a person partially covered in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo/Duples Plymouth The residence of the Catholic bishop is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Delot Jean A man helps to carry a person rescued from the rubble in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo/Duples Plymouth A woman holds up her arms as she walks past a church in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. Credit: AP Photo/Duples Plymouth The impoverished country, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 that killed more than a dozen people, and a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake that damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. By Saturday night, the island had experienced four aftershocks stronger than 5.0 and nine above 4.0. Claude Prepetit, a Haitian civil engineer and geologist, warned of the danger from cracked structures. "More or less intensive aftershocks are to be expected for a month," he said, cautioning that some buildings, "badly damaged during the earthquake, can collapse during aftershocks.." 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Images from Saga prefecture showed aviation rescue teams winching people to safety. Japan braced for further downpours on Sunday as rescuers sifted through flood and landslide damage after record rain that left at least six dead. Residents returned to check on their mud-covered homes in the country's southwest, where nearly two million people were urged to seek shelter on Saturday as dozens of rivers overflowed. Showers eased in the hard-hit region on Sunday, with the weather agency downgrading alerts from the top level, but more rain was expected from the evening. "It is still possible that extreme, severe rain will continue in many areas across the nation," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at an emergency cabinet meeting. "Because it has been raining so much, ground soil in many areas is becoming looser, and large-scale disasters could happen at any time," he said, advising residents to exercise caution and stay in shelters. Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere, because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. The Japan Meteorological Agency has called the recent rainfall levels "unprecedented". Just over one metre (three feet) of rain was seen over four days in Ureshino, a town in Saga prefecture. The same town recorded 3.3 metres of rain in the whole of 2020, and 2.3 metres in 2019. More than a metre of rain has been recorded since Wednesday in the northern part of Kyushu. Two women in their 70s were confirmed dead after they were found in a drainage canal, Hironori Fujiki, a Saikai city official in Nagasaki prefecture, told AFP. It came after a 59-year-old woman died in a landslide that swept away her house in Unzen, Nagasaki, on Friday. Rescue workers were still combing the wreckage for two of her family members. Landslide warnings have been issued in 372 municipalities across Japan after 44 were detecteda quarter of them in Nagasakithe land ministry said. In the Nagano region of central Japan, a 41-year-old woman and her two sons, aged 12 and 7, died in a landslide, a local official told AFP. An elderly resident of Kanzaki in Saga told public broadcaster NHK about a landslide she witnessed that had no casualties. "So many logs tumbled down and crashed into this area" from nearby mountains, she said. "It was so, so scary... you absolutely have to leave when it rains." Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere. Showers had eased in the region on Sunday morning. Strong rain last month caused a devastating wave of landslides in the central resort town of Atami that killed 23 people, with four still missing. And in 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in western Japan during the country's annual rainy season. Explore further Tens of thousands urged to evacuate as heavy rain hits Japan 2021 AFP Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Le garcon est accuse d'avoir urine sur le tapis d'une ecole coranique A la suite de la liberation du jeune garcon, un temple hindou a ete attaque par une foule musulmane et sa famille a du fuir. La semaine derniere, un garcon hindou de 8 ans a ete place en detention preventive par la police pakistanaise, devenant la plus jeune personne du pays inculpee pour blaspheme, relate The Guardian. Bien qu'il ait ete relache, l'histoire ne s'arrete pas la. Dans ce pays ou la population est majoritairement musulmane, peu d'executions pour ce motif ont eu lieu depuis que la peine de mort a ete instauree en 1986. Mais cela n'a pas empeche tous les suspects d'etre attaques voire tues par d'autres communautes. Des lois utilisees de maniere disproportionnee Accuse d'avoir intentionnellement urine sur un tapis de la bibliotheque d'une madrassa (ecole coranique), l'enfant a ete accuse de blaspheme et encourait donc la peine de mort. Lorsqu'il a finalement ete libere sous caution au bout d'une semaine, il a du fuir son domicile avec sa famille et se cacher a la suite d'une attaque contre sa communaute. Dans ce quartier conservateur du Pendjab, situe a l'Est du Pakistan, une foule musulmane a decide de se venger en s'en prenant au temple hindou de la ville de Bhong. Une cinquantaine de personnes ont endommage les statues du temple, incendie la porte principale et temporairement bloque une route a proximite. Le gouvernement pakistanais a tout de suite deploye des troupes paramilitaires pour calmer les agitations du quartier de Rahim Yar Khan et un responsable de la police du Pendjab a promis des arrestations rapides. Il a aussi ajoute que des troupes gardaient desormais le temple et que la securite avait ete assuree a la communaute hindoue. S'exprimant depuis un lieu tenu secret, un membre de la famille du garcon a declare au Guardian: Il [le garcon] n'est meme pas au courant de ces histoires de blaspheme. Il ne comprend toujours pas quel a ete son crime, ni pourquoi il a ete garde en prison pendant une semaine. Toute notre communaute a peur et nous craignons d'autres reactions de vengeance. Nous ne voulons pas revenir dans cette region. Par le passe, les lois sur le blaspheme ont toujours ete utilisees de maniere disproportionnee contre les minorites religieuses du Pakistan. Mais ces accusations deposees contre un enfant ont vraiment choque les experts juridiques, qui disent que cette decision est sans precedent. Personne d'aussi jeune n'avait jamais ete accuse de blaspheme au Pakistan auparavant. Kapil Dev, un militant des droits humains, a declare: Je demande que les charges retenues contre cet enfant soient immediatement abandonnees et j'exhorte le gouvernement a assurer la securite de la famille et des personnes obligees de fuir. Quant au Premier ministre pakistanais, il a condamne sur Twitter l'attaque du temple et a promis qu'il serait restaure. L'affaire a meme depasse les frontieres puisqu'en Inde, le ministere des Affaires etrangeres a exige la securite des familles hindoues vivant au Pakistan. The Netherlands was forced to U-turn on its COVID unlocking, including the reopening of nightclubs, after a huge surge of coronavirus infections. (Reuters) The Netherlands has seen an absolutely unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases following the governments decision to lift most restrictions last month. According to Oxford Universitys Our World in Data website, the country has suffered a 769% biweekly growth in infections. Edouard Mathieu, head of data at the organisation, said: The current growth rate of confirmed cases in the Netherlands is absolutely unprecedented in this pandemic. On 26 June, the Netherlands lifted most restrictions, allowing almost everything with 1.5-metre distancing. As part of this, nightclubs were also allowed to reopen without social distancing, as long as revellers had a COVID entry pass proving vaccination or test status. What followed, though, was a huge surge in daily cases, as demonstrated by the following chart. Daily COVID cases surged in the Netherlands after restrictions were lifted on 26 June. Such was the countrys apparent calm around the COVID situation, the i newspaper reported appointments at a vaccine site in Amsterdam were cancelled because two music festivals were being held at the site. The subsequent rise in cases, though, forced an astonishing U-turn from the government On 10 July, exactly 14 days after most rules were lifted, restrictions were reimposed. In a government press release beginning with the words no choice, it was announced nightclubs must close again, while the COVID entry pass system which had also removed the need for social distancing in bars and restaurants was also suspended until next month. 'Poor judgement, I'm sorry' Dutch PM Prime minister Mark Rutte apologised for the U-turn on Monday and even admitted poor judgement. "What we thought would be possible, turned out not to be possible in practice," he told reporters. We had poor judgement, which we regret and for which we apologise." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologised for lifting restrictions too early. (Getty) On Wednesday, with cases continuing to surge, Rutte took the restrictions further and reintroduced work-from-home guidelines. On Thursday, according to the Worldometers website, 10,976 cases were recorded in the Netherlands, the highest in a day since 25 December last year. Story continues While the countrys COVID death rate is extremely low three were recorded on Thursday the government said we cannot discount the possibility that hospital admissions will again increase in the weeks ahead. What can England learn from this? Ministers confirmed earlier this week that they will end England's lockdown and drop virtually all legal mitigations against the virus on Monday. There is a key difference, however, between the pattern of case rates in both countries. The chart below shows how infections were falling when the Netherlands reopened on 26 June at "step 4" of its road map. Seven-day case rates in the Netherlands set against each stage of its unlocking road map. In England, however, case rates are surging even before all restrictions are lifted on Monday. Seven-day case rates in England. In terms of vaccinations, England has double jabbed a higher proportion of its total population at 52.5%, though the Netherlands is not massively far behind at 43.3%. Given what happened in the Netherlands after reopening, it's no wonder Professor Chris Whitty, the UK's most prominent COVID scientist, has warned the number of people in hospital with the virus could reach quite scary levels within weeks. On Thursday, England's chief medical officer said the nation is not out of the woods yet, just hours after Boris Johnson declared it was highly probable the worst of the pandemic is over. Watch: Whitty coronavirus warning We could get into trouble again surprisingly fast Read more: The European country that has recorded just one COVID death this year Prof Whitty said at a webinar hosted by the Science Museum: I dont think we should underestimate the fact that we could get into trouble again surprisingly fast. He added: This has got a long way to run in the UK, and its got even further to run globally. Last week, however, Prof Whitty also said he had quite a strong view lifting lockdown in the summer has advantages over autumn. He said autumn will be when schools are going back and when were heading into the winter period when the NHS tends to be under greatest pressure for many other reasons. International experts have even said Johnson's plan to unlock on Monday is a threat to the wider world as it could provide a fertile breeding ground for vaccine-resistant variants of the virus. Prof Michael Baker, a member of the New Zealand Ministry of Health's pandemic influenza technical advisory group, said he was shocked by Johnson's strategy to exit the pandemic. Boris Johnson is ending England's lockdown on Monday. (David Rose/pool) Read more: NHS boss warns patients going untreated as COVID app forcing so many medics into isolation In New Zealand we have always looked to the UK for leadership when it comes to scientific expertise, which is why its so remarkable that it is not following even basic public health principles", he was quoted by The Guardian as saying. Prof Christina Pagel, director of the clinical operational research unit at University College London, said: Because of our position as a global travel hub, any variant that becomes dominant in the UK will likely spread to the rest of the globe. The UK policy doesnt just affect us. It affects everybody and everybody has a stake in what we do. However, some experts have supported the government's move. Prof Neil Ferguson, the scientist whose modelling convinced the PM to impose the first lockdown in March last year, said last week that lifting lockdown, while a "gamble", is "justifiable". He said he is "reasonably optimistic, but policy will have to remain flexible". Johnson said on Thursday: "With every day that goes by we build higher the wall of vaccine acquired immunity. Watch: PM denies accusations of ambiguity over mask wearing Thousands of protesters in cars and on bikes massed in Bangkok's central shopping district Sunday, one of several mobile rallies across Thailand demanding Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha resign over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. By nightfall, some protesters clashed with authorities, shooting fireworks and flinging projectiles to defend against riot police, who had deployed rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. The use of such weapons by police has become increasingly frequent during anti-government protests, which have intensified as the kingdom grapples with its worst outbreak so far. Overburdened hospitals and a sluggish vaccine roll-out -- coupled with financial woes from weeks-long restrictions on businesses -- have fanned anger at Prayut's administration. Sparked by concerns about public gatherings spreading the virus, protesters have in recent weeks turned to organising massive car convoys at major intersections -- thus clogging up Bangkok's already traffic-choked streets. Thousands turned up Sunday afternoon for at least three rallies across the Thai capital -- with the largest near Bangkok's gleaming shopping malls, empty in recent weeks. "The time is up for Prayut. The government has shown clearly they will not take responsibility for any loss," shouted Nattawut Saikuar, a politician long associated with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Protesters -- who were joined by saffron-robed monks and an LGBTQ contingent carrying rainbow-coloured umbrellas -- flashed the three-finger salute of resistance. Cargo containers stacked on top of each other blocked the road to Prayut's residence. Police stationed on an elevated tollway deployed rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon against protesters who set off firecrackers and fired marbles from slingshots, deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said. "So far, three people were arrested in connection with this violence and police managed to seize a pistol, ammunitions and a knife from them," he said, adding one police officer was injured. Story continues By 9:00 pm (1400 GMT), protesters were still at Din Daeng intersection, the site of several clashes earlier this week, defying a city-wide coronavirus curfew. Earlier in the day, more so-called "car mobs" also rallied in the beach city of Pattaya, as well as in the northern cultural hub of Chiang Mai. - Only use force when 'necessary' - Sunday's protests come after a week of confrontations between demonstrators and police, who have increasingly used rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas to quell the rallies. At least three protesters were injured Friday, but authorities have consistently defended their use of force as appropriate. "We only use it (force) when it is necessary," National Police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk said Sunday before the rallies kicked off, adding more than 130 people had been arrested but most were released on bail. The anti-government movement first gained momentum last July. At its peak, it drew tens of thousands to street rallies, demanding the resignation of Prayut -- a former army chief who came to power via a 2014 coup. But attendance waned this year, as the public stayed away due to Covid-19 fears. tp-dhc/sst Update, Aug. 15, 2021, at 10:40 p.m.: Afghans woke up Monday to a new reality as the Taliban declared victory, saying the war in Afghanistan had ended after insurgents took over the presidential palace in Kabul. It was the result of a fast-moving day in which the Afghan capital fell without a fight and the United States and other Western countries struggled to get their citizens out as quickly as possible. The collapse of the Afghan government was all but a done deal from early in the day, when President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years, Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Talibans political office, told Al Jazeera. Thanks to God, the war is over in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The Taliban said there would be negotiations to set up an open, inclusive Islamic government. Earlier, the Taliban appeared intent to announce the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which was the formal name of the country when it was under Taliban rule before the U.S. invasion. But that seemed to be postponed, at least for now, as Taliban leaders insisted they did not want to be cut off from the world. It was unclear who was responsible for the Talibans side of negotiations and when the transfer of power would take place. As the U.S. struggled to put order to a chaotic withdrawal that included packing up the embassy, the Pentagon authorized an additional 1,000 troops to aid in the evacuation effort. That means there will be a total of 6,000 U.S. troops at Kabul International Airport. The United States will be taking over air traffic control and security at the Kabul airport in order to aid the effort to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghans over the next few days. For now the evacuations appear slow, but U.S. officials assured they would speed up once all the troops arrived. Advertisement Original post at 10:27 a.m.: Its happening. Last week, U.S. intelligence estimates had predicted the Afghan government could hold on to Kabul for at least three months. That proved to be yet another mistaken analysis of the situation on the ground, as it only seemed to be a matter of hours before the Taliban will take control of Afghanistan. Amid the chaos, Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, left the country for Tajikistan, the most evident sign yet that the U.S.-backed government was collapsing after two decades of war. Advertisement Ghani left the country shortly after Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Sunday morning through the citys four main gates and were not met with any resistance. The Taliban at first said fighters were instructed not to push into the city with force and instead were carrying out negotiations. Later, though, the Taliban said its fighters would enter the city to respond to a law and order issue amid reports of looting as security forces abandoned their posts. A Taliban spokesman told Al Jazeera the insurgents are awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city. Taliban fighters entered Kabul shortly after they captured the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight. It was the last major city besides Kabul to still be under the governments control. Advertisement The Afghanistan government seemed to be hopeful at first that it would be able to set up a transition administration, but as time went on, the U.S.-backed officials seemed to have little in the way of negotiating power. And while the Taliban talked of negotiations, the spokesman acknowledged they wanted an unconditional surrender of the central government. As the fighters entered Kabul, helicopters were seen evacuating personnel from the U.S. Embassy, where smoke was clearly visible as staff rushed to destroy sensitive documents. The embassy will close once all personnel are removed, according to NBC News, which reported ongoing intense negotiations with the Taliban for safe passage. A small group of diplomats continued working from the Kabul airport, which NATO is helping to secure. The airport was filled with people, many of them wearing special bracelets that designated they were eligible to fly out. Advertisement Advertisement Outside the airport, millions of Afghans rushed around in a city that was suddenly engulfed by chaos as they tried to withdraw all their money from banks and braced for the inevitable Taliban takeover. Many shops closed their doors and traffic was at a standstill as rumors spread about what could happen next. The Taliban tried to reassure citizens that fighters would not enter peoples homes and vowed an amnesty for those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign troops. No ones life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk, the Taliban said in a statement. The Taliban also tried to paint themselves with a more modern face, insisting that they would protect the rights of women as well as press freedoms. But there were already early reports that insurgents were tearing down ad billboards that featured women. The four-year-old Captaintreacherous mare Marloe Hanover smoked the Georgian Downs surface in the $13,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Pace to pace a track- and Canadian-record mile on Saturday (Aug. 14). Driver Paul MacKenzie sent the Dr. Ian Moore trainee to the lead with Saulsbrook Jessie sitting second to a :27.2 opening quarter. Marloe Hanover led the field, scratched to a quartet, to a :55 half and continued to bottom out her competition with a swift clip. She clicked three-quarters in 1:22.4 and kept rolling into the stretch to win by 7-3/4 lengths in a time of 1:50.1, eclipsing the previous track and Canadian record for an aged pacing mare of 1:50.3 set by Dreamfair Eternal in 2011 and equaled by Camille in 2012. Owned by Let It Ride Stables Inc. and JL Benson Stables Inc., Marloe Hanover won her seventh race from 20 starts this season and her 15th from 54 overall, earning $557,885. She paid $2.10 to win. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Georgian Downs. (Adds details throughout) By Jonathan Stempel Aug 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. trade judge ruled on Friday that Alphabet Inc's Google infringed five patents belonging to Sonos Inc that concern smart speakers and related technology, a decision that could lead to an import ban. The brief ruling from Charles Bullock, the chief administrative law judge of the U.S. International Trade Commission, did not explain why Google's sale of the products violated a 1930 federal tariff law, commonly known as Smoot-Hawley, designed to prevent unfair competition. Sonos has been trying to block Google from importing Home smart speakers, Pixel phones and other products from China. Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sonos said it was pleased with the preliminary ruling, which it said "confirmed Google's blatant infringement" and furthered its efforts to defend its technology against alleged misappropriation by larger rivals. Shares of Sonos were up 11.4% in after-hours trading. Friday's ruling is subject to review by the full ITC, scheduled for Dec. 13 according to the commission's website. The ITC case is part of an array of litigation between the two companies, including cases in California, Texas, France, Germany and the Netherlands, according to regulatory filings. Google has said Sonos repeatedly sought help during their years of partnership, and it eventually integrated Sonos products into its Play Music service and Google Assistant software. Some Sonos speakers have used voice assistance technology from Google and Amazon.com Inc. Google's own Nest smart speakers include Google Assistant technology. Sonos is based in Santa Barbara, California, and Alphabet in Mountain View, California. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis) Large tech platforms have expanded during the pandemic, attracting heightened antitrust scrutiny, which has had little apparent effect on their share prices. Pressure is rising on Big Tech firms, signaling tougher regulation in Washington and elsewhere that could lead to the breakup of the largest platforms. But you'd hardly know by looking at their share prices. Shares in Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet have hovered near record highs in recent weeks, lifted by pandemic-fueled surges in sales and profits that have helped the big firms extend their dominance of key economic sectors. The Biden administration has given signs of more aggressive regulation with appointments of Big Tech critics at the Federal Trade Commission. But that has failed to dent the momentum of the largest tech firms, despite tough talk and antitrust litigation in the United States and Europe, with US lawmakers eyeing moves to make antitrust enforcement easier. Big Tech critics in the United States and the EU want Apple and Google to loosen the grip of their online app marketplaces; more competition in a digital advertising market dominated by Google and Facebook; and better access to Amazon's e-commerce platform by third-party sellers. One lawsuit tossed out by a judge but in the process of being refiled could force Facebook to spin off its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, and some activists and lawmakers are pressing for breakups of the four tech giants. All four have hit market valuations above $1 trillion, with Apple over $2 trillion. Alphabet shares are up some 80 percent from a year ago, with Facebook up nearly 40 percent and Apple almost 30 percent. Amazon shares are roughly on par with last year's level after breaking records in July. Microsoft, with a $2 trillion valuation, has largely escaped antitrust scrutiny, even as it has benefitted from the cloud computing trend. The surging growth has stoked complaints that the strongest firms are extending their dominance and squeezing out rivals. Yet analysts say any aggressive actions, in the legal or legislative arena, could take years to play out and face challenges. Lina Khan, the newly installed chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has pledged more aggressive antitrust action against large tech platforms. Fast-moving environment "Breakup is going to be nearly impossible," said analyst Daniel Newman at Futurum Research, citing the need for controversial legislative changes to antitrust laws. Newman said a more likely outcome would be multibillion-dollar fines that the companies could easily absorb as they adjust their business models to adapt to problematic issues in a fast-moving environment. "These companies have more resources and know-how than the regulators," he said. Dan Ives at Wedbush Securities said any antitrust action would likely require legislative changeunlikely with a divided Congress. "Until investors start to see some consensus on where the regulatory and law changes go from an antitrust perspective, it's a contained risk, and they see a green light to buy tech," he said. Other factors supporting Big Tech include a massive shift to cloud computing and online activities that allow the strongest players to benefit, and a crackdown in China on its large technology firms. "The China regulatory crackdown has been so massive in scale and scope, it has driven investors from Chinese tech to US tech," Ives said. "Even though there is regulatory risk in the US, it pales in comparison to the crackdown we're seeing from Beijing." Analysts say the big tech firms are also well-positioned to deal with tougher regulations. Tracy Li of the investment firm Capital Group, in a recent blog post that the tech giants face major risks in regulation around privacy, content moderation and antitrust. Apple's market value has risen above $2 trillion despite pressure to loosen its grip on its increasingly important App Store. "Concerns related to privacy or content may actually strengthen, rather than weaken, the moats of the largest platforms," Li said. "These companies often boast well-established protocols and have more resources to tackle privacy and legal matters." Facebook 'gold mine' Other analysts point to the swift movement by tech firms to adapt their business models in contrast to the slow efforts to regulate. Facebook, for example, is adapting to changing conditions by moving into the "Metaverse" of virtual and augmented reality experiences, noted Ali Mogharabi at Morningstar. Mogharabi said Facebook's vast data collected from its 2.5 billion users gives it the ability to withstand a regulatory onslaught. "Antitrust enforcement and further regulations pose a threat to Facebook's intangible assets, data," the analyst said in a July 29 note. "However, increased restrictions on data access and usage would apply to all firms, not just Facebook." Independent analyst Eric Seufert said in a tweet that "regulatory changes will have a significant impact on Facebook's business, but the sheer scale of Facebook and the growth trajectory of digital advertising ameliorate that. Facebook's gold mine is far from depleted." Newman said the large tech firms have expanded during the pandemic by delivering innovative services, extending a trend that has seen the strong get stronger. "These platforms have created better experiences for consumers, but it is extremely difficult for new entrants," he said. For investors, Newman added, "that means no one is creating revenue and profit growth faster." Explore further Facebook says $1 bn to be spent boosting creators 2021 AFP The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The U.S. and its NATO allies spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and equip Afghan security forces. Are you worried the Taliban will again harbor Al-Qaida? You voted: The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Police in Ho Chi Minh City are searching for the directors of two English language centers after they were accused of appropriating tuition fees from many learners. Officers under the municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Saturday they were verifying the accusation against Eagle Education International English Center and Eagle English International School. The two facilities reportedly charged learners tuition fees but did not run enough courses as promised. Early reports showed that the directors of the two venues, Tran Minh Tuan and Nguyen Truong Giang, had left their places of residence since December 2020. Officers thus announced they were searching for Tuan, a 30-year-old man from the northern province of Hai Duong, and Giang, a 22-year-old person from the northern province of Ha Nam. The two are required to contact the police station at 674 3 Thang 2 Street in Ward 14, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City (phone number: 0914840681). Residents who have information on Tuan and Giangs whereabouts are advised to contact police officers at the above address and phone number. If the two individuals do not show up within 15 days, officers will conclude that they have run away and will deal with the case according to the law. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! New South Wales reported 415 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from the previous day's record 466, as Australia's most populous state entered a snap lockdown to control the spread of the Delta variant in regional towns. Concerned about growing infections in rural areas as recent sewage tests detected the virus in several regional towns, officials on Saturday tightened restrictions and ordered a snap seven-day lockdown across the state. "Western New South Wales remains a concern, especially in relation to our vulnerable indigenous communities," state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. On Sunday, officials said four more people had died, taking the number of deaths in the latest outbreak in the state to 46. Of the new positive cases, at least 66 are people who spent time in the community while infectious, Berejiklian said. A man has passed away at his home in Vietnam after five healthcare facilities refused to provide him with emergency care. The deceased man, 57-year-old N.D., hailed from the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh and resided with his family members in a tenanted house in Di An City under southern Binh Duong Province. At around 8:00 pm on Friday, D. began vomiting excessively, his daughter Ngo Phuong recalled, adding that the family was unable to contact any ambulance. A neighbor then agreed to help carry him to the hospital on his truck. They first arrived at Di An City Medical Center, but doctors refused to take him in as the facility was focusing on treating COVID-19 patients. D. was later brought to Ngoc Hong Clinic, where he and his family members tested negative for the novel coronavirus via rapid testing. After finding out the patient suffered from high blood pressure and had a history of stroke, doctors stated that his condition was too serious, requiring treatment from higher-level hospitals. D. was taken to three other facilities that night, including Quan Doan 4 Hospital, An Phu General Hospital, and Nam Anh General Clinic, none of which agreed to provide treatment. They said that their doctors had been mobilized for COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, adding that they did not have sufficient equipment for emergency treatment. The family took D. back to their tenanted house at 1:00 am on Saturday. He died three hours later. The provincial Peoples Committee on Thursday issued a document stating that hospitals, medical centers, and clinics must not turn down treatment for patients in emergency health situations. Healthcare facilities that do not accept patients in emergency cases will be penalized in accordance with regulations, while a criminal charge may also be filed if necessary. Binh Duong is currently the second-largest COVID-19 epicenter in Vietnam, with over 41,000 local infections recorded since the fourth wave started on April 27. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A shipment of one million COVID-19 vaccine doses has been delivered to Ho Chi Minh City as part of a contract between a local firm and Chinas Sinopharm. The jabs arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the southern Vietnamese city on Saturday morning. The vaccine batch was transported via a charter flight operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines, which had departed from Beijing. The doses are part of the five million shots that Saigon Pharmaceutical Company (Sapharco) had purchased with the Ministry of Healths support. Sinopharm previously delivered one million jabs on July 31. The vaccines were then kept at Sapharcos storage. The health ministry issued a document on August 10 to allow Ho Chi Minh City to use these shots. The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) on Thursday allocated 44,000 Sinopharm jabs to local districts. More than 17,900 of the shots were administered to residents on Friday, with no serious postvaccinal reactions recorded. The HCDC distributed another 118,000 shots to 17 districts and Thu Duc City on Saturday. Vietnam has so far received about 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses through purchase, the COVAX Facility, and donations from other countries. They include 11.5 million AstraZeneca shots, 12,000 Sputnik V doses, 746,000 Pfizer jabs, over five million Moderna doses, and 2.5 million Sinopharm shots. More than 13.7 million doses have been administered since inoculation was rolled out in Vietnam on March 8, with over 1.2 million people fully vaccinated. The Southeast Asian country had documented 265,464 COVID-19 cases by Sunday morning, with 96,985 recoveries and 5,437 deaths. It has recorded 261,463 local infections in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities since the fourth wave broke out on April 27. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police on Sunday asked people leaving Ho Chi Minh City for their hometowns to turn back to their current places of residence in compliance with COVID-19 travel restrictions. The mass departure took place when local authorities have applied social distancing measures at various levels since late May to curb the coronavirus, which has caused almost 145,000 infections, including 4,315 deaths, in the city since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020. Such restrictions, which will be in place until at least September 15 as the city has been struck hard by a fourth wave since late April, have caused job losses and business closures, putting many people in dire straits and thus driving them back to their hometowns. On duty at many checkpoints at the citys gateways, traffic police officers stopped the exodus, traveling on motorbikes or in cars, and advised them to return to their current residence for the sake of epidemic prevention and control. At the Linh Xuan Overpass in Thu Duc City, officers requested hundreds of people to turn around. On National Highway 1 in Di An City under Binh Duong Province, which borders Ho Chi Minh City, local forces also asked people to come back to their current accommodations. N.C.K., a native of the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he wanted to travel to his hometown after having been jobless for months due to COVID-19. Many people who departed earlier than me have been asked to turn back, K. added. The mass migration has led to traffic congestion at a number of checkpoints, especially in the Linh Xuan Overpass area. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Binh told Tuoi Tre that traveling without a proper reason violated social distancing rules and such gatherings at checkpoints put many people at risk of coronavirus infection. The same situation was seen in the Suoi Tien area in Thu Duc City, where many travelers were stopped. As many people refused to turn around, police had to gather them in the new Eastern Bus Station area in the district and persuaded them to stay. Tran Viet Bao, a former porter, who wanted to go back to Hue City, his hometown, told Tuoi Tre that he has been out of work for three months and has owed his landlord two months rent. As the landlord could no longer allow him to default on the rent, he had to leave for Hue, Bao said. In coping with waves of people leaving Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal police have coordinated with their counterparts in Binh Duong and Dong Nai Provinces to control the situation, give explanations to the internal migrants, and request them to turn back. Those deliberately breaking the law were penalized but most turned around, listening to explanations given by police officers. This image shows a checkpoint on National Highway 1 in Di An City under Binh Duong Province, where police forces asked travelers to come back to Ho Chi Minh City on August 15, 2021. Photo: Duc Phu / Tuoi Tre A police officer is seen giving explanations to people leaving Ho Chi Minh City on August 15, 2021. Photo: Duc Phu / Tuoi Tre This image shows traffic police stopping people from leaving Ho Chi Minh City in an area near the Linh Xuan Overpass in Thu Duc City on August 15, 2021. Photo: Duc Phu / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ministry of Health confirmed over 9,500 more domestic coronavirus infections in Vietnam on Sunday, including more than 4,500 in Ho Chi Minh City. Forty-one provinces and cities recorded 9,574 local cases whereas another six infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said. The ministry had logged 9,710 domestically-infected patients on Saturday. Nearly 2,500 of the latest local cases were found in the community while the remainder were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities. Ho Chi Minh City accounted for 4,516 of the new domestic infections, up by 285 cases from yesterday, Binh Duong Province 2,358, Dong Nai Province 546, Long An Province 514, Dong Thap Province 271, Tien Giang Province 209, Can Tho City 170, Khanh Hoa Province 166, Tay Ninh Province 159, Da Nang 83, and Hanoi 39. Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has recorded 271,037 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities. Ho Chi Minh City stays atop with 149,286 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 43,979, Long An Province with 14,399, Dong Nai Province with 13,616, Bac Giang Province with 5,743, Dong Thap Province with 5,010, Tien Giang Province with 4,296, Khanh Hoa Province with 4,246, Tay Ninh Province with 3,473, Can Tho City with 2,663, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 2,587, Hanoi with 2,434, Phu Yen Province with 2,082, and Da Nang with 2,029. 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 logged 5,519 recoveries on Sunday, taking the total to 102,504 recovered patients. The death toll has jumped to 5,774 after the health ministry reported 337 fatalities the same day, including 282 registered in Ho Chi Minh City and 20 in Binh Duong Province. The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 275,044 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020. Health workers gave 612,974 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Saturday. Over 14.4 million vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with nearly 1.4 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. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnams Hanoi Medical University on Sunday kicked off the first phase of clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Arcturus Therapeutics, a U.S. firm that has transferred the vaccine technology to a Vietnamese company. The vaccine, ARCT-154, will undergo the three-phase trials in Vietnam following the technology transfer from Arcturus to Vinbiocare Biotechnology JSC (Vinbiocare), a company under the Southeast Asian countrys leading private conglomerate Vingroup. The first trial phase will enlist 100 volunteers, while 300 and 20,600 people will participate in the second and third stages, respectively. The first-phase volunteers began to receive the first shots at the universitys Clinical Testing Center on Sunday. Volunteers must be healthy adults aged 18 to 59, have no underlying medical conditions or history of SARS, MERS, or COVID-19. They are also required not to take any medications on a regular basis and have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19. ARCT-154 is a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine designed to act against various coronavirus variants, including the highly contagious Delta, according to the vaccine developer. The Ministry of Health approved the clinical trials of the ARCT-154 in Vietnam when it had entered clinical trials in the U.S., Singapore, and other countries. In the past clinical trials, the vaccine yielded satisfactory seroconversion rates and met the requirements on safety and tolerability. Upon completion of the trials in Vietnam, Vinbiocare will submit the results to the ministry for approval for emergency use of the vaccine in the country in December. Vinbiocare is building a factory capable of producing 200 million ARCT-154 doses per year in Hanois Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park at a cost of over US$200 million. The first batch of the vaccine is expected to be made available in early 2022. ARCT-154 is the third COVID-19 vaccine to have entered clinical trials in Vietnam and the first to be developed with mRNA technology. The first COVID-19 vaccine tested on humans is Nano Covax, developed domestically by Ho Chi Minh City-based Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC based on recombinant DNA/protein technology. Nano Covax is in late-stage clinical trials after results from the first two phases showed that all volunteers developed antibodies against the novel coronavirus. State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked health authorities to promptly authorize Nano Covax to make the first Vietnamese vaccine available soon. The second vaccine, Covivac, made by Vietnams Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals, is expected to begin phase-three testing in September. The country is accelerating immunization to drive back the COVID-19 spread, with the numbers of people receiving the first and second shots topping 12.5 million and 1.2 million, the health ministry reported on Saturday evening. Vietnam has targeted to secure 150 million doses of vaccines to inoculate two-thirds of its 98-million population to reach herd immunity, said the ministry. However, the country has so far obtained only over 20.5 million doses from different sources, including the COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations. Since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, Vietnam has recorded 265,464 COVID-19 cases, including 5,437 deaths, ranking 80th and 69th in terms of infection and fatality rates among 222 countries and territories in the world, according to the health ministry. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Terry Jordon Leads The Race For GUKPT Manchester Title August 15 2021 Matthew Pitt Only 21 players remain in the hunt for the title for 2021 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Manchester Main Event champion, and Terry Jordon is the man who leads those hopefuls back into battle on August 15. Jordon is the only player in the field with a seven-figure stack. Known for his rather unorthodox style of play, Jordon takes his seat in the GUKPT Manchester Main Events final day armed with 1,454,000 chips. The chip leader is in great form having finished fifth in the 560 GUKPT London Midi Main Event in July, and having won the 2,200 High Roller event at the same festival for an additional 49,550. Now Jordon has a legitimate shot at the huge 134,250 top prize in Manchester. Are You Ready to Slay the 2021 Goliath? The 2021 Goliath takes place online again this year and has a massive 250,000 guaranteed prize pool Learn more here 2021 GUKPT Manchester Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts Place Player Chips 1 Terry Jordon 1,454,000 2 Jack Oliver 927,000 3 Richard Trigg 890,000 4 Chris Maguire 772,000 5 Jack Ivermee 590,000 6 James Clarke 580,000 7 Paul Trotter 504,000 8 Andrew Taylor 453,000 9 Yiannis Liperis 453,000 10 Lynne Beaumonth 402,000 Some 472 players bought into the 2021 GUKPT Manchester Main Event, creating a 519,200 prize pool. It is the second time in as many tournaments that the GUKPT Main Event has obliterated its advertised guarantee. Such luminaries as Tom Middleton, Paul Rigg, GUKPT London champion Euan McNicholas, Martyn Frey, Stuart Rutter, Richard Kellett, and Brandon Sheils all busted on Day 2, which left the waters a little less shark infested. However, there are some extremely talented grinders among the returning 21 so Jordon will not have matters all his own way. Lee French Crowned 30/30 GUKPT Manchester Champion Team Grosvenor Pro and all-round good guy Richard Trigg returns to the action third in chips courtesy of his 890,000 stack. Trigg already has a GUKPT title to his name thanks to his victory in the Blackpool Main Event in 2013. The Yorkshireman would love to join the double winners club today. Do not write off the chances of Yiannis Liperis (453,000) either. Liperis is a regular on the GUKPT and has some incredible results to show for his efforts, not least a brace of runner-up finishes and an outright victory, the latter coming in 2018 in Blackpool. Others to keep an eye out for when play resumes at 12:00 p.m. BST on August 15 include Lynne Beaumont (395,000) and Paul McTaggart (237,000), the latter faces a long journey home to Scotland after this tournament. Paul Fisher Takes Down GUKPT Manchester Mini Main Event 2021 GUKPT Manchester Final Table Payouts Each of the remaining 21 players is guaranteed to take home 4,050 regardless of what happens on Day 3. Reaching the final table increases this payout to 7,600, with anyone finishing seventh or higher netting a five-figure prize. The champion, however, leaves Manchester with a bankroll-boosting 134,250. With the United States 20-year operation in Afghanistan coming to an end on August 31, Afghanistan appears to be heading for even greater uncertainty. As Anadolu Agency writes, over 200 districts and five provincial centers have fallen under Taliban control since May when US forces officially began to leave the country. Clashes between the Taliban and central government forces continue intensely. In addition, ongoing peace talks between the Kabul administration and the Taliban in Doha, the capital of Qatar, have stalled. With the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban are expected to intensify their attacks. The Talibans rapid advance raises the prospect of a scenario similar to the civil war that erupted following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Countries in the region have increased diplomatic efforts because they do not want to be caught off guard if such a scenario unfolds, affecting the entire region. Many countries in the region want to address at least their own security concerns in Afghanistan, which has earned the moniker graveyard of empires. In order to share concerns about the latest developments in Afghanistan, Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing have hosted Taliban delegations in recent weeks. While some of these countries support Afghan stability for the development of regional trade, the fight against human trafficking and drug smuggling, and the prevention of irregular migration, others see the current instability as an opportunity to expand their spheres of influence. Iran Iran, which shares an almost 900-kilometer-long border with Afghanistan, wants to play a larger role in the country following the US withdrawal. Tehran came to the brink of war with the Taliban in 1998 and cooperated with the US to overthrow this organization in 2001, but with the conjuncture changing following the 2000s, it began to collaborate with the Taliban against the US presence in Afghanistan. Particularly since the US intensified its withdrawal negotiations with the Taliban in 2019, a significant shift in Tehrans attitude toward the Taliban has been observed. During this time, Iran hosted a Taliban delegation twice: once in November 2019 and again in February 2020, shortly after the US reached an agreement with the organization. Despite ideological differences, Iranian officials recognize the importance of continuing to cooperate with the Taliban, which has emerged as a key player in Afghan politics. As a result, Iran has changed the language it used to refer to the Taliban. For example, adjectives such as takfiri and jihadist, which were widely used in the countrys press not only for the Taliban but also for many other groups posing threats to Iranian interests and were used as significant arguments even during the Karabakh war, have vanished. However, the now-realistic prospect of the Taliban becoming Afghanistans sole power to reckon with remains a red line for Iran. In fact, following the Talibans rapid advance in recent months, which has threatened the central governments existence, Tehran hosted a surprise meeting. Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif hosted Taliban and Kabul delegations in Tehran on July 7. During the meeting, Zarif urged both parties to return to the negotiating table. Zarif declared that his country was ready to assist in bringing Afghanistans conflicting parties to the negotiating table, stating that ...political leaders of Afghanistan must make difficult decisions. Alhough there has not been much friction with the Taliban so far, which has taken control of areas close to the Iranian border (including border crossings), the prevailing view in Tehran is that a Taliban-led government in Afghanistan would pose a threat to Irans national interests in the medium and long term. For this reason, Iran has expressed a desire to use the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia (which it has used on different occasions in Syria) in Afghanistan as well. The dominance of traditional cultural codes in both administrations, as well as the way these largely religious administrations treat the minority sects within them, suggests that long-term stability in Afghanistan-Iran relations is unlikely if the Taliban gains complete control of the country. Russia Russia, another important actor making efforts towards a political solution in Afghanistan, maintains contact with both the Taliban and the central government. Moscow has recently hosted a series of Afghan peace talks. Russia sees the US withdrawal as a critical opportunity to reestablish Moscows influence in the post-Soviet era. But on the other hand, it does not want the power vacuum created by this withdrawal to pose a security risk to its immediate vicinity. Moscow is also concerned that Afghanistan may end up becoming a safe haven for radical elements hostile to Russia or supporting separatist groups in the Caucasus region. For this reason, Russian authorities are keeping a close eye on the developments in Afghanistan. Following the Talibans rapid advance, the Kabul delegation led by Hamdullah Mohib, President Ashraf Ghanis National Security Advisor, visited Moscow in July at the invitation of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. It was reported that the parties discussed the issues of security, terrorism, and fighting jointly against drug smuggling, and that it was highlighted during the meeting that the instability in the north of Afghanistan threatened Russia and Central Asia. Following this meeting, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia was prepared to use its base in Tajikistan to protect its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) if necessary. On August 6, the Russian army conducted joint military drills with the armed forces of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan along the Afghan border in order to intimidate the Taliban, which had taken control of the border regions. Russia, which considers Central Asia and former Soviet Union member states to be within its natural sphere of influence, acts as the security guarantor of these countries. In this regard, the Afghanistan crisis represents a significant challenge to Russias role. However, it is unlikely that Russia, which has a very negative image among Afghans as a result of the long Soviet invasion of their country, would launch an armed intervention unilaterally. China China is another important player who is expected to be active in Afghanistan in the near future. Beijings main concern about Afghanistan is that a country-wide turmoil following the US withdrawal could turn the region into a security nightmare for Beijing. China is concerned that the revival of Daesh and similar formations in Afghanistan could then fuel the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In this context, one of the scenarios that have Beijing concerned is a cooperation between the Taliban and the ETIM. Following allegations in recent years that members of the Turkistan Islamic Movement were being trained by the Taliban and sent to China, Beijings desire to establish a military base in Wakhan, Afghanistans border region, came to light. However, Beijing, which has developed good relations with the Taliban as a result of its proximity to Islamabad, has so far been able to prevent such cooperation. Beijing has acknowledged that it needs to cooperate with the Taliban to some extent to avoid having problems in Afghanistan. The Taliban has also responded positively to Beijings warm attitude. The Taliban delegation that recently visited Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese government promised not to interfere with Chinas internal affairs and to not allow the territories of Afghanistan to be used by groups that would threaten Chinas national security. In addition, Afghanistan is an important country for Beijing as it is located along the route of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing prefers a stable Afghanistan not only to prevent the countrys turmoil from affecting the Xinjiang region, but also to ensure the security of the Belt and Road Initiative. China wants to play an active role in the economic field in Afghanistan but does not want to intervene militarily. India One of the other important powers in the region, India, has a policy in Afghanistan that can be summarized as combating the influence of its traditional rival Pakistan and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a base for extremist anti-Indian groups. The New Delhi administration, which had previously avoided contact with the Taliban on the grounds that it was acting on Pakistans orders, has reversed this policy. As the Taliban began to rapidly expand their control area, Indian officials engaged in direct talks with the Taliban. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Indias minister of external affairs, also paid diplomatic visits to Iran and Russia to discuss the developments in Afghanistan. India would like to be more active in Afghanistan as part of its efforts to play a more active role in the international arena under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership. In conclusion, the power vacuum that will emerge in Afghanistan with the withdrawal of the US and NATO raises security concerns for and whets the appetite of many regional actors. While countries such as Pakistan and Iran seek to expand their spheres of influence by forming new militia groups or exploiting the instability in Afghanistan and their influence over the Taliban, China and Russia are concerned that this instability will spread to their own borders and spheres of influence. These countries are in contact with both the Taliban and the Kabul government in anticipation of a power split between the two. Ultimately, the aim of the actors involved in the issue is to secure their spheres of influence and to prevent the Afghanistan crisis from spreading beyond its borders. When making plans involving Afghanistan, particularly the Kabul Airport, Turkey must carefully consider the various groups of interest and the shaky alliances within this multi-actor playing field. In particular, the rapid dissolution of the Northern Alliance, which could be described as a Plan B, Pakistans silence on the Turkish proposal, and the central governments suspicious ineffectiveness in dealing with Taliban attacks all demonstrate the importance of meticulous calculations. Azerbaijan's victory in the Patriotic War is a historic victory since our lands have been occupied for 30 years, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with CNN Turk TV channel. It was a great injustice. The situation contradicted all norms and principles of international law. Unfortunately, over 30 years, the Minsk Group did not come even close to solving this issue, there was some activity, but in the end, there was no result, the president said. The head of the Azerbaijani state explained that since there was no result of the negotiation process, accordingly, the process was frozen. "Naturally, we never thought to put up with this situation. In recent years, I have repeatedly stated that the Azerbaijani people will never accept this situation, they will free their native lands from the occupiers at any cost, and that eventually happened," he said. Ilham Aliyev stressed that as a result of the Patriotic War, Azerbaijan, having liberated its lands from occupation, restored historical justice. Revealing the peculiarities of Yerevan's behaviour in the framework of the negotiation process, Ilham Aliyev stressed that the Armenian side constantly committed various provocations. "We saw this on different stages of the negotiation process. As soon as there was little progress, military provocations, attacks on our civilian population were immediately carried out. Thus, they disrupted the negotiations," the President of Azerbaijan said. In this regard, he noted that before the Second Karabakh war, in July and August, Armenia also carried out similar military aggression. In July (Armenia) subjected our civilian population and military to artillery fire. As a result, we suffered losses. And in August, they sent a sabotage group to Azerbaijan trying to carry out terrorist attacks here. In September, again, they attacked our villages and military positions. As a result, on the first day of the war, there were losses on our side - martyrs among the civilian population and the military. bviousely, we had to immediately stop these provocations, the president reminded. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree awarding the Order of Courage to five servicemen killed in the crash of a Be-200 plane in Turkey on Saturday, the Kremlin press service reported on Sunday, TASS reports. Lieutenant Colonel Vladislav Berkutov, Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Karasev, Colonel Yevgeny Kuznetsov, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Omelchenko, Senior Sergeant Yuri Chubarov were awarded for the courage and dedication displayed in putting out fires in the Republic of Turkey, the report said. The Russian Defense Ministrys Be-200ChS amphibious aircraft crashed on Saturday in southeastern Turkey where it was helping to put out forest fires. Onboard were five Russian servicemen and three Turkish representatives, who were pointing out the fire locations to the crew. All of them were killed. Putin expressed deep condolences to the next-of-kin of the killed servicemen, and sent a telegram of condolences to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The Hanoi Peoples Committee has amended the regulation on travel permits during social distancing, and now people no longer have to get certification from ward or commune authorities. Most people think the requirement on getting certification from local authorities is too complex, and doesnt better control the pandemic. Someone even cited the Doi mat (Eyes) short story by Nam Cao to compare the travel permit to examination by civil servants. The public apparatus has been coping with the pandemic for a year and half. An army must prepare to shift from peacetime to wartime, but not many countries have to prepare to switch to the state of fighting Covid-19. Vietnam, like other countries, has had to adjust and learn, and correct mistakes to make things better. The highest levels of the public apparatus, from the National Assembly and President to Government headed by Prime Minister, are seriously involved in the fight against the pandemic. We also have the responsible participation of the healthcare sector, the army, the police and other forces of the entire public system in the battle. The administrative agencies at each level, based on the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister, have been organizing measures and solutions to both fight the pandemic and ensure economic development. In this process, local authorities issue specific measures in their localities. And problems have arisen from this. One initial legal document just stipulated that only essential goods were allowed to be circulated during social distancing days. As a result, a deputy chair of a ward in Nha Trang City did not allow people to transport bread, because he did not list it as essential goods. Only then did a series of public authorities think of explaining what essential goods means. Traditional markets were forced to shut down in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, the decision later proved to be unreasonable and local authorities had to amend it. Solutions have been applied, including delivering shopping coupons to every family, the establishment of green zones and red zones, the setting up of checkpoints, disinfectant spraying, tracing F0s (infections), and quarantine. Vision It is highly possible that other solutions will be issued. The public apparatus doesnt intentionally bring disadvantage to people through their measures. This partially originates from haste and subjectivity of the leadership, and partially from the lack of professionalism of the advisory departments to policymakers. Anticipation of the impact and the assessments of policies are always needed by policymakers. These include questions such as what to do to obtain vaccines most quickly? Who should be vaccinated first when we obtain vaccines? Do we need more field hospitals or not? How can we provide enough food to people during social distancing days? How do we protect the medical frontline forces? And it is also necessary to think of the problems that no one wants to happen, such as what to do if many people die because of the pandemic. Never before has the public administration apparatus been challenged in such a special way. During this time, public administration agencies need to think carefully every time when they issue a measure or a decision affecting many people and enterprises. Dinh Duy Hoa Vietnam needs to cure stagnation disease to 'take off' Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, after taking office, has been paying high attention to fostering the public apparatus proper implementation of their functions and tasks, especially the fulfillment of the great responsibilities assigned to them. Part 1 Electricity access is one of 10 indicators that measure the quality of the national business environment according to the World Bank global business environment ranking. VietNamNet would like to introduce an article written by Nguyen Minh Thao, PhD, head of Department for Business Environment and Competitiveness Research under Central Institute od Economic Management. In 2013, Vietnam ranked 156th in terms of electricity access with six procedures which takes 115 days, and cost equal to 1,726.4 percent of GDP per capita. The access-to-electricity index is defined based on criteria including procedure, time and cost to connect to the grid, reliability of electricity supply and transparency of electricity price. The procedures include: 1/ clients register electricity use and get connection agreement (30 days) 2/ power company comes to sites to conduct survey for power supply (1 day) 3/ clients obtain license for digging roads for underground connection from the local department of transport (15 days) 4/ clients hire private companies to design and build outer works (63 days) 5/ clients get certificate for transformer station design from the Fire and Rescue Police Department and 6/ clients get electricity meters installed and sign electricity purchase agreements with power company. Improving the electricity access quality was one of the issues regularly mentioned in the Governments Resolutions 19 and 02 on business environment improvement and national competitiveness upgrading in 2015-2020. In 2016, Vietnam witnessed initial improvement in electricity access index with the time needed for electricity access reducing by 66 days to 49 days. Since then, the index has been continuously improved based on the improvement of component indicators. In 2020, the number of procedures decreased to four and the time reduced to 31 days, while the cost decreased to 994 percent of GDP per capita. The quality of electricity supply and transparency in price was high 7/8 scores. With the component indicators, Vietnam ranked 27th out of 190 countries, which meant a jump of 108 grades compared with 2015 (two more procedures were cut, the time was reduced by 84 days). As such, Vietnams electricity access has improved significantly, an example showing that nothing is impossible in reforming the business environment. Impressive results How could Vietnam make such impressive results? EVN (Electricity of Vietnam) , as the backbone enterprise in the power sector, took initiative in implementing Resolution 19 on electricity access improvement very early. It set up a taskforce in charge of implementing the resolution. It worked with the DoB team of the World Bank to learn about the methodology and the method of calculation electricity access index, and international lessons; conducted survey on the enterprises real situation of electricity access; defined procedures and time needed to fulfill the procedures. This allowed EVN to find out problems and draw up the solutions to solve the problems. This method has been applied since 2014. Thanks to it, the solutions to improve the electricity access index are always specific, which can be supplemented, updated and renewed every year. The solutions not only define the circulars and decrees that need amendment, but also put forward specific amendment requirements to directly settle defined problems in order to cut procedures and shorten the time needed to access electricity. EVN always takes the initiative in joining forces with municipal and provincial authorities, and promotes cooperation among departments and districts peoples committees to solve problems within the local competence. After related decrees and circulars are amended or supplemented, EVN implements the legal documents, organizing training courses and disseminating new regulations to 63 cities and provinces. It reports to municipal and provincial authorities and urges them to instruct local departments to implement the issues related to administrative procedure reform. Thanks to this, 56 out of 63 cities and provinces have set a mechanism for interconnection in power supply through the medium-voltage grid between power companies and local departments and divisions. However, its obvious that EVN alone is not enough to improve electricity access. The significant improvement is the result of the cooperation and support of ministries and branches. Nguyen Minh Thao The Central Institute of Economic Management CPI increase lowest since 2016 The consumer price index increased by 1.64% in January to July period, the lowest rate since 2016, with lower food and electricity prices after Government efforts to stabilise prices and support virus-hit citizens and enterprises in the pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the implementation of plans between Vietnam and the US, but the two sides have maintained the momentum of cooperation and even expanded cooperation in some new areas such as disease prevention. Twenty-six years after the establishment of bilateral relations, the US and Vietnam have become reliable partners with a friendship based on mutual respect. The cooperative relationship is increasingly active and comprehensive, and has developed into a solid partnership in the fields of politics, economy, security and people-to-people exchanges. The US Secretary of Defense met with Vietnamese leaders during his visit to Vietnam in late July. Cooperation has been expanded in some new areas such as disease prevention and medical equipment supply, forming a stable and efficient supply chain. In late July, three million doses of Moderna vaccine were sent to Vietnam by the US through the COVAX Facility. It arrived at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, to the joy of the representatives of the US Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. Immediately, half of the vaccines were transported to Ho Chi Minh City and half to Hanoi. This shipment of vaccines followed two million doses of Moderna vaccine the US gave to Vietnam through COVAX on July 10. According to the White House, the United States has reached a major milestone in the global immunization effort, as more than 110 million doses of the vaccine from the US have been distributed to 60 countries and territories. The seven countries receiving the highest number of vaccine doses from the US are Indonesia, the Philippines, Colombia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam. The US has praised Vietnam's grassroots health system and epidemic prevention efforts. The Vietnamese government and many localities, businesses, organizations and individuals previously donated protective clothing and medical equipment to the US government, people and the Vietnamese community in the US. In 2020, the US Government aided Vietnam with more than 10 million USD to fight the epidemic and restore the economy. Former US President Donald Trump announced the donation of ventilators to Vietnam. A shipment of 2 tons of antibacterial cloth masks and medical masks donated by Vietnam to New York arrived in the US on July 9, 2020. U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Kritenbrink said: "It is said that in difficulty, we will know who our true friends are. We are very touched that during the time when the United States was fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam donated millions of masks and other medical protective equipment. In these difficult times, masks and protective clothing donated by Vietnam helped to save many American lives." Cooperation for mutual benefit Under US President Joe Bidens administration, the US and Vietnam have cooperated to improve Vietnam's capacity in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, based on the long-term relationship between the two countries and the US support worth more than 1 billion USD in the past years to help Vietnam develop its healthcare infrastructure. In addition to donating 5 million doses of vaccine through the COVAX mechanism, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the US has committed US$19.8 million worth of aid to Vietnam. Recently, President Biden announced that the US would provide 500 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to GAVI for distribution through COVAX to 92 low- and middle-income countries and economies as defined by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) by GAVI and the African Union. Vietnam is one of these countries. "We are not sharing these vaccines for favors or privileges. We are sharing the vaccines to save lives and save the world from the pandemic, Biden said. On July 6, the US Embassy in Hanoi presented a Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine and mobile testing equipment to the Military Medical Department, Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam. The equipment is a gift from the US Department of Defense to improve mobile testing capacity and enhance pandemic response capacity in Vietnam. Charge d'Affaires Christopher Klein said: The US and Vietnam have worked closely for over 26 years to build our relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Together, we can overcome the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. He thanked Vietnam for sending millions of protective clothes to the American people last year and pledged to advocate for more vaccines for Vietnam. We are ready to support Vietnam during this difficult time and the five million doses of Moderna vaccine that we have given to Vietnam is a testament to this support. Together we will overcome the pandemic and rise stronger, he said. In exchanges, phone calls and letters to the American leaders, Vietnamese leaders expressed their sincere and deep gratitude to the support of the US government, considering this is proof of the good relationship between Vietnam and the US, sharing in difficult times with the determination to work together to fight the pandemic. Currently, the demand for vaccines from the US is very large. The US is providing aid to nearly 50 countries and territories around the world. To ensure that vaccines reach its partners as quickly as possible, the US has chosen COVAX mechanism as the main distribution channel, as it has been doing with Vietnam. Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang on August 5 stated that in the context of vaccine scarcity as well as the great need for vaccines in many countries, including Vietnam, "we appreciate and say thank you for every donation, even the smallest". US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's two-day visit to Vietnam in late July ended successfully with many practical results, confirming the comprehensive and positive relationship. The upcoming visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris in August will continue to promote the relationship between the two countries, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tuan Minh Former US ambassador writes on US reconciliation with Vietnam A book named Nothing is Impossible: Americas Reconciliation with Vietnam by former US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius made debut on August 10. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan has urged creating detailed plans on putting farming households on e-commerce sites. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan Tuan recently presided over an online conference on Plan 1034 on bringing agricultural production households to e-commerce sites, promoting the development of the digital economy in agriculture and rural areas. Under the plan, approved by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in late July, farming households will be supported to enter e-commerce sites to connect, advertise and introduce their produce. This will help them get new distribution channels, and expand domestic and international markets. Vietnam has 9 million agricultural production households and 4 million private business households. All the households will be brought into e-commerce sites and this will be the first breakthrough to be made in developing the digital agricultural economy. Nguyen Trong Duong, Deputy Director of the Business Management Department under MIC, said this is the major force to deploy a digital agricultural economy. MIC chose to begin with human resources, because people are the most difficult factor in digital transformation and digital economy development. When including farmers on e-commerce sites, they will see the benefits in selling and buying goods via e-commerce sites. MIC will put 12-13 million agricultural production and private business households on e-commerce sites and help them introduce products. This is the biggest goal of the ministry in the immediate time, Tuan said. The figure is 5 million households by the end of the year. According to Nguyen Cong Thanh, Director of the Ha Tinh Department of Information and Communications, the province now has 160 OCOP (one commune one product) and VietGap products. Some products have been on e-commerce sites, but the number is very modest. Like other localities, Ha Tinhs people still dont have the habit of selling products under the new method. The infrastructure is still not good enough. Also, the difficulties in product traceability and logistics are also problems. Nguyen Quoc Toan from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that 7,987 households and 14,594 products have been put on e-commerce sites. The total farm produce transaction value is VND944 billion. Tuan said that farm produce bought via e-commerce sites remains modest. The litchis sold via e-commerce sites just accounted for 5 percent of Bac Giangs 2021 litchi crop. However, he emphasized the need for e-commerce sites as an additional consumption channel for farmers and its importance, especially in the context of the pandemic. Duy Vu Vietnamese export goods do not carry SARS-CoV-2 virus: MoIT Minister of Industry and Trade (MoIT) affirms that Vietnam's export goods do not contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus, unlike some sources have stated. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Voters in the Floyd Municipal Schools district must be scratching their heads. Their five school board members have been ousted just as the school year is beginning, and a veteran superintendent from Las Cruces has taken over their tiny school district in rural Roosevelt County. Its because the board voted not to follow the Public Education Departments policies on masks in K-12 public schools. The Floyd board voted to make masks optional while PED mandated the wearing of masks for many teachers and students. Technically, neither Albuquerque nor Santa Fe public schools are following the states guidelines, either. They are enforcing stricter mask-wearing policies than called for by PED. Yet, they have not faced any repercussions. So why is more OK but less is not? The answer is obvious. Its easier to accept a district wanting to go the as-safe-as-possible route as opposed to one that is taking the parents know best route. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ But as much as the Journals Editorial Board disagrees with Floyds decision to make mask-wearing optional, the real point here is regarding when and how the state should strip away powers from a locally elected school board. Why is the states first go-to option off with their heads? The state Public School Code gives the education secretary the authority to suspend a local school board, superintendent or school principal pending a public hearing. But instead of scheduling such a hearing, PED has filed a lawsuit in a state District Court seeking the permanent removal of the Floyd school board members. PED warns of irreparable injury in its complaint and says the school board needs to go because of the threat of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The Floyd school board voted in late July to make masks and social distancing optional for its three schools and 225 students. To be clear, it was an unwise decision. While Roosevelt County has around 18,000 residents, 2,178 have tested positive for COVID-19 and 61 have died from the virus. And while there was just one new case of the virus Thursday in Roosevelt County, the number jumped to 17 on Friday. The coronavirus is indeed on the march, especially in southeastern New Mexico. PED issued its guidelines requiring all people, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to mask up in elementary school buildings and on buses, and all unvaccinated people to wear masks while in middle and high school buildings and on buses after the Floyd boards vote. Both Albuquerque and Santa Fe public schools implemented stricter guidelines they require all students, employees and visitors to wear masks inside school buildings regardless of grade and regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. So its obviously OK to be more restrictive, but not less. Back in Floyd, outgoing PED Secretary Ryan Stewart warned school board members they could be removed if they didnt change their policy, but the school board dug in and reaffirmed its decision Aug. 2. Stewart removed them on Aug. 4. It was the second time this year PED has suspended a school board, but this time there was no alleged malfeasance. PED suspended all five members of the Los Lunas school board in June due to credible evidence some board members violated procurement code, falsified allegations of financial misconduct, attempted to extort vendors and much more. That case is all about ensuring responsible stewardship of public dollars, a whole different ball game. The state Constitution gives voters the right to recall school board members for malfeasance or misfeasance or violating their oath of office, but its silent on whether a state agency has authority to take over a school district because of its policies. Meanwhile, this is not the first K-12 pandemic policy fight. A coalition of 18 school districts, including Floyd schools, sued Stewart and PED in October over prior COVID-19 directives that included requiring schools to provide students specific supplies and dictated how and when student lunches were to be distributed. Districts argued some of the directives either violated the state Constitution or lacked the authority of the governors public health order. That case is still pending before 1st Judicial District Court Judge Matthew Wilson, who is also the presiding judge in the high-profile Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit and the lawsuit seeking the permanent removal of the Floyd school board. Meanwhile, Stan Rounds, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders, is serving in place of the Floyd school board. State Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, and a school board member in Eunice, said Wednesday that Rounds is an honorable man and gifted educator but his appointment shows PED doesnt respect parents and students in Floyd. (I) am deeply troubled that a duly-elected school board can be removed without statutory standing and replaced with an unelected individual with no association or stake in the district, Gallegos said in a news release, adding Rounds lives in Las Cruces, where he was once school superintendent. Whether you support PEDs mask policy or not and the Journal Editorial Board does the core issue at stake in Floyd is whether the states Public Education Department overstepped its authority in this case and what is the proper process when the state and a local entity disagree. Its up to our courts to provide clear direction. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The Attorney Generals Office is failing New Mexicos consumers and the publics right to transparency and open government. I do not say that lightly, but, after months of reviewing pleadings and orders, talking to consumer advocates and hearing directly from the attorney general, that is the inescapable conclusion. And, without a change in the culture at the AGs Office, that failure will be hard-wired into the AGs future prosecutions. In 2017, the attorney general started receiving a significant number of complaints from New Mexico citizens about a solar company that was, in the AGs words engaged in high-pressure and illegal door-to-door sales tactics that allegedly ensnared uninformed consumers into binding 20-year power purchase agreements that ended up costing homeowners more for the electricity than they were currently paying PNM. These agreements were often secured by liens filed on homes. In 2018, on behalf of 2,300 consumers, the AGs Office filed a strong complaint against the company. Two years later, the case was resolved. As a result of the settlement, the consumers received no compensation and the long-term agreements remained. This was most shocking because the defendant solar company paid money as part of the settlement. But instead of the money going to the consumers who had been allegedly bilked, $700,000 went to the private attorneys hired by the AG, and the remaining $1.2 million was used to help fund the operations of the AGs Office. The Legislature gave the attorney general the authority to seek money for individual consumers, Section 57-12-9. The AG sought that recovery in the complaint. He just did not get them anything. In addition, as part of the settlement, and apparently with the consent of the AGs Office, the solar company was allowed to hide over a million documents from public disclosure. Some of these documents, according to consumer advocates, would have assisted consumers in showing the companys sales force was specifically trained in how to take advantage of customers while making door-to-door sales. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In a letter to me, the attorney general claimed he has to work these poor deals because the Legislature does not give him the funding necessary to pursue these cases or operate his office. That is simply not true. But the AG has used this reason as an excuse for placing his offices interest above the publics interest. The $700,000 which went to the private attorneys could have gone to the Attorney Generals Office, and the rest of the settlement $1.2 million could have been used to help consumers. This was the type of case the AGs office pursued in-house through its consumer division in prior years. Why are these types of cases now being sent to outside, private attorneys? The attorney general is the publics advocate. Among other things, the AGs office is designed to protect New Mexico consumers. The AG also protects and defends the public interest, including the interest in transparency and open government. Future attorneys general should be committed to the following: (1) rebuilding the consumer affairs division within the AGs office to handle these types of cases; (2) using outside private attorneys sparingly and only in those cases where the AG does not have the expertise or the resources to handle such cases; and (3) taking a closer look at the relationship between the Attorney General and the awarding of contracts to outside counsel. The Legislature also has a role in rebuilding public advocacy. Consumers should have confidence that the attorney general will go to bat for them. This is better for everyone: the affected consumers, the public and the New Mexico businesses who are working hard to earn the publics trust. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The appointment of retired Justice Barbara J. Vigil as the new Cabinet secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department is a welcome change after the departments recent challenges with distrust and lack of transparency. Yet, regardless of its leadership, our community must ask itself, what will ensure that children and youth in New Mexico are safe and healthy? Seventy-four percent of substantiated child welfare cases in New Mexico result from allegations of neglect, not abuse, which is largely the failure of a family to provide needed food, clothing, housing, child care, health care or other basic needs. This is directly related to poverty, and as a state with the third-highest poverty rate in the country with nearly one in four children under 18 years old living in poverty in 2019, this should come as no surprise. Poverty is a systemic problem, not an individual failing. As investments in families in recent decades have diminished and challenges are left unaddressed, growing economic inequality is leaving families and children in precarious living conditions. Families are not supported in accessing affordable health care, housing and child care as well as employment that pays a living wage. This is where the child welfare system should turn its attention addressing root causes of abuse and neglect to prevent child maltreatment and create the best outcomes for children and families. As an organization that partners with young people impacted by systems and with a 30-plus-year history in the field of child welfare, we recognize that running CYFD is among the hardest jobs in the state. Managing an institution that is held responsible for child abuse-related fatalities cannot be easy. However, part of the challenge is that CYFD is designed to surveil, punish and separate families when it should be lifting up and supporting them. It pulls children and young people out of their communities and away from their support structures, traumatizing them after they have already gone through so much. This is especially true for children and youth of color, who are separated from their families at alarmingly high rates. So when studies suggest children who are separated from their families are at a higher risk of juvenile and adult criminal behavior and exhibit little to no measurable benefit in their mental health outcomes or behavior problems, we must ask is family separation going to lead to the outcomes we seek from CYFD? The design and culture of CYFD itself needs to change. It must truly connect with and listen to the people impacted by CYFD, who repeatedly tell us what they need to do better for their children and families. New Mexico deserves a leader who understands humility, the importance of community investments, and how to build trust, respect and relationships with families as well as the community partners that do the work that CYFD fails to do. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We expect no less from Justice Vigil. New Mexico deserves a department that is designed to uplift and keep families together. We should continue to hold leaders accountable to this vision and continue to ask ourselves, can CYFD do that on its own? Or is it time for New Mexico to reimagine new support systems for youth and families? NMCAN, a nonprofit organization here in Albuquerque that has been working in the child welfare field for over 30 years with a particular focus on partnering with young people impacted by the foster care and juvenile justice systems. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal When Santa Fe artist Tom Palmore was working in Philadelphia, he was known as The Gorilla Man. The pseudonym stemmed in part from a painting now hanging in the Philadelphia Museum of Art called Reclining Nude. The nude was a gorilla. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ That sense of wit and whimsy threads throughout much of the artists animal paintings, now showing at Santa Fes LewAllen Galleries. Palmores palette produces a menagerie of birds, bears, big cats, foxes, horses and more. The artist says it all started at the kitchen table, where his grandfather drew animals to entertain him in Ada, Oklahoma. Hed draw cows, and horses and birds, Palmore said. Sometimes, Id take one of his drawings into school and tell them Id done it. His grandfather taught him shaping and shading, and he was soon creating the animals around him on paper. All the other children were drawing with stick figures, which made no sense to me, he said. Imbued with the artists characteristic wit, exquisite detail and pop-meets-surrealist sensibility, his work now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Denver Museum of Art and more. Palmore studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia. By the time he was 25, he found acceptance in a Whitney Annual Exhibition and was later chosen for the Venice Biennale. He calls his an overnight success story. Ive only had two jobs in my life, he said. One is in art and the other is a very bad bartender. His first gallery show sold out. By the 1980s, he was showing his work at Santa Fes legendary Horwitch Gallery. His first one-man show there followed Frtiz Scholders. In every gallery, there is a hierarchy, Palmore explained. Then, youre invited to (Horwitchs) fabulous parties and you get to go horseback riding with her. Then, you get to fly on her private plane. His love for animals germinated on his grandfathers farm, where the family raised chickens, a paint horse and pigeons. It really relates back to my childhood because I really loved animals, Palmore said. For decades, weve underestimated the intelligence of the other Earthlings around us. He works from his own or others photographs, then adds his own touch of magical realism, under painting them with acrylic before topping them in oil. Palmores animals often pose within unfamiliar, artificial settings, linking them through memory, association or the artists trademark humor. He renders them as though they are portrait sitters, lending them a sense of nobility and pride. His backgrounds range from ancient Mayan reliefs to the curtains of the Santa Fe Opera. Night Watch features an image of an owl perched on a crescent moon seemingly lifted from a fairy tale. Palmore says the image formed as he was watching an old Busby Berkeley movie. They were filming (the dancers) a lot from the top, he said, so they could show the symmetrical pattern. So, they lowered a woman onto the moon. I thought it was such a strong image, so I chose a nocturnal animal. His studio is crammed with hundreds of animal books. Hes also taken research trips to Guatemala, the Yucatan and Belize. Tiger Eyes shows the white cat against a relief backdrop. I was leafing through a book of ancient (art) from India, Palmore said. There was a carving of a peacock. I thought What would go good with this classic Indian background? and it had to be a tiger. Palmore has long considered New Yorks Chrysler building the most beautiful in Manhattan, with its Art Deo architecture. The gargoyles on the corners there are big eagles, he said. I thought, That is so cool. He added a pigeon on top of the eagle. Its simple, its straightforward; it has a bit of humor to it, he added. I dont paint a butterfly on a bears nose, he said. You cant compete with nature. All you can do is use it for inspiration. You discover your own vision and you let that guide you. If you go WHAT: Tom Palmore: Other Earthlings WHERE: LewAllen Galleries, 1613 Paseo de Peraita, Santa Fe WHEN: Through Aug. 22. CONTACT: 505-988-3250; lewallengalleries.com .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... A group of Albuquerque neighbors vented last month on the Nextdoor online community app about their electric bills all of them annoyed, and all of them expressing a familiar frustration. My bill more than doubled in one month. Did anyone else experience this? asked one exasperated neighbor from Albuquerques Rolling Hills area. Yep. Ours doubled too. So over it, responded a woman from the Little Paseo del Norte part of town. Does anyone know why this happened? asked a man in the Tuscany neighborhood, who also was lamenting his higher-than-expected bill in July. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Nicole, from Ventana Ranch, ventured: Wondering if it was from the hundred-degree temperatures in June? Bingo, Nicole at least according to the experts. Your electricity bill is really determined by how hot it is outside, said Kyle Redford, chief operating officer for Anderson Air Corps Heating and Cooling in Albuquerque. Redford is an expert air conditioning technician and licensed mechanical and electrical contractor. Its all about the BTUs, he said. British Thermal Units, explained Redford. Thats how we measure the amount of heat there is. Air conditioning is basically a system for removing BTUs out of a home, he said. With the recent heat lots of sun, high temperatures and sparse cloud coverage your house is just absorbing heat by all those factors, he said. So obviously, the hotter it is outside, the more heat the system has to take out of your house. So electricity bills were pretty high in June across the board. And June was a scorcher. Here in Albuquerque, during mid-June, we had a number of days where we saw high temperatures of at least 100 degrees, which is well above normal for the time of year, said Alyssa Clements, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. She qualified the heat wave by saying that June 2021, compared to Albuquerques 30-year average, was above average by half a degree. But the drought conditions, she said, further aggravated the high temperatures. Public Service Company of New Mexico, which provides electricity to 525,000 residential and business customers across New Mexico, including Albuquerque, said it is aware of community concerns about the amount of some of the recent electrical bills. PNM says it is due to increased consumption, not increased rates. We have not raised our rates at all. In fact, the last time that we raised our rates was 2016, said spokeswoman Meaghan Cavanaugh. A rate increase needs to follow a very strict set of guidelines, and the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has final say in any rate increase. Ray Sandoval, PNM director of corporate communications, also confirmed any increase in peoples recent electric bill was a result of their increased usage of electricity. He said an increase in fuel costs may have added a small amount to peoples bills, but that amount would be negligible; it is pennies, he said. He said he worked with his staff to investigate whether there would be any other reason for higher bills for Albuquerque residents. We went back and looked to see if there was anything in our system and really it is just consumption, it really is, he said. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Emotions are running high for Danny Kiranos as he begins his tour. Not only is it his first tour in more than a year, but the musician is also worried about keeping an audience safe. Definitely uncertain times, he says. Im excited to be out supporting the album and getting to see people. Kiranos performs under the stage name Amigo the Devil. He is kicking off his tour at Meow Wolf at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, and the tour is in support of his latest release Born Against. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Born Against is the follow-up to his 2018 debut Everything Is Fine. He says his new collection of songs reveals him to be more than a one-trick pony stylistically as he opens up the creative channels and delves deeply into thematic and musical influences as august as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Fiona Apple. Every new record is an opportunity to sit and think about how much has changed in your life and the world around you, Kiranos says. Its a new opportunity to bring in both new and old influences. I really wanted to dive into ideas that Id either been avoiding or ignoring within myself and figure out ways to align them with music I grew up listening to. Influences that may have been set aside in our older recordings. Austin, Texas-based Kiranos traveled to Dallas to record the album at Modern Electric Sound Recorders with Beau Bedford. This marked the first time Kiranos had explored some of the world music he had grown up with, from Eastern European folk to Australian bush ballads, all the way to both Spanish and Cuban Bolero traditions, amongst many others. Kiranos felt Bedford was the only producer who could draw those sounds out of him. He says normally after releasing an album, he tours. With the pandemic, those plans got derailed. We literally released it last year and then had to find ways to keep it relevant, he says. This album process is my favorite recording experience so far. Im very happy with what we were able to put together. Kiranos will be on tour for nearly two months before it wraps up on Nov. 18. He jokes that procrastination is the key to his success. The more time I give myself, I start to overwork everything, he says. I follow more of a gut feeling and the instinctual path. I blame being wired this way. If you go WHAT: Amigo the Devil WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18 WHERE: Meow Wolf, 1352 Rufina Circle, Santa Fe HOW MUCH: $22 plus fees at the door .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. On July 14, 1881, Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid in the chest after surprising him in a bedroom. Garretts Colt Single Action, which he used to kill Billy the Kid at Pete Maxwells Ranch, is an artifact of one of the most important and well-known stories of the Wild West. Now part of American mythology, Garretts friendship with Billy the Kid, their mutual respect, and his subsequent hunt, capture, escape and death have become the stuff of legend. On Aug. 27, more than 140 years after Billy the Kids death, a piece of New Mexico history will be sold at auction as Garretts pistol will go under the hammer. It is estimated at $2 million-$3 million and is one of the most important and well-documented historical firearms. It has never appeared at public auction, according to Los Angeles-based auction house, Bonhams. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Pat Garretts gun is impressive when you see it, says Catherine Williamson, Bonhams director of books & manuscripts. Those 19th century guns are bigger and heavier than you would think. When looking at it, its not fancy. Williamson says theres a heavy amount of wear and tear on the gun which was done by Pat Garrett. (He) confiscated the pistol from Billy Stiles, who was an outlaw in his own right, she says. It was relatively new. Its been on display since it was acquired. Its pretty neat to see this part of American history. The revolver is part of the collection of Texas-based collectors and college professors Jim and Theresa Earle. The couple have been assembling a collection of firearms for decades. According to Williamson, the couple began their collection in 1973, buying heavily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and rarely selling. Many of these guns have now been off the market for nearly 50 years, only seen in some cases on exhibition at the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, or other reputable institutions. Jim and Theresa have done their homework and have supporting documents for all of their items, Williamson says. Its been a family affair for them as their children also took an interest in collecting. While Garretts pistol is the star of the show, The Early West: The Collection of Jim and Theresa Earle will include 265 lots. These include the most important and well-documented collection of historical firearms belonging to Western lawmen and outlaw legends, along with manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia. The lot also includes more of New Mexico and Old West history, including: Wild Bill Hickoks Springfield Trapdoor Rifle buried by his side at Deadwood, South Dakota, on Aug. 3, 1876. Its estimate is between $150,000-$200,000. Hickok was revered and feared in the west for his quickness and skill, both as a lawman and as a gunfighter. By 1876, Hickok had made his way to Deadwood, where he prospected with Colorado Charlie Utter, and gambled. On Aug. 2, 1876, he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall, holding a poker hand of aces and eights (now popularly known as the dead mans hand). In his coffin, Hickok was buried with his prized Springfield Sporter. The most famous of Bat Mastersons Colt Single Actions, ordered July 24, 1885, from the Opera House Saloon, Dodge City, Kansas. It is estimated to fetch between $200,000-$300,000. Masterson had first arrived in Dodge City in 1876, quickly assuming a legendary role in Western law enforcement, alongside his friend Wyatt Earp. He served as sheriff of Dodge City, as well as a U.S. Marshal. Masterson ordered nine Colt Single Actions between 1879 and 1888, but this is the most famous: ordered with his fantastically detailed letter, at the height of his popularity and fame, and specifically stating that he was ordering it for his own use. A rare Virgil Earp Tintype, full length standing portrait of Virgil Earp, after 1882, some light creasing to surface, lacking case. It is the only known image of Virgil Earp showing his injured arm. In this tintype, an older Virgil stands with a cigar in one hand as the other arm hangs limp at his side. In 1881 his elbow was shattered beyond repair, reputedly by Johnny Ringo, in retribution for Virgil Earps role in the OK Corral shoot-out. It is estimated to fetch between $20,000-$30,000. The final signature of John Wesley Hardin, It is estimated to go between $10,000-$15,000. On Aug. 19, 1895, Hardin signed his bar tab as he left the Wigwam Saloon in El Paso and then played dice at the Acme Saloon. John Selman shot him in the head from behind, killing Hardin. This bar tab is most likely the last signature of the legendary gunfighter, and certainly the last known. Pat Garretts contract for the publication of the 1881 book, Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. Its estimate is between $8,000-$12,000. After Garrett shot Billy the Kid, the press portrayed Garrett in a negative light, inspiring him to write, with co-author Ash Upton, his own version of events. Garrett contracted with local Santa Fe publisher Charles W. Greene to produce The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid for the terms listed in the original signed contract. The resulting book is considered one of the rarest in the Wild West canon, and the foundation of the Billy the Kid legend. This is such a cool piece, Williamson says of Garretts contract. The local publisher scored such a coup. Garrett is going to publish a first-person account of capturing Billy the Kid. Because he wasnt connected to East Coast publishing, there were only 500 copies printed and didnt sell well. It wasnt the bestseller it could have been if it were in the right hands. With only 500 copies printed, the book is that much more rare. Williamson says an auction like The Early West doesnt come along too often. She says that a lot of gun collectors are interested in the firearms, but theres a lot of history for sale from this iconic period. Theres a mythology about this period, she says. Some of the people walked both sides of the line. People really love Billy the Kid because hes a trickster figure. Hes so young and charismatic and seemingly hard to catch. We often wonder how he learned to do what he did. Hes legendary and these items prove that these times were once in a lifetime. ON THE BLOCK: Billy the Kids Whitney Double Barrel Hammer Shotgun taken from Deputy Bob Olinger and used to kill him during the Kids dramatic Lincoln County Courthouse escape on April 28, 1881. It is estimated to go between $200,000-$300,000. Billy the Kid was convicted of murder on April 1, 1881, and Pat Garrett took him to jail in Santa Fe. He was set to be hanged May 13, however, in his last and greatest escape, he seized an opportunity, stealing a shotgun from Garretts office and shooting his guards, Deputies James W. Bell and Bob Olinger. He broke this shotgun he used on Olinger over the railing and threw it down at him in the street. This shotgun is the only identified Billy the Kid gun known to have been used, and his last. Online To view The Early West: The Collection of Jim and Theresa Earle, visit bonhams.com/auctions/ 27262/ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Editors note: The Journal continues Whats in a Name?, a twice a month column in which staff writer Elaine Briseno will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names. Spending time in the Northeast Heights almost guarantees an encounter with the name Domingo Baca. Its hard to miss. Theres a popular public park named after him, a community center, a canyon and a well-used hiking trail in the Sandia Foothills. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Knowing the man behind the name isnt as easy. Maldonado Journey to the Kingdom of New Mexico: Volume X by Gilbert Maldonado says Baca, also known as Diego Domingo Baca, was a prominent rancher and sheepherder whose livestock roamed the Sandia Foothills in the early and mid 1700s. It was this, Maldonado claims, and his ties to a powerful family that led to the canyon near there being named after him, and subsequently North Domingo Baca Park and the North Domingo Baca Multi-Generational Center, which were named after a nearby dam of the same name. (The dam name was changed to Kinney Dam in 2002 to honor former Albuquerque mayor Harry Kinney.) To understand why his name is probably so frequently displayed in the Albuquerque area, one must understand Bacas heritage. His tale is defined by the lives of powerful and connected women. Baca hails from a distinguished family who helped settle Albuquerque and descended from Spanish colonizers. He also had a mother who defied social norms but thrived despite it. Baca was the third child of Josefa Baca. He was born in 1710 in Pajarito, which is now a community in the South Valley. Josefa Baca, who lived from 1685-1746, was a wealthy rancher and the descendant of Captain Cristobal Baca, who brought the Baca name to New Mexico from Mexico City in 1600. Josefa Baca owned the Pajarito Land Grant. What was unusual is that all of her children, including Domingo Baca, were illegitimate. According to her will, she never married. The father, or fathers, of her children remain a mystery but her unwed status did not keep her or her children from remaining in good social standing. Josefa Bacas family ties and wealth may have played a role in that, but the following tale by Fray Angelico Chavez suggests it was Josefa Bacas cleverness and audacity that allowed her a woman with six illegitimate children and her children to remain respectable and prominent members of society. Fray Chavez was a Franciscan priest who died in 1996 and dedicated his life to researching and writing about the origins of New Mexico families. Chavez recalls how Josefa Baca helped her niece marry the man she loved, even though the girls father threatened to kill her with his own sword if she did. He shipped the niece off to live with Josefa Baca in an effort to separate her from her paramour. That turned out to be a mistake. Although Don Antonio Baca knew his sister Josefa well, he had not reckoned with her strong-willed nature, much less with her own views on love problems such as the one he was thrusting upon her, Chavez writes. Alone and unmarried, she had developed her inheritance into a prosperous hacienda and had borne and reared six healthy children besides. Baca took her niece to Mass at San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town one day. What nobody knew was that hiding in the back of the church, behind a door, was the nieces beau. After the Mass, Baca and her niece allowed everyone to leave. The man came out of hiding and the couple rushed to the altar where the priest was waiting. The two were married without any objections. Josefa Baca was the mastermind behind the entire plot, contacting the groom and the priest prior to the Mass but not informing her brother about what was about to happen. I reckon its not all that surprising that her children became prosperous citizens. Domingo Bacas marriage in 1764 to second wife, Maria Antonia Montoya, further bolstered his place among New Mexico royalty. The marriage fused the branches of two powerful New Mexico families. Montoya was the great-granddaughter of the powerful Captain Diego de Montoya. It was captain Montoya who once owned much of the land that is now the east side of Albuquerque and the Sandia Foothills. Montoya gave a large portion of the land to Elena Gallegos, who also holds an important place in local history. The union between Domingo Baca and Maria Antonia Montoya resulted in the birth of Bartolome Baca who was governor of New Mexico province from 1823 to 1825. He was also the owner of the 1.28 million-acre land grant in Estancia. Although little details are currently available about Domingo Bacas life, I think his heritage speaks volumes. Every time I pass that park or hike the canyon named after him, Im going to think about his mom, Josefa Baca. A fierce woman who dismissed the expectations of her gender and gave life to a family still thriving today. Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email staff writer Elaine Briseno at ebriseno@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965 as she continues the monthly journey in Whats in a Name? .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON Dozens of nations from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country. More than 60 nations released a joint statement Sunday night citing what they call the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. The statement says that those in power and authority across the country bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The statement concludes: The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them. The statement was distributed to U.S. media by the State Department. ___ SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas Foreign Ministry said it has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul and evacuated most of its staff to an unspecified third country in the Middle East. The ministry said a few diplomats, including Ambassador Choi Taeho, remain at a safe location in Afghanistan to support the evacuation of a South Korean national in the country and that the Seoul government is closely working with the United States and other countries to ensure their safe evacuation. Afghanistan has been on South Koreas travel ban list since 2007. There were reportedly around five South Koreans living in Afghanistan before the Seoul government in June called for all of them to leave the country within 10 days as the United States and NATO proceeded with troop pullouts. ___ WASHINGTON A State Department official says the American flag is no longer flying at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul amid evacuations from Afghanistans capital. The official tells The Associated Press that nearly all embassy personnel have been relocated to the citys international airport. The official says the flag itself is with embassy personnel, who are among thousands of Americans and others waiting for flights. The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity In a joint statement Sunday night, the State Department and the Pentagon say they are taking steps to secure the airport for safe departures by way of civilian and military flights. The statement says the U.S. security presence will have expanded to nearly 6,000 troops over the next two days and will take over air traffic control. Those leaving include American citizens who have been living in Afghanistan, locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families, and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals. Also part of the departure plan are thousands of Afghans eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas. Nearly 2,000 of those with special visas have arrived in the United States over the past two weeks. Matthew Lee. ___ WASHINGTON President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials have been stunned by the pace of the Talibans nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation. The speed of the Afghan governments collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed. Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it. By Sunday, though, leading figures in the administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety. ___ UNITED NATIONS U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint in order to protect the lives of Afghans and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that the United Nations remains determined to contribute to a peaceful settlement, promote the human rights of all Afghans, notably women and girls, and provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and critical support to civilians in need. The U.N. humanitarian office said members of the humanitarian community both from the U.N. and non-governmental organizations remain committed to helping the millions of Afghans needing assistance and are staying in the country despite the highly complex security environment. The office, known as OCHA, said in a statement Sunday that more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance before more than 550,000 people were displaced by conflict this year, a figure that doubled since May. ___ This story has been corrected to show that OCHA said more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance, not 550,000. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban spokesman and negotiator tells The Associated Press that the militant group is holding talks aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government in Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen spoke to the AP after the Taliban overran most of the country in a matter of days and pushed into the capital, Kabul, as the United States scrambled to withdraw diplomats and other civilians. Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce a new government from the presidential palace, but those plans appear to be on hold. ___ WASHINGTON The United States is sending another 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, raising the U.S. deployment to roughly 6,000. A defense official tells The Associated Press on Sunday that 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne are going directly to Kabul instead of going to Kuwait as a standby force. The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a deployment decision not yet announced by the Pentagon. On Saturday, President Joe Biden authorized the U.S. troop deployment to rise to roughly 5,000 by adding about 1,000. Since then, the Taliban have entered the capital of Kabul and Afghanistans president has fled the country. Helicopters have been evacuating personnel from the U.S. Embassy, and several other Western missions also are preparing to pull their people out. Robert Burns ___ KABUL, Afghanistan The Al-Jazeera news network is airing footage of a large group of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace in the capital of Afghanistan. The Taliban are expected to announce their takeover from the palace, renaming the country as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The militants have taken over most of Afghanistan in a matter of days as the U.S. scrambles to withdraw after 20 years of war. ___ LONDON Britains Defense Ministry says U.K. troops have arrived in Kabul to help evacuate remaining Britons there. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after chairing a Cabinet emergency committee meeting Sunday that the priority is to get out British nationals, as well as Afghans who helped U.K. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, as fast as we can. The ambassador is working round the clock, has been there in the airport to help process the applications, he told Sky News. We certainly have the means at the moment to get them out Its just a question of making sure that theyre able to do it over the next few days. The vast bulk of embassy staff and officials have already left Afghanistan, Johnson added. ___ NEW YORK The Latest developments on Afghanistan, where a Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks before the final pullout of American and NATO troops: The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Afghanistan Monday morning (10 am EDT) at the request of Estonia and Norway. Council diplomats said Sunday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief council members on the latest situation following the Taliban takeover of the capital, Kabul. The U.N. chief on Friday had urged the Taliban to immediately halt their offensive in Afghanistan and negotiate in good faith to avert a prolonged civil war. He also said he is deeply disturbed by early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Senior U.S. military officials say Kabuls international airport has been closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue. The suspension of commercial flights cuts off one of the last avenues to escape the country for Afghans fearful of Taliban rule. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days and swept into the capital on Sunday. Scenes of chaos played out at the airport earlier, as Afghans rushed to get on the last flights out of the country. Videos circulating online showed airport personnel struggling to coral crowds boarding a plane on the tarmac, while a man with an injured leg lay on the ground. In the background, a U.S. Air Force plane was landing. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban official says the group will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by U.S.-led forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has suspended all operations and told Americans to shelter in place, saying it has received reports of gunfire at the international airport. The U.S. is racing to airlift diplomats and citizens out of Afghanistan after the Taliban overran most of the country and entered the capital early Sunday. The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly and the situation at the airport is deteriorating rapidly, the embassy said in a statement. There are reports of the airport taking fire and we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has suspended consular operations effective immediately. Do not come to the Embassy or airport at this time. ___ PARIS France is relocating its embassy in Kabul to the airport to evacuate all citizens still in Afghanistan, initially transferring them to Abu Dhabi. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain said in a statement Sunday that military reinforcements and aircraft would deploy in the hours ahead to the United Arab Emirates, so that the first evacuations toward Abu Dhabi can start. Evacuations have been in progress for weeks and a charter flight put in place by France in mid-July. Since May, France has taken in Afghan employees at French structures under potential threat, with 600 people relocated to France. France gradually pulled out troops from Afghanistan between 2013 and 2015, and since then former personnel who worked for the French Army and their families, some 1,350 Afghans, were brought to France, the statement said. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan leaders have created a coordination council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of the power, after the religious militias lightening offensive swept to the capital, Kabul. In a statement posted on social media by former president Hamid Karzai, he said the body will be led by the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and himself. The statement said the move was to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people, and to manage peace and a peaceful transfer. ___ BERLIN The United Nations refugee agency says more than 550,000 people in Afghanistan have fled their homes due to the conflict since the start of this year. A situational update published Sunday by Geneva-based UNHCR shows about 126,000 people were displaced in the previous month to Aug. 9, the most recent date for which figures are available. A spokeswoman for UNHCR said that while the situation inside Afghanistan is fluid, for now the displacement is largely internal. There is a need to support the humanitarian response in the country, Shabia Mantoo told The Associated Press. If we do see cross border movement then additional support outside the country will be necessary too. The agency continues to have international and Afghan staff on the ground, she said. ___ BERLIN German media have issued an urgent appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel and the countrys foreign minister for an emergency visa program to help local staff who worked for them to leave Afghanistan. In an open letter Sunday, major German newspapers, public and commercial broadcasters, and the dpa news agency warned that the lives of these freelance staff are now in acute danger. The media outlets stressed that reporting from Afghanistan over the past two decades would have been unthinkable without the efforts and bravery of the Afghan staff who supported us on the ground: local journalists, stringers and translators. Citing several recent fatal attacks on journalists, the letter said that due to the advance of the Taliban it must be feared that such murders will now dramatically increase and many of our staff are at risk. We are convinced: there is no time to lose now, it adds. Our staff who want to leave the country are at risk of persecution, arrest, torture and deaths. That is why we ask you act quickly. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan officials say embattled President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban moved further into Kabul. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they werent authorized to brief journalists told The Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video. He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable, Abdullah said. Ghanis whereabouts and destination are currently unknown. ___ TORONTO Canada has suspended diplomatic operations in Afghanistan and Canadian personnel are on their way back to Canada. Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement the decision to suspend operations is temporary and the embassy will reopen if the security situation allows staff to be safe. Some 40,000 Canadian troops were deployed in Afghanistan over 13 years as part of the NATO mission before pulling out in 2014. More than 150 Canadian soldiers died during the Afghanistan mission. ___ WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the Taliban enter the Afghan capital. But he is playing down Americas hasty exit, saying this is manifestly not Saigon. Speaking on ABCs This Week on Sunday, Blinken said: The compound itself, our folks are leaving there, and moving to the airport. Blinken also confirmed that U.S. Embassy workers were destroying documents and other items ahead of fleeing the embassy, but insisted this is being done in a very deliberate way, its being done in an orderly way, and its being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way. The evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had U.S. military helicopters lifting off from embassy grounds Sunday, and sent puffs of black smoke up into the skies over Kabul as U.S. officials worked to keep sensitive material from falling in Taliban hands. The scene comes after President Joe Biden earlier this year played down any idea that the Taliban could capture the country, or that the Afghanistan war would end up in scenes reminiscent of the Vietnam one, with military helicopters taking off from embassy rooftops. Blinken defended Bidens decision to end the nearly 20-year U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, saying Bidens hands were tied by a withdrawal deal President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban in 2020. If Biden had called off the withdrawal, we would have been back at the war with the Taliban, and forced to surge tens of thousands of American forces back into Afghanistan, Blinken said. __ Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... KABUL, Afghanistan The Taliban swept into Afghanistans capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabuls abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government. Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated womens rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport, according to two senior U.S. military officials. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for fleeing Afghans. Dozens of nations called on all parties involved to respect and facilitate the departure of foreigners and Afghans who wish to leave. More than 60 nations released the joint statement distributed by the U.S. State Department late Sunday night Washington time. The statement says that those in power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam. This is manifestly not Saigon, he said on ABCs This Week. The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to return to the embassy, but it was not clear if he would be allowed to. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation, said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. God should hold him accountable. Ghani later posted on Facebook that he left to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated that the capital would not come under insurgent pressure for a month. The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of Americas longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, but America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq war. For years, the U.S. sought an exit from Afghanistan. Then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month. After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as tense. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani. Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul. We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully, he said. Afghanistans acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not hold back his criticism of the fleeing president. They tied our hands from behind and sold the country, he wrote on Twitter. Curse Ghani and his gang. The Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. Reports of gunfire at the airport raised the specter of more violence. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door. What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban? Getee Azami cried. It wasnt clear what happened to her after that. An Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan, said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she will be able to graduate in two months. She said her generation was hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now. Sunday began with the Taliban seizing Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the countrys last government-held border post. Later, Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters. ___ Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada; Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem; Matthew Lee in Washington; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; Aya Batrawy in Dubai; and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. Update 5:38 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021 - WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden has authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan. That's according to a media statement by a defense official. The added troops would raise to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops to ensure what Biden is calling an orderly and safe drawdown of American and allied personnel. U.S. troops will also help in the evacuation of Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war. The last-minute decision to re-insert thousands of U.S. troops into Afghanistan reflects the dire state of security as the Taliban have seized control of multiple Afghan cities. As the Taliban offensive circles the Afghan capital of Kabul, there is increasingly only one way out for those fleeing the war, and only one way in for US troops sent to protect American diplomats still on the ground -- Kabul's international airport. --- KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Taliban have seized three more provinces and are approaching the outskirts of Afghanistans capital. The insurgents have also launched a multipronged assault on a major northern city defended by powerful former warlords. The Taliban have captured much of northern, western, and southern Afghanistan in a breakneck offensive less than three weeks before the United States is set to withdraw its last troops. That has raised fears of a full militant takeover of the country. Afghan officials say the Taliban have captured the provinces of Logar, Paktika, and Faryab, and are battling government forces some 11 kilometers, or about 7 miles, south of Kabul. An Afghan lawmaker told the Associated Press that the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, has fallen to the Taliban. (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press) Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 15.08.2021 - The firefighting operation carried out by Swiss Humanitarian Aid and the Swiss Armed Forces in Greece came to an end on 14 August 2021. The three Super Pumas and their crews, together with the Swiss Humanitarian Aid rapid response team, supported the Greek authorities in the forest fire suppression operations for seven days. In total, Swiss helicopters carried out 226 rotations and dropped more than 386 tonnes of water on the fires. Super Pumas of the Swiss Armed Forces, which were sent to Greece on 7 August 2021, were deployed on firefighting operations mainly on the island of Euboea and in the Peloponnese. In total they flew 75.5 hours. The emergency deployment was led by Swiss Humanitarian Aid, part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), in close cooperation with the Swiss Armed Forces and the Greek authorities. Thanks in part to Swiss support, numerous fires could be extinguished or contained and the property of many people was protected from the flames. This deployment enabled Switzerland to provide rapid, competent assistance where it was urgently needed. The Swiss team, consisting of military personnel, Swiss Air Force specialists and members of the Swiss Armed Forces' engineering/rescue/NBC training unit, as well as members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, was warmly thanked by the local authorities. The pilots and firefighting specialists were supported on the ground by the accompanying ground crew, which took care of the maintenance of the helicopters as well as the coordination with the Greek authorities. Cooperation with those responsible for the operation and the partners in Greece went very smoothly. Switzerland's emergency deployment followed an official request for support from the Greek authorities. The costs will be covered by existing funds from the FDFA and the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS). Switzerland is continuing to closely monitor the development of the fires in southern Europe and the Balkans. On an ongoing basis it assesses other potential deployments based on requests submitted and the possibilities. Address for enquiries DDPS Communication Swiss Armed Forces Delphine Allemand Swiss Armed Forces Spokesperson Tel. +41 58 463 22 58 *** FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53 Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html General Secretariat DDPS https://www.vbs.admin.ch/ Defence http://www.vtg.admin.ch https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Let-My-Daughter-Go-A-Fathers-Desperate-Plea-to-Britains-National-Health-Service.html The hospital is effectively holding a patient prisoner and denying parents the ultimate responsibility for deciding their childs fate. Deep into an English summer, the skies over Manchesters Royal Childrens Hospital are that telltale pale blue holding a threat of sudden showers that means its August in this part of the country. But for Alta Fixsler, a little girl lying in a windowless room inside the hospital, theres been no summer. Since she entered the world, Alta has only known the cold sterile walls of a hospital ward and the winter of intensive medical care. And as her family desperately fight for her survival, the British sky so often grey and rainy seems to cry for the fate of this child. When little Alta was born to a chassidic family in Manchester, UK, two and a half years ago, she joined a growing list of British children who have become tragic household names due to their parents battle to keep them alive against the wishes of the local medical system. Born with severe brain damage, Alta was initially declared brain-dead by doctors, who urged the parents to end their babys life. Born with severe brain damage, Alta was initially declared brain-dead by doctors, who urged the parents to end their babys life. They told us, Youre both young why suffer so long? recalls her father, Avraham Fixsler. But I answered, We love her as she is, and we wont do anything to end her life earlier.'" That clash of values set the stage for a battle with Britains National Health Service (NHS). The hospital has vowed to disconnect the sweet-faced toddler from her ventilator due to what they say is her incurable pain an assessment Altas family rejects. Almost as soon as it broke, the Alta Fixsler case drew comparisons to that of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans, British toddlers who sparked recent end-of-life court battles. In both of those cases, the NHS refused to discharge the children for experimental treatment overseas, arguing that they had no chance of recovering and thus palliative care was the most ethical option. Then as now, British authorities were adamant that doctors, not the parents, were best suited to determine what was a humane end for these children. As politicians such as US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have called on British authorities to let Altas parents transfer her to America or Israel, the story raises disturbing questions about Britains medical and legal environment. What is it about the countrys health system that has provoked the battles surrounding first Charlie, then Alfie, and now Alta? Courtesy of the Family The recent pleas for Altas transfer hold a note of disbelief: that a family with no UK citizenship could be prevented from taking their child for treatment abroad, at no cost to the state. That a hospital could effectively hold a patient prisoner. That a medical bureaucracy invested with the powers of life and death could deny parents the ultimate responsibility for deciding their childs fate. Now having lost their battle to take their case to Europes highest court, the Fixslers heartrending struggle appears bleak. Were not public people, and this has been very hard on our lives, says Avraham Fixsler with a weary note in his voice. We feel like the UK is keeping us hostage. Im not asking for money, just to let us go." Shes a Fighter Baby Altas tragedy began during a complicated birth in 2019 during which, for more than 25 minutes, she was starved of oxygen. Our oldest, a boy, was then five years old, and wed been expecting a healthy baby, says Avraham. So after she was born, and they resuscitated her for 10 to 15 minutes, the doctor warned us that she wouldnt live more than a few hours, and that we shouldnt get too close to the baby." With a ventilator to help her breathe, the baby passed her first test when she survived those first few days and evaded a medical classification that would have ended her chances of life. Shes a fighter, and she started to get a bit better, says Avraham Fixsler. But the doctors wanted to declare her brain-dead, which would have meant that all care could be withdrawn. I said, no, theres a bit of movement. I had a feeling, and that was confirmed when they did some brain scans. It was in those early days that the Fixslers had an encounter that changed the mind of the senior doctor in the NICU. The doctor said that given the extent of the damage to her brain, the baby would have a very limited lifespan and poor quality of life. "I told him, The One Who chose to give her to us will decide when to take her. The doctor almost cried, and then said, If this is what you want, we will try to do everything to help her. Two weeks later, that doctor told me, Your words are still ringing in my ears.'" The decision to fight on wasnt one that the Fixslers took on their own. Rabbis from Chayim Aruchim, an American Agudah-affiliated organization specializing in end-of-life issues, said that the parents should do everything they could to keep their child alive. As a Belzer chassid, Avraham Fixsler traveled to Israel to consult his rebbe about whether subordinating family life including their older childs normal existence to a round-the-clock battle to save the baby, was the correct course. The Belzer Rebbe encouraged him to go ahead, and named the baby Alta as a portent for long life. With the medical team on board, the improvement in the babys breathing continued until, at two months old, doctors in the NICU decided to wean her off the ventilator. That, the Fixslers were to find out, was the key test as far as the hospital was concerned. Ventilator-assisted breathing wasnt a long-term option in a hospital and there was no possibility of using a ventilator at home. "Im originally from the US and Israel, says Avraham Fixsler, and in both places there is specialized long-term care beyond hospitals. I discovered that in England there are hospices, but theyre only for end-of-life care for a few weeks, and they dont use ventilators, only oxygen. There simply was no option for care outside the system." With the NICU specialist hopeful that Alta could be released, social services visited the Fixsler home to assess what long-term care would require. At the same time, the supportive doctor said that a tracheostomy was needed to facilitate Altas breathing with oxygen. That, it turned out, would require surgery in the childrens hospital and a change in medical team. Here in the UK, the NICU is not part of the childrens hospital, and I was reluctant to lose this doctor who had been very supportive. I told him, Promise me that they wont move the baby until both sets of doctors have met with us to discuss Altas future. They promised, and so I left it." Broken Promises It was one Saturday night about a year ago that things started to go downhill. The Fixslers got an urgent phone call. A nurse told us that Alta was about to be moved and that we should come. I protested that wed been promised a meeting before that happened, but she said that she was just following instructions." Alta needs 24/7 care, and in this ward, the nurses only visit once an hour. Driving across the city to where the Manchester University hospital complex is located, Avraham Fixsler was shocked to see that things were worse than hed feared. When I arrived, shed already been moved, and it was from an ICU to a regular ward for children who could communicate. Alta cant cry, and she has no way of reacting if secretions get stuck when shes breathing. Thats why she needs 24/7 care, and in this ward, the nurses only visit once an hour." Even at that stage, the Fixslers werent thinking in terms of legal redress. Instead, they hoped to work with the hospital to clarify things. That Monday, the Fixslers met the NICU doctor who, it turned out, had himself only been notified of Altas transfer a few minutes before. The new medical staff sought to calm the parents, urging them to test the arrangements for a week. Avraham Fixslers response was that with the level of care, Alta would soon need to be reconnected to the ventilator a prediction that didnt take long to be proven true. About a week later, Covid had hit the UK and I got a call. Come quick, Altas not breathing it could be Covid. I responded that it wasnt Covid that was at fault, but simply the lower standards of care." Alta was reconnected to the ventilator, and when the Covid tests came back negative, the doctors told the Fixslers that this time, there was no hope of weaning her off. It was time to talk of different ways of dealing with her condition, since going home wasnt an option. I understood what they were referring to, says Avraham Fixsler, so at the next meeting after Pesach, I told the doctors, Ill take her home and pay for a ventilator and nurses myself.'" The medical teams response was that home care wasnt an option, and when the Fixslers demanded to know why, they were surprised to hear something new. Because shes suffering pain, they were told. That was the first time wed heard that claim, says Avraham Fixsler. Sometimes Alta shakes her hand and head, but the NICU doctor said that it wasnt pain, but a reflex. Ive since gotten the opinion of other neurologists who confirm that theres no pain, and this claim only appeared in the childrens hospital when they realized that she would have to stay permanently on a ventilator." The issue of when exactly the hospital raised the subject of Altas pain features in the High Court ruling of May this year. The issue of when exactly the hospital raised the subject of Altas pain features in the High Court ruling of May this year. Justice Alistair MacDonald noted that the parents contend that, initially, the possibility of Alta going home was discussed, at which time there was no mention of Alta being in pain. The NHS Trust contend that palliative care was discussed with the family from the outset and that pain has likewise been an issue for Alta from the beginning." But while the judge concluded that ongoing pain was the only standard by which to determine the case, the possibility that pain was never raised initially might suggest that the presence of pain itself is not clear cut, as indeed the ruling discusses at length. And despite the court ruling, the evidence on pain is mixed. Writing in the London Times last week, Dominic Lawson quotes Dr. Rajesh Munglani, a leading authority on pain, as calling the judgment fundamentally flawed." The judges first point was that suffering is a higher cognitive function, in which Alta is entirely deficient, Dr. Munglani said. His second point was that given her permanent lack of consciousness, to say she probably experiences pain is simply wrong. I have patients with total spinal injury who have spasms, but no pain, because the link between the nerves and the brain is lost. This is almost certainly true also of Alta Fixsler." All of that was the subtext to the opening of the legal battle in December 2020. Despite the building tension, the hospital management had been very professional in dealing with Altas case, but when the Fixslers rejected the option of palliative care, there was only one option left. Youll need to get yourself a legal team, they said, because were going to court." Just Let Us Go! For a measure of just how well-known the case has become, look no further than the British Guardian newspaper. When the ECHRs decision was announced last week, the papers website, which has a global audience, headlined the update very simply. Alta Fixsler, it read, with no further identification details needed. The case first made the headlines after the first court ruling back in May. Media outlets, both British and international, immediately drew comparisons to the cases of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans, two similar high-profile struggles of parents to treat their British-born sick children outside of the UK. Charlies case captured the news in 2017 when as an 11-month-old baby with a degenerative brain and muscle disease, his parents decided to seek experimental treatment in the US. British doctors felt that the treatment was not in the childs best interests, given the amount of brain damage. A year later, Alfie Evanss case hit the headlines. Alfie had a degenerative neurological condition, and the Liverpool hospital that was treating him said that continued life support was unkind and inhumane. A court denied the right of Alfies parents to transfer him for treatment in Italy. He was disconnected from life support and died a few days later. Online funding and lobbying campaigns which became known as Alfies Army and Charlies Army exerted pressure on authorities to reverse both decisions. But despite high-profile interventions ranging from the Pope to President Trump, British authorities remained adamant then, as they have now in Altas case. Avraham Fixsler says that despite the similarities, Altas case is more clear cut. The difference is that none of us are British. We joined my in-laws, who are Israeli, in England in 2014. Im American and Israeli, my wife is Israeli with Hungarian citizenship none of us are British." An effective lobbying effort brought support from both Republican and Democratic senators in the US, and an appeal from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was couched in strong terms. That contention that ultimately Alta belongs elsewhere is at the heart of the political effort to bring her overseas. An effective lobbying effort brought support from both Republican and Democratic senators in the US, and an appeal from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was couched in strong terms. In a statement, he said: My heart breaks for the Fixsler family. Weve got them US visas, and Ive written to the British ambassador and asked why Alta cant come if her fathers an American citizen. Were going to keep fighting because her life is at stake. For some reason the UK is still not letting her go its hard to figure out why." Value judgments Chuck Schumers imponderable why Alta is being held in Britain against her parents wishes is just one of several. He might wonder, as well, why this is the third such battle in recent years to come out of the UK. David Foster, who currently represents the Fixslers, is a barrister who specializes in pro-life cases such as these, and he explains that there are a number of factors at work. Ive been doing these cases for a long time, he says, and they come in front of the courts every few months, but dont get to the media. Whats different about the UK, as opposed to Israel or Germany, where Ive worked with doctors, is that in those countries youll often hear doctors say, I wouldnt dream of withdrawing support. But in Britain, which has a more secular-liberal culture, doctors will make that decision. In America, he adds, theyre more advanced in giving adequate respect and space to those of a particular faith. And thats where I think the court hasnt given sufficient weight to the fact this is a chassidic family, unlike, say, the Charlie Gard case." But its not just the value judgments that worked against the Fixslers; the NHSs very size is also a factor. As its name implies, the organization is a national-scale health provider decisions are calibrated for their effect on the whole. In the US, you can have a diversity of opinion and outcomes, Foster explains, but since this is a national health service, decisions need to be consistent with those made everywhere. So when you get a case like this, theres no option of going elsewhere. A national organization like the NHS lends itself to homogeneous outcomes, which can go against a minority approach." In Justice MacDonalds High Court ruling, one statement that raised eyebrows was how to assess Altas best interests. I am not able to accept that the assessment of Altas perspective should start from the assumption that Alta would share the values of her parents, wrote the judge. I am not able to accept that the assessment of Altas perspective should start from the assumption that Alta would share the values of her parents, wrote MacDonald. I am satisfied that, in circumstances where she has not developed any understanding of the faith into which she was born, and giving due weight to the fact that a childs attitude may be, and often is influenced by the views, beliefs and guidance of his or her parents, it is more likely than not that Altas point of view would be that continued life-sustaining treatment would not be acceptable to her." The idea that, in effect, being Jewish only starts when a child is old enough to understand her religion is new ground, according to Foster. But even to a lay observer, the precedent is potentially alarming. What, for example, prevents a judge from banning non-medical circumcision on the grounds that a baby is too young to have a religion? In the vast accretion of British case law, its one more reason that Alta Fixsler is setting a worrying precedent. Everyday Heartbreak After almost ten months of legal battle, Avraham Fixsler looks back at the entrenched opinions of both sides. Thereve been times when weve been made to feel that we were doing the wrong thing for fighting for our daughter. In court, they claimed that we didnt come to the hospital a lot, although we have a son who has to be looked after. They said that we only got clothes from charity, which is not true at all, but it was meant to show that we were just fighting because we felt we had to, but not because we cared for the child. Of course, that has an effect on the outcome of the case. And in retrospect, Avraham Fixsler thinks, there was another mistake. Hed wanted to go public earlier, but was advised by his then legal team that public pressure would be counterproductive. I think that was wrong, Avraham says. The fact that Chuck Schumer and other US senators arranged a visa and asked for her to be transferred made it a case of public interest, which is why the UK Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal." The NHSs refusal to consider treatment elsewhere may be informed by an element of pride. The UK wouldnt publicly acknowledge that its national health system is subpar. In the wake of the European Human Rights Courts decision not to hear the case, Schumer rushed out a new appeal to the British ambassador in Washington, asking as a matter of life and death to reconsider, in light of the long US-UK alliance. Although as David Foster says, this is a legal matter, where courts are free of political pressure, he concedes that the NHSs refusal to consider treatment elsewhere may be informed by an element of pride. Trying to move children in these cases is essentially saying that the child will be better cared for elsewhere, he says. And the UK wouldnt publicly acknowledge that its national health system is subpar. As the heartbreak over Alta Fixslers fate continues to capture media space, this little girls very name stands as a warning about end-of-life issues in a liberal medical system in which doctors assessments hold more weight than religious rights or parents own wishes. With all the ink spilled over the tragic struggle of the parents for their sweet little girl, it was the London Times that put the case for humanity against the strict rules that have been applied again and again by the NHS. Let Alta Fixsler go, wrote Dominic Lawson, to end her life with her extended family, rather than at a time of the British states choosing, in a windowless room in Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital The tragic struggle to take Alta Fixsler beyond UK shores for treatment has seemingly hit an immovable legal wall. But an effort to prevent cases like these from appearing in British courts is underway. Charlies Law, a push by Charlie Gards parents who lead a foundation in their sons memory to redefine the law to give parents more of a say, has made it to Parliament. The proposed amendment to the 1998 Human Rights Act a law that provides for a best interests assessment for a person who is incapacitated would ask instead whether a parents choice would cause significant harm to the child. Alongside the ongoing expensive legal battle, Jewish activists whove helped the Fixslers are exploring a way to join this effort, both for Britains Jewish community and for all British children. They propose a full-service organization that will enable children in similar situations to be transferred for treatment elsewhere. This article originally appeared in Mishpacha magazine. Afghanistan has been called "the graveyard of empires." While disputes about the validity of the term continue, the fact is that the country has been a battleground for empires. From ancient times until today, the country has been invaded by what is present-day India, the Greeks, Muslims of the Rashidun caliphate, Mongols led by Genghis Khan, Persians, and Sikhs. More recently, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and NATO, led by the United States, have had a go at establishing a presence in the nation. Why is Afghanistan so important? According to military tacticians, any entity controlling Afghanistan has a gateway to control Southern Asia, especially India, which can be invaded through the Khyber Pass. Control of the pass is a reason so many empires and nations have battled for control of the country. It is key to empire-building in southeast Asia. Currently, Afghanistan is at least temporarily under the control of the Taliban. But perhaps even more importantly, China has indicated that it will recognize the Taliban if Kabul falls. What may happen after China recognizes the Taliban? Since the restraints Western nations such as Britain, America, and NATO (Europe) place on warfare and the concept of "nation-building" while conducting war do not compute when it comes to the CCP, China will no more regard the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan than it has regarded the Dalai Lama as the spiritual leader of Tibet. The fact is that China has no reluctance in employing whatever means its current communist regime chooses to quash resistance to empire-building. One has only to observe the way the Chinese government treats its own citizens, only recently somewhat freed from the disastrous "one child" policy that has resulted in demographic disaster. One can also cite China's genocidal program aimed at ridding itself of the Uyghur minority within the country. Another indicator of the regime's ruthlessness is its relentless persecution of religious groups, including but not limited to Christians. Further, a country that doesn't hesitate to conduct a brisk trade in organs harvested from still-living prisoners would not hesitate to destroy or enslave Afghanis, be they members of the Taliban or not. In brief, given the documented tactics of its rogue regime, it is clear that China will apply any and all asymmetrical and total war tactics that have the potential to crush the Taliban. Once underfoot, the Taliban would be seen as having been merely a useful tool for disrupting the current and increasingly fragile Afghani government as well as a means of getting America out of the Southeast Asia geopolitical equation. What will follow if China succeeds where the West has failed? What will happen if China essentially takes over Afghanistan? A Chinese takeover of the country would give Xi a big lever for increased influence of Southeast Asia, which along with China's relentless efforts to dominate the South China Sea routes would further weaken countries to the east and south of China. Countries such as the Philippines; Indonesia; and even India, Japan, and Australia might be tempted to accede to China's demands and give in to vassalage rather than fight China directly. The complete exit of America and its allies would ensure an increase in China's Southeast Asia power plays. What about the United States' exit from a twenty-year-long endeavor? Unfortunately, the current administration seems oblivious to the current scenario in Afghanistan, focusing on getting America out regardless of the carnage bound to follow a disorderly exit. In fact, the Biden administration appears to be more interested in increasing the sinicization of America than it is in confronting China on any significant level. Biden and those who influence him appear to be more interested in extending central control over individual states than in restraining or containing Chinese influence in Southeast Asia and beyond. He appears more interested in reducing red states into mere satrapies while targeting the largest rebellious states of Texas and Florida. In brief, Biden seems to be treating red states as China has been treating Hong Kong, and as China would love to treat the nation of Taiwan. What is the remedy? The overall outlook is not good. It may be too late for America and the West to do much about Afghanistan, given the current weaknesses and divisions within the United States and Europe, especially as they are exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Frankly, the current administration is in disarray when it comes to foreign policy. Could that be because the Executive Branch appears to be more at war with its own citizens than with enemies abroad? Distracted by the unrealistic and destructive goals of a "Great Reset," the Biden administration is too busy with fundamental transformation of America according to leftist principles. It appears to be in no mood to occupy itself with a confrontation with a government that is similarly leftist-minded and one that appears to be highly influential in top U.S. government circles. Until the ideological war within America itself is settled in favor of the ideals of the constitutional republic it still purports to be, the fate of Afghanistan and much, much else will remain outside the control or even the purview of the United States. Fay Voshell holds an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her the prize for excellence in systematic theology. Her thoughts have appeared in many online magazines. She has been a contributor to American Thinker for a decade. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com. Image via Pixabay. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The American Jobs Plan (AJP), AKA The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act, is a proposal by U.S. president Joe Biden to spend $2+ trillion on U.S. infrastructure over eight years. A Fact Sheet outlining the goals of this legislation was published in March of this year, and the 2,700-page law is now working its way through Congress. In a recent vote, 17 Republicans voted to move along this bill. It seems to have bipartisan support. This bipartisan support reveals the mental, moral, fiscal, legal, and logical collapse of the USA. The bill lacks a conceptual and logical foundation. It is a hybrid of types of legislation from the Progressive Era of American history, elements of New Deal thinking, and has some ideas taken from the pathetic stimulus package with its nonexistent "shovel ready" jobs during the Obama years. U.S. government intensification of control of the railroads in this proposed legislation is an updating of the thinking that led to the creation of the ICC in 1887, whereby railroad rates and later wages came under U.S. government oversight. By the way, in 1995, the ICC was replaced by the Surface Transportation Board, which now has regulatory authority over intercity buses, pipeline carriers, and interstate moving as well as railroads. This is further evidence that when governmental authority is enhanced, over time, its purview and authority become broader and broader. The Biden plan envisages even more intense modernization of the railroads as the climate bigots desire greater and greater use of the railroads and less and less use of airplanes. The climate change obsessionists claim that downsizing airplane dependence will also add to the health of our republic, as there will be less CO2 in the air. Although the coal stacks of Pittsburgh and elsewhere have long since disappeared, the environmental freaks are still worried about our contracting black lung disease or cancer. The summary Fact Sheet put out by the White House repeats ad nauseam that the infrastructure plan will be increasing the employment of the "underserved" (a buzzword meaning minority black and brown people) in all sectors covered by the legislation. Thus, we see elements of the New Deal the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the AJP. Just as these agencies were to be mechanisms for addressing unemployment during the Depression, this bill will focus on training and hiring minorities in numerous sectors of our economy, which the legislation intends to upgrade. The AJP specifically says the jobs provided to minorities will be higher-paying jobs. The government, not the marketplace, will determine what skills are needed, provide training for those skills if needed, pay a salary based on what they believe said minority employees should get as a matter of "fairness," and in fact create a marketplace for employment independent of the free marketplace. The government will create the jobs, place people in those jobs, decide who works where, and calculate what is a proper wage in each and every case. In short, without saying so, the ideal is building an economy within an economy. We had already begun to do that during the New Deal, but now that idea will be re-instated on steroids. For the America Firsters, the legislation will encourage more goods to be Made in the USA. But how will this be accomplished? Not by sound trade policy, but, on my reading, by governmental fiat. The government somehow is going to "make it happen." The government will dictate what has to be made in the USA and what does not. This leads us to the subject of the utopian veneer on this so-called infrastructure bill. We see this generally in fact, it is not solely about infrastructure. Everything but the kitchen sink is referred to as infrastructure. Topics in the legislation to be covered include human-trafficking violations; promoting women in trucking; information reporting for brokers and digital outlets; certain Medicare drug refunds; time for filing a petition in tax court; customs user fees; clean school buses; climate science; changing the tax code to make it harder to evade taxes; creation of safer, healthier workplaces; reduction of the impact of climate change; improvement of our internet transmission; and cleaner water. The bill also puts electric charging stations along the highways, which is something I do not support. Why? This writer likes using gasoline-powered cars, and while driving, it is sometimes satisfying to leave the highway to get gas and an Arby's roast beef sandwich. Despite its claims of comprehensiveness, there is no mention of Arby's in the Biden Fact Sheet. There is nothing in the bill defining how the programs are to be created or how they will be administered. All it states is that eight different Cabinet-level departments will receive certain appropriations. This vast influx of cash accompanying a vast new legislative mandate will present tremendous administrative challenges. But in essence, the legislation is just allocating the funds and giving the agencies or departments administrative free rein in how to practically implement the legislative mandate should the infrastructure bill finally pass Congress and become law. To put the matter bluntly, incorporating so many non-infrastructure topics inserts a soap opera element into this legislation. Instead of being focused and accomplished, it is a hodgepodge. It is a bunch of madmen throwing incomprehensible amounts of money at certain issues or supposed problems and waiting for the paper-pushers to correct a society that is in noticeable material and moral decay. The White House American Jobs Fact Sheet states, "The plan targets 40 percent of the benefits of climate and clean infrastructure investments to disadvantaged communities." Does this imply nicer climates in poorer minority neighborhoods? Do they really expect to have cleaner air on the Southside of Chicago or in East New York? Will spring arrive earlier in poorer neighborhoods? Instead of talking about climate in poorer neighborhoods, how about intensive cleaning of the elevated and subway stations with decades of dirt ground into the cement station floors, many of which stations are in "disadvantaged communities"? The omnibus aspect of this legislation dooms it. Too many areas of life are covered. Too much money is allocated. Instead of beginning with smaller test projects, the bill is attempting to do too many projects at once. We are seeing a type of legislative derangement...full of sound and fury, yet without conceptual, institutional, or financial unity disjointed, unconnected. Assuming it will pass, it is doomed from day one to chaos and failure. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. In a speech during Sunday Mass on August 8, 2021, the Maronite patriarch of Lebanon, Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, called on the Lebanese army to prevent the launching of missiles against Israel from Lebanese territory and said U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 of August 11, 2006, must be strictly implemented. Lebanon is currently a country in political, economic, social turmoil. Rahi stressed that it was unacceptable that a party decides peace and war outside the decision of legality. He was calling on the army to confront Hezb'allah. It is true, he said, that Lebanon has not signed a peace with Israel, but it is also true that Lebanon has not declared war with it and is officially committed to the 1949 truce. The dilemma is that Hezb'allah is the strongest military and political force in Lebanon. Its supporters refuted the patriarch's comments, calling him "the patron of surrender." It had defied Rahi by escalating hostilities against the state of Israel. Rahi was referring to the incidents on August 6, 2021, when 19 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel after three rockets had been launched against Israel two days earlier. The Israeli Iron Dome had intercepted ten of the rockets, while six had fallen in open areas and three inside Lebanon. It was the sixth attack on Israel in recent months and the first in which Hezb'allah admitted responsibility. The IDF responded by firing 40 artillery shells at open areas in southern Lebanon, and then by airstrikes targeting the Hezb'allah launch site and the road on which the terrorists had traveled. The Hezb'allah attack is a warning sign of possibly more deadly military problems in the future. Hezb'allah, like Israel, has significantly increased and upgraded its military capabilities. With the help of Iran, it has more than 150,000 rockets and missiles, and many can reach any place in Israel, including ballistic missiles with a range of 700 kilometers. Hezb'allah's action violates U.N. Security Council resolutions. UNSC Res. 1559, adopted in 2004, called for all Lebanese militias to disband and disarm. Res. 1701 of August 11, 2006, bringing about a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, prohibited all armed military other than those of the state of Lebanon from operating anywhere in all of the country. But Hezb'allah did not pull its forces out of south Lebanon, though it did agree to disarm its forces south of the Kitani river. Founded in 1982 by Muslim clerics and Iran, the objective of Hezb'allah was to fight American and Israeli imperialism and the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. A second objective was to gather all Muslims into an ummah, linked by the doctrinal and religious connection of Islam. It then added a militant political movement with an effective political party, an extensive social service network, a TV station, and a budget that comes from Iran. Hezb'allah personnel were trained and organized by a force of 1,500 Iran revolutionary guards. A number of Shia groups were assimilated into the organization, accepting the ideology expounded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, "obedience to one leader, wise and just, adherence to Wilayat al-Faqih, and continuing the Islamic revolution made victorious by God in Iran." Though it has made changes, Hezb'allah still adheres to its original ideological orientation. But it is unusual since it is both a Shia movement and a militant group, and a political organization, virtually a state within the state. This has led to the characterization of an organization with two wings, one military and the other political, a distinction that has been rejected by Hezb'allah's leaders, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and deputy Naim Qassem. They see Hezb'allah as "a political party, a resistance party, and the party of striving in the path of God Almighty." The Hezb'allah militia has about 10,000 active fighters and 20,000 reserves, and a larger arsenal of artillery than most nations possess. On August 12, 2021, the Alma Center in Israel reported that Hezb'allah had built an extensive network of tunnels, whose cumulative length of hundreds of kilometers connects entire regions of the country. Some tunnels are able to allow pick-up trucks with rocket launchers to fire, leave, and re-emerge at a different location. One tunnel stretches 45 kilometers south of Beirut. The tunnel project results from cooperation between North Korea and Iran, which paid for the project, and Hezb'allah. Hezb'allah, the world's most heavily armed non-state actor, is a ruthless body. It has clashed with rival Shia militias such as the Amal movement in 2005. Its affiliate, Salim Jamil Ayyash, in 2005, assassinated the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, by a large truck bomb on Beirut's waterfront. Yet the main enemy is Israel, starting in 1978 when Israel occupied Southern Lebanon and invaded Beirut in 1982. Elimination of the State of Israel is its primary goal. Using tactics of suicide bombing, assassination, capturing Israeli soldiers, murders, and hijacking, it has attacked Jewish and Israeli targets abroad. Hezb'allah was responsible for the 1994 car bombings of a Jewish community center in Argentina, which killed 85, and the bombings of the Israeli Embassy in London. Even after Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, Hezb'allah continued its attack in the disputed Shebaa farms border area. In 2006, thousands of rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israel, and the 34-day war resulted in the deaths of 165 Israeli soldiers and civilians. The E.U. in 2013 listed the Hezb'allah military wing as a terrorist organization. In spite of its denials, Hezb'allah is also anti-Semitic. It has vilified Jews as enemies of mankind, conspiratorial, with plans to enslave the Arabs and undermine Islam. It accused Jews of deliberately spreading HIV and other diseases among Arabs in the Middle East. It engages in Holocaust denial. Hezb'allah since 2011 has been an ally of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war, recruiting Shia and other fighters to help Assad, sending more than 7,000 militants, and Syria in return facilitates the supply of weapons from Iran to Hezb'allah. In 2013, Hezb'allah joined Iran and Russia in supporting the Assad government against Sunni rebels. They have been crucial in the survival of the Assad regime. Iran views Hezb'allah as a vehicle to extend its influence in Lebanon and the Levant, and supplies it with funds and weapons of increasing magnitude, advanced anti-tank rockets, long-range surface-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, and precision-guided munitions that can strike within a few meters of the intended target. On behalf of Iran, Hezb'allah targeted in the 1980s officials of the Shah's regime working in Europe and attacked France for its support of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, fighting against the U.S. and multinational forces. In battles in Iraq, militias, AAH and KHA, supported by Hezb'allah killed hundreds of U.S. servicemen. For critical battles in Syria, Hezb'allah recruited Shia and other fighters to support the Assad regime. In addition, Hezb'allah created unit 3800 in 2003 to train and assist Iraq Shia militias fighting U.S. and multinational forces in Iraq. Hezb'allah is important in the life of Lebanon, a country troubled by factionalism and horse-trading, and a sectarian power-sharing system. It controls part of Beirut's port, airport, border crossings for smuggling. With its allies, it commands the biggest bloc in the Lebanese parliament. The Hezb'allah attack was praised by Palestinians, especially Hamas, who said the rocket attack emphasized Hezb'allah's natural right to respond to aggression until the liberation of the holy sites and Islamic lands. In contrast, the U.S. State Department condemned the rocket attack and called on the Lebanese government urgently to prevent such attacks. Hezb'allah has been linked to two bombings in 1983, against the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, events that killed hundreds of Americans. About the Israeli air raid response, the U.S. has repeated that Israel has the right to defend itself. At the same time, the U.S. announced that the fatal drone attack that killed two crewmen on the merchant tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman on July 30, 2021, was committed by an unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with a military-grade explosive that was produced in Iran. The Hezb'allah rocket aggression was fanned by Iran's activities. It is an indication that Iranian aggression has increased throughout the Middle East. Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi, who is nicknamed the "hangman of Tehran" because of his brutality in 1988, is likely to continue that aggression. The U.S. and Israel both recognize that Iran is a clear danger to regional stability and world peace, and that Hezb'allah is one of its main instruments. Since 2010, the U.S. has provided more than $4 billion in foreign assistance to Lebanon. Though Lebanon is struggling with an economic crisis and coping with COVID-19, the issue confronting Washington is whether it should continue that funding in view of the aggression of Hezb'allah. Image: Re.zan via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0 (cropped). To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The surge of the Taliban and the ongoing collapse of the Afghan government is a tragic development for many Afghans, particularly women and those who have been associated with American forces. It's also a disgrace and significant setback for both the Biden administration and for the U.S. itself. The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan began with President Trump, who said Americans were tired of a war with no end in sight. He was correct. Americans were tired of seeing our brave young soldiers coming home with their arms, legs, and faces blown off or not coming home at all. What was it for? What was the purpose? Questions from family members are rightfully asked, "What did my son die for?" "The life of our family is ruined. The father of my children lost both legs and an arm...why?" The stories are heartbreaking, and there are no convincing answers to the questions. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo rightfully blamed the Biden administration for its reckless and thoughtless sudden withdrawal without some sort of deal in place with the Taliban and other stakeholders. But that's just near-term politics. It avoids the important questions. If blame is to be assigned, we have to look at leaders of both parties who don't understand history, the dynamics of the region, the basic tenets of radical Islam, or the meaning or purpose of war. Biden's spokesperson Jen Psaki warned the Afghans that if they continue their attacks on the Afghan government, they will risk isolation from the international community. Does anybody in his right mind think that these people care about that? Nothing could be more naive. What we are seeing is a possibly historic victory for Islamic jihad, the radical Islamic conquest of a people. Pat Buchanan quotes Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who summarized the situation: The complete, utter failure of the Afghan national army, absent our hand-holding, to defend their country is a blistering indictment of a failed 20-year strategy predicated on the belief that billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars could create an effective democratic central government in a nation that has never had one. In other words, we have been caught in a trap of our own making. George W. Bush sent our troops into Afghanistan after 9/11 almost 20 years ago with the primary purpose of knocking out the Taliban and tracking down Osama bin Laden. In retrospect, there was no planned exit strategy once the Taliban was defeated. There was no visible strategic plan beyond trying to modernize the country with the forlorn hope that freeing women from the shackles of radical Islam and giving Afghans a new kind of freedom would be sufficient to keep the Islamists at bay. But in fact, the Taliban was merely pushed back and, with the help of Pakistan, never really defeated. No strategy often means catastrophic results. American policy-makers in both parties have ignored the appeal and power of radical Islam. Bush meant well. But he was naive to think that any Muslim nation could be turned into a mirror of our democracy, certainly not in the time frame of just a generation or even two. A glance at the region shows that Islam takes many different forms, from Turkey to Egypt to Dubai to Iran to Saudi Arabia to Pakistan and, finally Afghanistan. But at the core of it all are the basic beliefs. "There is no God but Allah." In his book The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to Isis, Robert Spencer says it is taken for granted among many Washington policymakers that Islam is a fundamentally peaceful religion and that Islamic jihad terrorism is something relatively new, a product of the economic and political ferment of the twentieth century. But in fact, he says, Islamic terror is as old as Islam itself, as old as Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, who said, "I have been made victorious through terror." Tracing the 1,400-year war of Islamic jihadis against the rest of the world, the book details the jihad against Europe, including the 700-year struggle to conquer Constantinople; the jihad in Spain, where non-Muslims fought for another 700 years to get the jihadi invaders out of the country; and the jihad against India, where Muslim warriors and conquerors wrought unparalleled and unfathomable devastation in the name of their religion. Jihad warfare has been a constant of Islam from its beginnings. Spencer says present-day jihad terrorism proceeds along exactly the same ideological and theological foundations as did the great Islamic warrior states and jihad commanders of the past. Afghanistan is a special kind of wilderness, both culturally and geographically, where radical Islam cannot be easily obliterated without the amount of indiscriminate bloodshed that hasn't been unleashed since WWII. No major foreign power has ever been determined or strong enough to conquer Afghanistan. It was a graveyard for the British; the Soviets; and now, to a lesser degree, us. The Chinese are already sniffing around, drooling over the potential mineral wealth in Afghanistan. We'll just have to see how that goes. The Chinese are history's leading experts in large population control. So now what? American and European weakness against the radical Islamic beliefs of the ragtag Taliban is on global display for all to see. Allies, such as Taiwan and Israel, will have their own interpretations in considering whether they can rely on U.S. support when the going gets tough. We will understand the full consequences of what's happened only as the months and years unfold. In the meantime, at a minimum, the Chinese, the Russians, and the Iranians certainly see Biden as a decrepit paper tiger. This is an open invitation for global mischief and a green light for the radical Islamists. America at this moment is not mentally, morally, or physically strong enough to defeat radical Islam. Expect the onslaught in many different forms to continue if not accelerate. Frank Hawkins is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Associated Press foreign correspondent, international businessman, senior newspaper company executive, founder and owner of several marketing companies, and published novelist. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Based on the news photos seen on Twitter, the Taliban is at the gates of Kabul, and the Saigon-style U.S. evacuations have begun. Kabul: Embassy feeding the incinerators. Sledgehammering gear. Marines will lower flag. More Marines coming. Catastrophe. McCaffrey said can hold Kabul airport indefinitely. Fucking bullshit. Taliban will rocket the shit out of Airport. Our forces totally defensive. Michael Yon (@Michael_Yon) August 15, 2021 AP, Bloomberg, and Al-Arabiya are reporting that the Taliban is streaming into Kabul from all sides, and control every provincial capital. The terrorists are flying abandoned U.S. helicopters, posing with our abandoned guns, and parading in abandoned U.S. vehicles, with its "commanders" dancing with glee. In Kabul, the airport is jammed, the bank runs are starting, the prisoners are being let out, and the car line into Uzbekistan up north is stretching for miles. Gunshots are reportedly heard at the Afghan presidential palace. The Taliban took Jalalabad, shutting off the eastern route out, so Kabul airport is reported to be the only exit left. The U.S. Chinook helicopters have arrived for evacuations, the fighting on the outskirts of the capital is fierce, and planes have reportedly been taking off without a known destination. Which leaves what must be the biggest horror -- the line for visas into the U.S. sought by those who served as translators, interpreters, spies, or collaborators of the U.S. during the 20-year war. Afghans at a visa processing office in kabul just now. One man, overwhelmed, trying to help Afghans fill out US state dept forms (in english). Desperation. Many people came up to me crying, saying the need to leave, fear for their lives as Taliban closes in on Kabul. pic.twitter.com/zDodmUsBvl Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 15, 2021 Their fate is likely to be grim once the Taliban takes over, and you can bet these invading barbarians, who have engaged in public hangings and beheadings in recent days as they've taken over provinces, would like to make an example of some or all of them. According to the Wall Street Journal, getting a visa to the U.S., even in these conditions, remains a 14-step process. About 18,000 Afghans who have applied for the U.S.s Special Immigrant Visa, as well as their families, remain on the ground in Afghanistan, with about half of those outside Kabul, in areas either already under Taliban control or likely to fall soon, a congressional aide said. In addition, the State Department this month said tens of thousands more Afghans would be eligible for priority treatment under a U.S. refugee settlement program. The new criteria applied to Afghans who worked for U.S. government contractors, U.S.-funded programs and U.S.-based media or nongovernmental organizations, as well as their families. The precise criteria remain uncertain, and the State Department hasnt said whether part-time and contract workers for U.S. organizations would be eligible. The prospective refugees would have to get themselves out of Afghanistan to a third country at their own expense, the State Department said. Fourteen steps? For people they presumably already know and have already worked with? Translators, spies, interpreters, other people who've taken risks for us? The time is short, the monsters are circling, and like everyone else, the visa applicants probably believed the U.S. intelligence assessments that Kabul would fall in 90 days, not 72 hours (or less). Sure, they've gotten 200 out through a refugee program called Operation Allies Rescue with 700 more in the pipeline, and 7,000 visas. But the people who need to get out, by one report, number 80,000 people, if families are included, and according to this report from Politico, there has been no U.S. planning for them, despite having several months to do it from the date that Biden announced the pullout. With the hour late, it's probably impossible to get everyone out now, and many have been told to get out on their own, but it's still hard to understand why the U.S. can't streamline this process, conduct some triage given the circumstances, and fly these applicants out, to Kuwait, or Qatar, or Guam (whose governor has said he would gladly take them), and sort their paperwork out there. NGOs are stepping up and saying they'll pay for the flights and the keep of the refugees. But the visas? They're powerless. The continuously reported answer from State department officials is there's nothing we can do. It's madness. Politico notes that even a FLASH message from Joe Biden himself saying to let them in might not be enough. The Journal reports that there is some effort to get the ones out who are in the latter steps of the visa process, but it's obviously not enough. Joe's on vacation of course, but it seems insane that he hasn't even tried. The bigger irony, though, is that as these bona fide refugees are gummed up in visa paperwork, the southern border is seeing a surge of people with no serious asylum cases into the country, no questions asked. Some 50,000 of them have been let in without a court date, a paperwork nicety most ignore anyway. Others have been admitted with full-blown COVID, despite Title 42, which would normally force them back. None of them have ever done a thing for us, but they're being let in without visas, without any paperwork, without even court dates, because they serve as useful political tools for Democrats. But for Afghanis who helped us? Despite the fact that we know who they are? They get the full 14-point visa process as the capital falls to the enemy. It's insane. The Taliban must be laughing. We owe these people some kind of way out, or good luck ever getting local collaborators the next time we ever have to hose some terrorist hellhole out. That road's being closed off, too. Image: Screen shot from video from CBS Weekend News, via YouTube To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The summer of 2020 featured more than a pandemic. Fires burned in wildlands and in our cities, with consequences that persist in 2021. However, just as nature recovers from flames, perhaps America is beginning to do so as well. About a year ago, flames raced across Colorado. The fires included three of the largest in the states history and left massive scars on beautiful areas, such as Glenwood Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park. The fires also destroyed many homes. Recent rains on the Colorado wildfire scars have created mudflows. Slow and mighty, the mud comes downhill like a bulldozer, gouging out new gullies and carrying huge debris, including boulders as big as cars and tree trunks. These mudflows shut down Interstate 70 in Glenwood, a major east-west throughway for the state, necessitating detours that add hours for car and truck traffic. The mudflows have also reached the Colorado River, clogging its channel, and ending river rafting business. Tourism in Glenwood Springs and other points west has been harmed, as well. During the same sad summer, fires set by anarchists burned in dozens of Americas cities destroying businesses and scarring communities. Do you remember how many American cities Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa hit in 2020 after the death of George Floyd gave them a crisis to exploit in Minneapolis? Dozens. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, DC, and many smaller cities. As a result, crime rates in cities across America have risen sharply, including homicide rates. This is because BLM demanded during the riots that police be defunded, and politicians obliged. Also, BLMs narrative that all police are bad continues to affect many communities. Treated badly in their communities, and by political leaders, police retired and/or resigned in large numbers. Political leaders are only now stating that more police are needed. What is worse is that many police have been assaulted, ambushed, and murdered. Just this week, a police officer handling an ordinary traffic stop was killed and her partner injured. Ella French had just returned to work from maternity leave when she was shot. She leaves behind a two-month-old. Another consequence of the city fires has been the negative economic impact. According to the Junior Economist of Chicago, it may take ten years for the communities to recover. The losses include falling property values, a thousand businesses burned, and thousands of jobs lost. In the end, the total estimated damage in Minneapolis was $500 million. Businesses are having to accept other losses now too; looting is an acceptable mode of shopping in places like San Francisco. Maybe people became desensitized to it after watching so much looting take place in the cities where riots occurred. Another consequence is that American society is more divided than ever along racial lines. Because the anarchists want to divide and conquer Americans with race, instead of with class, everything is race and race is everything. However, just as nature ensures that Colorados beauty will recover following the fires, it appears that, across America, people seem to be sick of all the race-baiting. Like tender green shoots in fire-scarred landscapes, theyre waking up and standing up. For example, a ridiculous misunderstanding occurred at a Colorado Rockies game. An older white fan was accused of yelling the N word at a black player from another team. The media and social media reported that. Everyone was outraged until, after an investigation, the Colorado Rockies put out a statement. They said that the fan was yelling Dinger to get the attention of the team mascot, a purple stegosaurus, for a photo. At the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, those who want to divide us by race thought they had a world forum, but their actions became a show they didnt intend. There were significant numbers of black and white liberal athletes willing to push forward the narrative that America is a terrible racist country and always has been. However, the athletes that kneeled to disrespect the national anthem lost most of their matches. More importantly, a majority of USA athletes honored and loved their country and wore their flag proudly. These athletes won. Parents are also starting to stand up against critical race theory (CRT) being taught to their children. Theyre speaking out at school board meetings throughout America. They are also speaking up against school boards mandating masks for their children. The fires of 2020 caused much destruction on American wildlands and in American cities. We needed that like a hole in the head with the pandemic raging. However, neither seemed to bother the corrupt mainstream media or the politicians who havent done much of anything about the consequences. (Remember, they have been busy with one riot at the US Capitol during which no fires were set.) We have reason to hope, though, that America will be as resilient following the flames as nature herself is. C.S. Boddie writes for Meadowlark Press. Image: Secondary succession by Katelyn Murphy, with added text. CC BY-SA 3.0. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. After extracting US forces from Afghanistan, leaving behind a treasure trove of military hardware as an expensive parting gift for the Taliban to pick up as they blow down the US House of Cards policy known as nation building in Afghanistan, the weak American President just rushed 5,000 troops back to Kabul to extract personnel and possessions from the US Embassy before the Afghan capital falls to the Taliban, which is likely to happen in a number of days. When will America ever learn that, in the primitive world of the Middle East and parts of Asia, you cant make democracy-loving peacemakers out of corrupt thugs and ideology-driven killers? Ford was embarrassed out of office by the shameful newsreel of embassy personnel clambering into a helicopter, rotors whirling, perched perilously on the rooftop of the Saigon US Embassy, while US troops were preventing desperate Vietnamese from fleeing their Communist conquerors. Carter left the White House, shamed out of office by the vision of US embassy staff being marched blindfolded out the Kabul Tehran embassy, hands in the air in supine surrender, by the goons of the Islamic regime led by a small-time bully called Ahmadinejad who was to become idolized by leftwing American students when he was allowed into America to attend a US conference as the triumphant Iranian president. In an indoctrination center of non-American education, he received the adulation of brainwashed students. Now its Bidens turn. He has failed in everything he has touched in the brief seven months in office, including the biggest super-spreader event in America since the massed rioting of unmasked peaceful protesters in 2020, namely the invasion of over a million unverified, undocumented, illegal migrants, with thousands of untreated Covid positive people infecting their way throughout America, the closing of the Keystone pipeline and the subsequent shortage of gas and skyrocketing prices at the pumps leading Biden to plead with OPEC to pump up supplies to help him head off a crisis caused by him at home, the rage of parents against the racist hatred being taught to their kids in public schools, and appalling crime levels never seen before including homicides raging through cities and states as a direct result of Democrat mayors and governors following the Biden Democrat doctrine of defunding the police. Or was it Biden following the radical Democrats' demands? How shameful was it to hear the President of the United States beg the Taliban to spare the US Embassy until he had time to send in the removers to evacuate personnel and intelligence treasure before it is seized by a bunch of uneducated sheepherders who are on their way to a victory over the most powerful nation on earth. This, just hours after he said at a press briefing, The Taliban is not remotely like the Vietnamese army. They are not comparable. What Biden didnt say was the Afghan army armed, equipped, trained, and financed with billions of dollars for twenty years is unable to control the primitive hill-dwellers who have just swept unchallenged through more than eleven provincial capitals and are now driving American military Humvees armed with American machine guns and captured US armed drones in the direction of the US Embassy in Kabul. The Afghan army was trained and supervised by General Mark Milley, the US Commander that insisted before Congress a month ago that he is fine with military officers and soldiers being indoctrinated with the divisive racist critical race theory which will leave brothers in arms looking suspiciously at each other, questioning the moral strength of their racist country as they go into battle against lethal enemies. This is what Milley said of the Afghan security forces a few weeks ago. The Afghan security forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their country. I want to emphasize, repeatedly, a negative outcome, a Taliban military take-over in not a foregone conclusion. I guess this guy should know. He was the last commander in this theater of US operations. That was a cynical remark. He was crushingly wrong. What I truly mean to say to my American readers is, if this is the example of your top military commander, you are in seriously deep excrement. Milley never saw this coming. He was too busy indoctrinating his officer corps in BLM ideology while failing to see the corrupt misuse of the $130B that the United States gave the Afghan regime to pay ghost soldiers. These are the non-existing soldiers whose money was pocketed by lying Afghan warlords who fiddled the uninspected books. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer who reviewed Afghanistan policy for Barack Obama, said of the current situation that it is bleak, worse than most expected this quickly. The US Embassy in Kabul reported that the Taliban was executing captured Afghan troops in large numbers as they raced to conquer the country. They have no time to stop and organize petty things like trials, lawyers, prisons, and prison guards. This is the Taliban, now stronger than ever. And they are about to be joined by Al-Qaida, ISIS, and Hezbollah. By walking away, Biden has opened the door to the next 9/11. Correction from Andrea Widburg: This article misidentified Iran's capital city. Mr. Shaw and I both know better, of course, but we were thinking about Afghanistan, so.... I've corrected the error. Barry Shaw is the Senior Associate for Public Diplomacy at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies. Image: Taliban control over Afghanistan. YouTube screen grab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Brian Kolfage, an airman who survived losing both legs and an arm in Iraq, started a fundraiser to build a wall on our Southern border. The project took off, a lot of money flowed in, and the federal government promptly went after Kolfage, accusing him of defrauding those who donated money. This post is not about Kolfages guilt or innocence on the charges against him. It is, instead, about allegations that the government is effectively torturing him by denying him access to a medicine that controls the nerve pain resulting from his leg amputations. We know that the government has been exceptionally vicious in its prosecution against Kolfage. It started when biased federal agents operating out of the Southern District of New York arrested this family man, who lives in a Florida home with his wife and two young children. On August 20, 2020, the United States Postal Inspection Service sent 15 people to arrest Kolfage. Think about that for a moment: This is a triple amputee in a wheelchair, and they sent 15 armed officers to take him down. They then dragged Kolfage into a car that was not ADA compliant, leaving behind his wheelchair and his prosthetic limbs. Donald Trump subsequently pardoned Steve Bannon, who was arrested on the same charges, but Kolfage is still in the governments crosshairs. In addition, in May 2021, a federal grand jury in Pensacola issued a separate indictment against him, charging him with fraud and filing false tax returns. Now, Kolfage has announced that the federal government is refusing to give him a medicine that handles the nerve pain he experiences in his amputated legs. (Phantom limb pains are common in amputees and, I have heard, they are excruciating.) The Gateway Pundit quotes Kolfage: I literally cant function with it. I get severe nerve pain that feels like being stabbed in my legs every minute. Its the worst thing to experience over and over. Anyone who has experienced nerve pain, whether from sciatica or a pinched or herniated disk, knows how bad it is. My experience with it gave me the sensation that a red-hot wire was running down my legs. In her last years, when my mothers spine was disintegrating, her nerve pain was so extreme that shed scream like a wounded animal if anyone even touched her skin along the path of those nerves. She needed a fentanyl patch to function. Again according to The Gateway Pundit, the VA is refusing to prescribe that drug for Kolfage. Now, its entirely possible that this is not true. Its also possible that there is a medical reason for denying Kolfage access to the drug. And its also possible that Kolfage, even if he cannot get the medicine through the VA, can get it through a private doctor (although its price may be prohibitive for a man whos presumably facing massive legal bills). Still, reading the Fight 4 Kolfage website is illuminating and indicates that the feds charges (namely, that Kolfage was living high on the hog with other peoples money) were completely untrue. There is something very wrong going on here and, currently, Im inclined to doubt the government. Assuming that Kolfages claim -- that hes deliberately being deprived of the only medicine that relieves excruciating pain is true, what is one to call it other than torture? This is a man who has not been convicted who is innocent until proven guilty under our legal system yet the government is imposing cruel and unusual punishment against him. So, I ask you: What the heck is going on here? Even assuming solely for the sake of argument that the feds legitimately believe that they have a rock-solid case against Kolfage, they are not supposed to be engaging in pre-conviction punishment. (Although that hasnt stopped them with regard to the January 6 paraders either for, despite their not being convicted, theyve spent months in solitary confinement and suffer serious abuse in prison.) And even if Kolfage is legitimately found guilty, the Fifth Amendment is clear that the government cannot use cruel and unusual punishment against anyone, including felons. The government may think its being cute by saying that its not inflicting the pain, its just withholding medicine, but even a child could see through that. Unless the government immediately explains why Kolfage cannot have medicine to calm his nerve pain, its reasonable to believe the worst of a federal justice department that has manifestly abandoned equal application of the law in favor of a heavy-handed partisanship against anyway who stands against Democrat policies. Image: Brian Kolfage. Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Back in mid-August 1945, President Truman announced the end of the Pacific War: In what later became known as Victory Day, an official announcement of Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies is made public to the world on August 14, 1945. Japan formally surrendered in writing two weeks later, on September 2, 1945. Even though Japan's War Council, urged by Emperor Hirohito, had already submitted a declaration of surrender to the Allies, via ambassadors, on August 10, fighting continued between the Japanese and the Soviets in Manchuria and between the Japanese and the United States in the South Pacific. And then the kissing started. According to a story by Eliza Berman: Alfred Eisenstaedt's photograph of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square, after news broke of the Japanese surrender in World War II, has lived a storied life since it was taken on August 15, 1945. Often called "The Kiss," it became the iconic image of celebration at war's end, a black-and-white bookend separating an era of darkness from the beginning of a time of peace. It has also in recent years received a sort of #metoo infamy, after the woman in the photo said that the kiss was nonconsensual. But "The Kiss" was not the only photograph taken that day, nor was Eisenstaedt the only photographer navigating the boisterous New York City festivities. Another LIFE photographer, William C. Shrout, brought a different set of negatives back to the office that day, with his own perspective on the people's response to peace. While Shrout's photos have much in common with Eisenstaedt'skisses abounded that daythey capture one thing that Eisenstaedt couldn't easily have captured: images of Eisenstaedt himself. In one photo, Eisenstaedt kisses a reporter, his camera slung over his shoulder, in a pose not unlike that of the famous kiss he photographed that day. In another, he and that women walk toward Shrout, bright smiles on their faces. Shrout's images of a host of other anonymous embraces help put that famous kiss in context. And Shrout's images of the man behind that photo remind us that, even if a photojournalist is meant to be an impartial witness to history, he is also a part of the history he is witnessing. I guess that's why that song "It's Been a Long, Long Time" was so popular: "Kiss me once, and kiss me twice, and kiss me once again..." My mother remembers the LIFE magazine cover. She was a 16-year-old young woman in Cuba and always checking the LIFE issues that made their way to the island. And then she said the girls in that little Cuban town thought the whole thing was so romantic. Who knew that a bunch of Cuban teenage girls would say that? Before the wokes, we could drop a couple of atomic bombs, celebrate victory, and kiss the first girl within sight. It's too bad our kids are learning something else in school. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: D.D. Meighen via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped). To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The American Rescue Plan Act, which became law in March, includes an increase in the child tax credit of up to $3,000 per child and makes it a refundable credit. This means that a parent gets the credit even if he or she pays no taxes. It is money for nothing. My initial thought when I heard about the credit going to people who dont pay taxes was that this is just another example of Democrat wealth redistribution. After all, this is the same administration that is proposing a double death tax. Writing at National Review, Ryan Ellis explains that the Biden administration, in addition to the current tax that takes 40% of already-taxed money from well-to-do estates, now wants to add another tax. This one would tax a decedents unrealized capital gains if the assets were sold after the decedent passed away but in the same year he or she died. So, as I said, I was unhappy with this latest example of redistribution. I realized, though, that I was thinking about it all wrong after I talked to a good friend. He told me that he is putting his children into private school and using the tax credit to pay for it. That made me think. One of the biggest obstacles to private school for many parents is cost. As a general principle and as a conservative, I do not support this transfer of wealth, but I am intrigued by the possibilities. It would be a sweet irony if this giveaway gives millions of parents the financial means to get their kids out of government schools. So here is our opportunity. Lets reframe the plan as the Biden Plan to Enhance Private School Enrollment and promote it for that purpose. That is making lemonade from lemons. Here you go, parents. Avoid CRT, reduced standards, and the other craziness that are our public schools. Think of it as the vouchers you've been waiting for to get your child out of those horrible, government-run, union-controlled public schools. The checks started arriving just as the kids were going back to school. Great timing, Democrats. Thanks! Image: Classroom by Max Fischer. Pexels. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is one of the largest hospital networks in Georgia. Its Wuhan Virus data are widely used by the local media and other organizations throughout northeast Georgia. This week, NGHS tweeted out a graphic (see below) that has been circulated by those pushing the Wuhan Virus vaccine. Getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus reduces your risk of developing severe or critical symptoms or even dying from COVID-19. You still have the power to protect yourself and the people you love. Visit https://t.co/ojBmsVHPN2 to get the facts and find a shot near you. pic.twitter.com/k2Pqv4UZoC NGHS (@myNGHS) August 9, 2021 The implication is that, given the data, if you're "fully vaccinated," your chances of testing positive for the Wuhan Virus, requiring hospitalization because of the Wuhan Virus, or dying from the Wuhan Virus are minuscule. Vaccine apologists need to be asked: if these small ratios are justification for getting vaccinated, why are other small ratios ignored when Wuhan Virus policy is being made? I've long made the case that the actual data especially where the young and healthy are concerned on the Wuhan Virus are being ignored. For example, from the tweet above, we see that, according to NGHS and the Georgia Department of Public Health data, if you're vaccinated, your chances of dying from the Wuhan Virus are 0.00058%. If you're zero to 17 years old, your chances of dying from the Wuhan Virus are even smaller, 0.00048%. (There are just over 73 million Americans ages zero to 17 and 354 deaths in that same age range.) Yet the NGHS and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) advocate widespread masking, including masks for school-age children. (Note: The GDPH doesn't directly say this on its website, but on its "COVID-19 Guidance" page, under "Education," it links to the CDC's page on "K-12 Schools Guidance.") There can be little doubt that similar tactics are playing out in other U.S. states. School boards and public health bureaucrats throughout the U.S. continue to ignore the data as they push for universal masking in schools. Don't stand for it, America! Trevor Grant Thomas: At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason. www.trevorgrantthomas.com Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America. tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com Image: qimono via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he will have to sell his musical Cinderella to an American investor if it is not able to open. Last month the world premiere of the new show was postponed until August 25 because of Covid-19 isolation protocols. According to The Sunday Times, Lord Lloyd-Webber said the production cant go on with this stop-start. If Cinderella cant open, it will have to be sold to an American investor, he said. Im praying that it doesnt have to be that way. The show had opened with an audience capacity of 50% after the impresario rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnsons offer for the show to be included in the live events pilot scheme. According to The Sunday Times, Lord Lloyd-Webber said he does not believe the Government has really listened to our concerns, so Im talking purely economics in the hope that they might listen. He added: I met the chancellor (Rishi Sunak) last week and he made the point that the US didnt have the furlough scheme, but of course the scheme hasnt really helped live production. The difficulty is that if you have a show that has been off for a long time, you have to rehearse it. Lord Lloyd-Webber added: Rishi is passionate about the creative arts. He knows the vital role they play in our economy as well as society, and hes always looking at ways to support the sector and the people working in it. Written by The Crown star Emerald Fennell and starring Carrie Hope Fletcher, Cinderella is described as a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale, and is based on an original idea by Fennell. Boris Johnson has called a meeting of the Government Cobra emergencies committee as Taliban fighters stood poised to take control of the Afghan capital Kabul. Downing Street said ministers and senior officials would meet on Sunday afternoon to discuss the worsening situation. Earlier No 10 sources said that the Prime Minister would seek a recall of Parliament this week after insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul. It came as Britain and other western countries were scrambling to get their remaining nationals out before it was too late. The lead elements of a 600-strong UK force including Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were understood to be in the capital to assist with the operation. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the ambassador, Sir Laurie Bristow, remained in Kabul, although the UK diplomatic presence had been reduced. We are doing all we can to enable remaining British nationals who want to leave Afghanistan to do so, a spokesman said. At the same time officials said they were doing all they could to assist the estimated 2,000 Afghans who had worked with the British during their time in the country to relocate while there was still time. The Home Office said in a statement posted on Twitter that it had already relocated over 3,300 Afghan staff and their families, adding : We will continue to fulfil our international obligations and moral commitments. The Commons authorities said Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had agreed to a recall, with MPs returning to Westminster on Wednesday while the Lords will also return. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Among senior parliamentarians there was shock and anger at the speed of the Afghan collapse after the West had invested billions in building up the countrys armed forces. Many cities fell to the Taliban without a fight after tribal elders stepped in to negotiate the withdrawal of government forces in order to avoid bloodshed. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said it was the biggest single foreign policy disaster since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said ministers needed to explain what they intended to do to avert a looming humanitarian crisis and prevent Afghanistan again becoming a base for international terrorism. The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour, he said. The immediate priority now must be to get all British personnel and support staff safely out of Kabul. The Government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses which, lets be clear, will have ramifications for us here in the UK. The Taliban insisted that there would be no reprisals against Afghans who had worked for the government or for foreign countries and that they were seeking a peaceful transfer of power. However, such assurances were greeted with scepticism by Mr Tugendhat who said the priority had to be to get as many people as possible out of Kabul. This isnt just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats, he told BBC News. This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now. The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps. Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of like-minded nations to see what could be done. I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state, he told Times Radio. We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail. Boris Johnson is poised to recall Parliament amid reports that Taliban fighters have entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul. With the country on the brink of complete collapse, the lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the city amid fears it could fall within days or hours. In a sign of the speed of the collapse, arrangements were reportedly being made to fly the British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow out of the country. A No10 source said the Prime Minister was expected to seek a recall of MPs this week to discuss the worsening situation. Timings of the return to Westminster will be confirmed following discussions with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. It had previously been intended that Sir Laurie should remain in a secure location at Kabul airport along with other international diplomats. But amid a hurried scramble for safety countries were hurriedly removing their embassy staff, as helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was the biggest single foreign policy disaster since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said ministers needed to explain what they intended to do to avert a looming humanitarian crisis and prevent Afghanistan again becoming a base for international terrorism. The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour, he said. The immediate priority now must be to get all British personnel and support staff safely out of Kabul. The Government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses which, lets be clear, will have ramifications for us here in the UK. Taliban fighters sit on the back of a vehicle in the city of Herat, west of Kabul (Hamed Sarfarazi/AP) Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of like-minded nations to see what could be done. I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state, he told Times Radio. We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail. Earlier Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that when the US announced its plans to withdraw, he had approached other allies about taking their place but none was willing to do so. Passengers walk to the departures terminal at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul (Rahmat Gul/AP) Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said it was arrogant to think the UK which is also pulling out its troops could resolve the situation unilaterally. A unilateral force would very quickly be viewed as an occupying force and, no matter how powerful the country that sends it, history shows us what happens to them in Afghanistan, he said. Britain is sending 600 troops including Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade on a mission to support the final departure of the remaining UK nationals as well as Afghans who worked with the UK in the country. Mr Wallace had previously indicated that they could be there until the end of the month, but given the speed of the collapse that would appear unlikely. Mr Tugendhat, who served as an Army officer in Afghanistan, said the priority had to be to get as many people out before Kabul collapsed. This isnt just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats, he told BBC News. This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now. The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps. Home Secretary Priti Patel is facing accusations in the wake of the Plymouth shootings of dragging her feet over advice to tighten the rules on issuing firearms and shotgun licences. The Liberal Democrats said Ms Patel had so far failed to act on recommendations in a Home Office consultation document calling for new suitability checks before a licence is awarded despite warnings of fundamental gaps in the system. It follows the disclosure that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating whether the mental health of the gunman, Jake Davison, was appropriately considered when police returned his firearms licence earlier this year. A Tory source hit back accusing the Lib Dems of playing politics just days after the killings. The consultation issued in July 2019, the month Ms Patel became Home Secretary, recommended police should consult an applicants GP on whether they had been treated for any medical condition which could affect their ability to possess a firearm safely. It said relevant conditions would include suicidal thoughts or self-harm, depression or anxiety, and any form of personality disorder. Lib Dem spokesman Lord Paddick said the Home Secretary should act without delay (Rebecca Naden/PA) The Lib Dems said that although the consultation closed in September 2019, Ms Patel had still not taken up the recommendation, even though the Policing and Crime Act 2017 gave her the power to issue statutory guidance on firearms licensing. The party said that even before Ms Patel became Home Secretary, the issue of medical suitability checks for firearms licence applicants was known about in the Home Office. In 2015, a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) recommended a licence should not be issued without a current medical report from an applicants GP, obtained and paid for by the applicant. It said that while applicants were required to disclose any relevant physical or mental health condition, police were not required to contact their GP before a licence was issued, unless they were notified of such a condition. While police would write to the GP after a licence was granted to ask whether there was any reason why it should not have been, there was no obligation on the GP to respond. The report described the arrangements as unsatisfactory saying they left fundamental gaps in the firearms licensing system. Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Lord Paddick, a former senior Scotland Yard officer, said Ms Patel should bring in new statutory guidance without delay. As the horrifying, tragic events in Plymouth reminded us all, guns are lethal weapons that must be kept out of the wrong hands at all costs. Priti Patels hapless hesitation on the new rules is shocking and shameful, he said. Its almost six years since the Government was told it needed new guidance, and more than four years since Parliament legislated for it. Its time to get on with it. Priti Patel must stop ignoring expert advice on stronger gun control. Tougher guidance has been on her desk ever since she became Home Secretary in 2019. It is inexcusable that no progress has been made on her watch. Priti Patel should urgently announce the outcome of the Governments consultation, halt the delay in the Home Office and immediately bring in the statutory guidance. A Home Office spokesman said: The shocking murders in Plymouth just two days ago are tragic and devastating, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who died and the entire community of Devon and Cornwall. As the Home Secretary has said, lessons will be learned from this appalling event. A Tory source added: That the Liberal Democrats have chosen to start playing politics less than 48 hours after five people were shot dead is appalling even for them. Plymouths mass shooting serves as a reminder of just how evil things can be on the internet and on social media, a religious figure in the local area has said. Social media usage by gunman Jake Davison, 22, suggested an obsession with incel culture meaning involuntary celibate as well as an interest in guns and America. Father David Way, the parish priest at St Thomas Church in Keyham, said that while he was not opposed to the internet nor social media, it can be a place for those with extremist views. In a Sunday service at the church, which is near the scene of Thursdays atrocity, Father David asked the congregation to pray for those fighting harmful extremism, especially on social media. People attend a service at St Thomas Church in Plymouth (Ben Birchall/PA) He told the PA news agency following the service: Its a real moment for us to realise just how evil things can be on the internet and on social media. Im not opposed to social media or the internet, its been a wonderful tool, churches have survived through the lockdown period by streaming their services. But we have to reconnect that these extremist views which we see, and comments which people make to each other, can only end in a cycle of pain. Which then can end in this hurtful situation we are in today. Father David said there was absolute shock and bewilderment from local residents following the incident. But he added: We started to see anger come in as we found out about the gun licence and what had taken place. What I hope is we are now coming back to thinking about those who have lost loved ones. Today, that Countach LP400 is officially a historic vehicle, having been entered into the National Historic Vehicle Register of significant automobiles. The announcement from the Hagerty Drivers Foundation , which maintains the Register, came on the heels of the 50th anniversary of the iconic model, which Lamborghini will celebrate by releasing the limited-edition Countach LPI 800-4 Chassis #1121112, now owned by Jeff Ippoliti, has become the 30th entry in the Registrar of historic vehicles, a title most appropriate for a car that sparked a frenzy of illegal races in real life and a cult following like no other.The Countach is a car that has excited and intrigued car enthusiasts since its radical style shocked the world on its debut in the early 70s, Jonathan Klinger, executive director of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, says. We are thrilled to document and share the history behind what is probably the most famous example of the storied model.Imported from the SEA Auto in Rome and lent to the production of The Cannonball Run, the Countach was bought once the shoot ended by Terry Bernius, a good friend of star Burt Reynolds. During his ownership, the interior was changed from mustard (Senape) to burgundy. Ippoliti bought it from him and conducted a full restoration, including on the interior, which is mustard again. He hardly ever drives it, having vouched to keep it in impeccable shape, as it was seen in the movie.The Countach joins the 1970 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost and the DeLorean hero car on the Register, and will go on display in Washington D.C. next month, at the National Mall. Ippoliti also owns the Lamborghini Diablo from Dumb and Dumber, and he will get behind the wheel of the Countach again to recreate the opening credits for an upcoming documentary on the now-officially-historic car. It was certainly a rough weekend for one Discovery Channel Street Outlaws reality show star. Eric Bain, owner of a recently completed blue turbocharged Chevy Corvette C7 was taking on Eric Kvilhaug in his orange-tastic supercharged Corvette. And seemed to win, up to one point... Unfortunately, the action turned sour in the first round of the big-tire invitational.Midway through the pass, Bains all-new custom Corvette - which had just been completed sometime in May - initially swerved towards the opponent and then careened into the guardrail. As the big crash unfolded, the Vette hit the protective barrier with the front end, started spinning, and while parts (such as the hood) were flying away it also burst into flames Much to the satisfaction of the audience, the driver quickly emerged out of the wreckage and while obviously shaken managed to walk away without assistance. He was mostly unharmed, although after a nearby hospital visit the full extent of the damage was also revealed: a broken ankle and some toes. Wed have to say that he was lucky indeed.It's no wonder that Bain has taken to social media to show appreciation for both his lovely new Corvette as well as the safety equipment thats probably responsible for saving his life or at least avoiding life-threatening damage . Naturally, the accident made the rounds among drag racing aficionados and we have a couple of angles on the action.By the way, the second video embedded below from the good folks over at the National No Prep Racing Association YouTube channel is also a bit more comprehensive. So, head over to the 6:55 mark for the crash or alternatively watch it fully if you're interested in knowing more about the turbocharged blue Corvette. And that quick look could be the photo we have here, showing one of these machines, deployed with the Air Force Special Operations Command, preparing to land at the Wittman Regional Airport in Wisconsin after conducting an aerial demonstration at the end of July. It looks huge and noisy (you can hear just how noisy in the short video attached below), not exactly the attributes one would want from a stealthy, sneaky, machine.But stealthy and sneaky were not exactly the attributes the USAF was looking for with this machine. The CV-22, which is the USAF version of the V-22 Osprey , came to be in 2009 and has quickly become one of the tools of the trade for special operations forces. The family is presently the only one of its kind on the world flying machines that combine the advantages of vertical takeoff, hover and landing helicopters with those of a turboprop aircraft.Built by the joint efforts of Bell and Boeing , the CV-22 is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Liberty engines, each developing 6,200 shaft horsepower. The tiltrotor can travel at a maximum speed of 322 mph (518 kph), and at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters).Its carrying capabilities are impressive. Piloted by a crew of four, it can take off weighing up to 60,500 pounds (27,400 kg), and can carry 32 floor-loaded personnel, or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of cargo.As with most other military machines, the CV-22 Osprey does not come cheap: USAF is paying $90 million for each one it buys. A police investigation is now underway, with Red Bull facing charges of disorderly conduct. Meanwhile, authorities are trying to calculate the exact damage caused. One of the to-go places in Kiev, Ukraine is Sofiyskaya Square with its Bohdan Khmelnytsky monument and distinctive clinker brick pavement. The latter will probably never be as it was, and its all thanks to Red Bull Kiev deputy mayor Kostyantyn Usov went on Facebook last week to call out Red Bull for being a**holes and openly defying city councils decision to not allow them to shoot a commercial in the square. So, at 6 a.m., without proper authorization and as much as minimal safety measures for pedestrians, they sent two cars drifting in the square, while they shot their footage.Usov also posted video of the cars drifting around the Khmelnytsky monument, dark tracks clearly visible on the clinker brick pavement. According to local media outlet BYKVU , Red Bull Ukraine also posted videos and photos during the shoot, but all that content was immediately deleted when word got out that their request to film on site had been denied by authorities.The refusal to allow the shoot was an understandable one: not only is Sofiyskaya Square a pedestrian area with high pedestrian traffic, but its a historic site recognized as a UNESCO heritage site. Red Bull damaged it by leaving drift marks on the yellow clinker bricks, with Usov estimating that some 2,000 square meters (21,528 square feet) were damaged during the stunt Red Bull Ukraine would not comment on the snafu but, one day after it happened, Red Bull people were spotted on site, trying to wash off the tire marks. The same media outlet reports that one of the drivers involved was pro Oleksandr Grynchuk, while Ukrainian rap artist Alyona Alyona was sat in the passenger seat of one of the cars. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Sunny. High near 95F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A clear sky. Low near 70F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) When the Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church was founded, Indiana was 5 years old, Abraham Lincoln wasnt a teenager yet, and one year had passed since the state confirmed Bloomington as the site of Indiana Seminary, which later became Indiana University. Now, in 2021, the church is celebrating its 200th anniversary throughout the year with the theme Growing Under Grace. Members of the church at 302 E. First St. have been researching its history, digging into its influence on the Bloomington community and planning events to celebrate the milestone. The church is originally from South Carolina but formed in Bloomington as people moved toward the Midwest because of their opposition to slavery, Pastor Philip McCollum said. This church was part of the Underground Railroad, he said. This is what also makes us unique, historically, was that Reformed Presbyterians would not allow slaveholders to be members of the church to such an extent that they would be disciplined, they would be refused communion. Something else that sets a Presbyterian church apart is in the name, McCollum said. The word Presbyter derives from the Greek presbyteros, which means elder. Presbyterian churches are run by elders. That structure differs from a top-down hierarchy employed by many other denominations. The church being able to choose its elders and choose the pastor is a distinction, McCollum said. Reformed Presbyterians, also known as Covenanters, also sing a cappella, singing from Psalms in the Bible. McCollum said he thinks the church has stood the test of time because of its faithful preaching of Gods word and the desire people have to hear it. He said God has blessed the church because the church sought to be faithful to him even as many churches have compromised or taken their lead from the world. Slavery is really a case in point, he said. The world was saying slavery was good and right and they believed that slaves werent equal, and Reformed Presbyterians said, no, thats not what the Bible teaches. So they stood against culture and were faithful to Gods word, which meant giving up their homes. The church has a congregation of around 150 people, but the number fluctuates as students join during IUs academic year. It also houses the Bloomington Chinese Christian Church, which meets in the building on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Germaine Santos-Cochran used to be on staff with the Campus Crusade for Christ in the Philippines. There, she attended a Reformed Baptist church that brought in thousands of people on an average Sunday. Top musicians in the country led worship, she said. So when she came to Indiana, the Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church wasnt her typical preference or aesthetic for a church, she admits. But the first thing she remembers noticing is that people here love people very well. I came here because of marriage, but Ive grown to appreciate the strong body life and the good worship, she said. Santos-Cochran moved to the United States from the Philippines in 2015. Her husband, Keith Cochran, is from the U.S. and works at IU. In 2019, Santos-Cochran started thinking about, and preparing for, the milestone in 2021. I feel like were an undiscovered treasure, she said. She wanted to get the word out about the churchs history which got her involved in its 200th anniversary communications committee. She came up with topics to research from the churchs involvement in the Underground Railroad to the Covenanter Cemetery, which it owns and took on researching a topic herself. Santos-Cochran said before digital GPS existed, people navigated a community by knowing street names, so its always been her instinct to pay attention to them. She loves driving her red 2016 Subaru Forester, which she calls Barnabas because she wants anyone who gets in her car to feel encouraged. The name Barnabas means son of encouragement. It didnt take long for her to notice streets such as Covenanter Drive and Faris Way and wonder how they may be tied to the church. Through research, she found at least 18 streets in Bloomington with connections. Another topic was spearheaded by Nora Shipp, a junior at Seven Oaks Classical School. Shipp has been going to the church for around six years, but she still remembers her first Sunday there. She was around 10 years old and her family had just moved to Indiana from Texas. Everyone was joyful and welcoming. Shipp said she was asked to talk with families that have remained in the church for several generations. She asked people how long theyve been attending, what they thought when they first started attending, the differences between then and now, how theyve been involved over the years and their hopes for the future of the congregation. I think its just interesting how they all had, in a way, a similar story of just how happy they were that the church has grown so much, she said. There was a period where there were a lot of older people in the congregation, Shipp said, and they had prayer groups together to pray for growth of the church. Their prayers were answered, she said, and the church has grown a lot, including more young people and children over the past 50 years. This history and more has been captured by Cheryl Molin in her book Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church, Two Hundred Years of Gods Grace, which she spent about a year working on. Molin, a freelance writer and editor, and her husband, Greg Molin, have been attending the church for three years. She conducted research in various ways. Pastors at the church sent her information, such as essays written about previous pastors or about the church; she read an 800-page book about the history of the denomination and a handwritten history of the church from 1972. She combed through binders of newspaper articles from the church library and tracked down deeds for the church property and a map of the Covenanter Cemetery. People gave her photos from previous vacation Bible schools, church picnics and other events. There was a lot of information available, more in some aspects than I really expected to find, Molin said. So it was a lot of work, but it was also just fun to find how much information there was out there. She planned to go to the Lilly Library at IU last year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she ended up setting up a Zoom meeting where someone from the library would hold papers up to the screen so Molin could indicate what looked interesting to her that shed like a copy of. It wasnt as good as being there, but it was what was necessary in the midst of the pandemic, she said. I grew up, research is you go to a library and you pull a book off the shelf, Molin said. This is a very different way of doing it, but it was nice to have access to so much more than I would have had 30, 40 years ago. Molin said her husband looked through all the denominational magazines that were online, around 100 years worth, and made note of information such as when a new pastor was coming to the church. The Covenanter Witness magazine has all of its issues available digitally, she said, which led to finding things like the first couple married in the church. Without the internet, this book couldnt have been done, Molin said. Realistically, without being able to look through old archives, copies of the magazines, theres a lot I just simply would not have found. During the course of her research, Molin went to the Covenanter Cemetery, where some of the churchs former pastors are buried, to take photos. After finding their graves, she was able to track down their obituaries online. I just stumbled on, in some cases, some fascinating aspects of our history, like the fact that there are at least two people born into slavery buried in our cemetery, Molin said. She said she was delighted to then find an obituary and photo of one of the men, as well as the obituary of a wife, who wasnt born into slavery, of another. I wanted to find something that nobody else had found, Molin said. I wanted to find information that wasnt available. And so finds like the photo of somebody who was born into slavery and is buried in our cemetery were just incredible to me. Molin knew people who had attended the church for decades knew more of the history. Rich Holdeman, senior pastor of the church and a senior lecturer in the department of biology at IU, gives talks about the history of the church. When Holdeman told her hed learned some things by reading her book, she felt good. To be able to say Ive found new information was quite satisfying, Molin said. James Faris was the churchs first pastor, and Faris son wrote an essay about his father and what church services were like in the early years. Molin said she included the essay as an appendix in the book. I was expecting to find almost nothing about some of our pastors and was really surprised how much information there was, she said. Molin said Holdeman wrote an introduction to the book and McCollum wrote an afterword. Chapters of the book cover the heritage of the church, the denomination, church life, the churchs pastors, race relations and the Underground Railroad and more. Theres 200 years of history here, weve got 21 pastors, weve got our own cemetery, Molin said. There is a lot of material, and really the challenge was I cant use it all. The 190-page book will be printed on demand, Molin said, but copies will be available at the upcoming events to celebrate the 200th anniversary. Santos-Cochrans and Shipps columns can be found at HeraldTimesOnline.com/opinion. Other columns about topics including the Covenanter Cemetery and the churchs involvement with the Underground Railroad will be submitted to The Herald-Times throughout the rest of the year. __ Source: The Herald-Times (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Catesby Holmes, The Conversation (THE CONVERSATION) Panic and turmoil grip Afghanistan after Taliban insurgents captured the capital city of Kabul and the president fled on Aug. 15, 2021. There would be no transitional government in Afghanistan, Taliban officials told Reuters news service. The insurgent group expects a complete handover of power though many nations may not recognize a Taliban government that took power through armed struggle rather than by continuing the now-failed internationally mediated peace negotiations. Fearful citizens aiming to escape the rule of radical Islamic fighters were lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings, according to the Associated Press, and overrunning the Kabul airports tarmac as U.S. military evacuation flights tried to take off. The fall of Afghanistan came just three months after the U.S. began to withdraw its troops from the country following a 20-year war that killed 2,448 U.S. service members, 3,846 U.S. military contractors and some 66,000 Afghan national military and police. For Afghans and international observers of a certain age, history is repeating itself in Afghanistan. The Taliban which means the students in Pashto seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 after capturing Kabul in the Afghan civil war. They established a government based on their extreme interpretation of Islamic Sharia law and ruled for five years. The Taliban regime was then toppled in 2001 by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. Here, Afghanistan experts offer insight into the Taliban then and now and explain the United States role in Afghanistans collapse. 1. The Taliban regime Have the Taliban changed since 2001? Thats the question Sher Jan Ahmadzai, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, set out to answer in his July 2021 story on the Taliban. Ahmadzai, who is from Afghanistan, explained that, During the Talibans five-year rule, women were prohibited from working, attending school or leaving home without a male relative. Men had to grow beards and wear a cap or turban. Anyone not abiding by this code could be lashed, beaten or humiliated. The rhetoric of the Taliban has moderated since 2001, Ahmadzai wrote, but their extremist beliefs have not changed. All evidence suggests the Taliban still believe in restoring their old system of emirate, in which an unelected religious leader, or emir, was the ultimate decision-maker, given authority from God. Already, in Taliban-controlled parts of Afghanistan, Ahmadzai wrote, Taliban have rulers have asked families to marry off one girl per family to their fighters; said women should not leave home without a male relative; and ordered men to pray in mosques and grow beards. 2. Women under fundamentalist rule Afghan women may have the most to fear from the Talibans victory. Scholars Homa Hoodfar and Mona Tajaliinterviewed 15 Afghan women activists, community leaders and politicians over the past year. Few of them felt the Taliban believed in gender equality. Reform of the Taliban is not really possible. Their core ideology is fundamentalist, particularly towards women, one 40-year-old womens rights activist from Kabul told Hoodfar and Tajali. In international meetings and on social media, Taliban leaders suggest only that women have rights according to Islam. A schoolteacher in northern Afghanistan told the researchers, In the beginning, when we saw the Taliban interviews on TV, we hoped for peace, as if the Taliban had changed. But when I saw the Taliban up close, they have not changed at all. 3. A moral tragedy The United States cannot shirk moral responsibility for the human rights abuses and violence that Afghans will likely face under Taliban rule, according to University of Washington philosopher Michael Blake. This ought to trouble the politicians who defend the withdrawal, and those voters who gave power to those politicians, he says. Calling the collapse of Afghanistan morally tragic, Blake says the U.S. may have an obligation to provide refuge to Afghans who bear particular risks because they were part of the United States war effort. That includes Afghan translators, who have been targeted by the Taliban for their work with the U.S. military. The Biden administration in July 2021 authorized a US$100 million urgent expansion of the special visa program that could get up to 20,000 Afghans affiliated with the U.S. war effort out of Afghanistan and resettled abroad. But it is difficult if not impossible now for those people to flee a country under Taliban rule. And translators are far from the only Afghans at risk of retaliation by the Taliban. 4. Global terror threat The Talibans victory in Afghanistan is also a victory for the terrorist organization al-Qaida, according to Greg Barton, chair in global Islamic politics at Deakin University in Australia. Afghanistan was the birthplace of al-Qaida in 1988. The group gave rise to terrorist networks around the world, includingal-Qaida in Iraq, which morphed into the Islamic State, writes Barton. The U.S. originally invaded Afghanistan to hunt down and destroy al-Qaida after the group attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Afghanistan had become a haven for terrorists under Taliban rule. With the Talibans return to power, international terrorist organizations could sooner than anticipated begin openly operating out of the country again, said Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Aug. 15, 2021. 5. Could US forces return to Afghanistan? When former President Donald Trump made a deal with the Taliban to end the U.S. war in Aghanistan, acceding to a longstanding Taliban demand, public opinion polls indicated widespread support for the decision. That gave President Joe Biden license to follow through on Trumps decision, says Thomas Alan Schwartz, a history professor at Vanderbilt University. But a rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban, with the subsequent persecution of women and domestic opponents of the regime, may well produce a backlash among millions of Americans, Schwartz wrote on Aug. 13, 2021. Schwarz notes that the brutality of Islamic State executions led U.S. forces back into Iraq after President George W. Bush had declared victory there. Similarly, the repression and carnage involved in a Taliban triumph could make Biden rethink a full U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that would cast a profound and damaging shadow over the entire Biden presidency. This story has been updated. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/afghan-government-collapses-taliban-seize-control-5-essential-reads-166131. Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to hand the king his resignation letter Monday, a cabinet minister said, after the political opposition rejected the leaders request to make peace and help him shore up his governments shaky parliamentary standing. The PM will go to the National Palace to meet with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah after chairing his final cabinet meeting on Monday morning, said Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, a minister in the Prime Ministers Department. He said Muhyiddin announced his decision to resign during a meeting with lawmakers from his Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning. He will see the King tomorrow and submit his resignation. He said he does not have a majority anymore. Wait for the announcement, Redzuan told BenarNews by phone. On Saturday, a senior government officer said that the PM had made up his mind and would resign. He needs to meet with the king to make it official, the officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told BenarNews. The 74-year-old prime minister lately has faced calls from the opposition and within his ruling bloc to step aside. His unelected government has ruled Malaysia for the past 17 months and almost entirely during the COVID-19 outbreak, which has crippled the economy and led Muhyiddin to persuade the king, back in January, to declare an unpopular national emergency that lapsed on Aug. 1. His critics had accused the PM of using the emergency and a parallel suspension of parliament as a ploy to delay a vote of confidence on his government that they were clamoring for. But more political uncertainty could follow should the king accept Muhyiddins resignation, because various parties and alliances appear to be jockeying for power and trying to build coalitions while the country battles its worst-ever wave of coronavirus cases, according to reports. It is also unclear that any single lawmaker or party has enough seats to command a parliamentary majority, as Muhyiddin pointed out in a nationally televised speech on Friday. In it, he effectively conceded that he needed the oppositions backing to keep his government afloat. My easiest choice would be to resign. If I take this decision, my work is done and it is up to the Kings wisdom to pick a new prime minister, Muhyiddin said during his Friday night speech. However, up to this point, none of the members of parliament can prove that he has the majority to enable the King to appoint a new prime minister. Redzuan, the cabinet minister, told local independent news portal Malaysiakini that Muhyiddin had tried his best to save the government but failed. Resigning would be his last option and it is the right and noble action based on the Constitution. The rest would be up to the King whether to accept the resignation or not, Redzuan told the news website. Peace offer Muhyiddin addressed the nation a day after his government set Sept. 7 for a vote of confidence in parliament, despite the king having urged him to move the vote up to week of Aug. 16. During his Friday night speech, the PM extended an olive branch to the opposition in the hopes that his rivals from across the political aisle would cooperate in allowing him to lead the government until elections take place in July 2022 at the latest. Muhyiddin said he needed bipartisan support to keep the current government functioning so it could manage the health and economic crisis stemming from the pandemic. In return for the oppositions support, Muhyiddin said he was willing to offer its parties several incentives, including implementing political reforms that the opposition had pushed for, such as establishing term limits for the prime minister and allowing 18-year-olds the right to vote. The opposition swiftly rejected the prime ministers conciliatory move. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and other senior figures from across the aisle described Muhyiddins move as an admission by him that he has lost majority support. What next? Should the king accept Muhyiddins letter of resignation it will be up to the king to determine what happens next, according to Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a professor of political science at the University of Malaya. In March 2020, the same king appointed Muyhiddin as leader of the government after the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition collapsed. The King will decide who will become the interim prime minister. That could be anybody who the king deems as fit and has majority support, Awang Azman told BenarNews. He said it could also be Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the current deputy prime minister who is affiliated with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party. But the president of the party where he is a member will need to name him as the Prime Minister candidate. He will need the support from his party president and also the other political parties to become the interim prime minister, Awang Azman said. UMNO is a partner in the ruling bloc but, in July, the party president said that 15 UMNO lawmakers had pulled their parliamentary support for Muhyiddin. Apart from the option of appointing an interim prime minister, the king could appoint a new prime minister as was the case with Muhyiddin 17 months ago or Muhyiddin could advise the king to dissolve parliament and call for early polls, according to the Reuters news agency. His coalition government has lost face. It is looking most likely that Muhyiddin is going to resign but its not clear who will be taking over and when, Bridget Welsh, a political analyst at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, told the Associated Press. Malaysias parliament has 222 seats, two of which are vacant after the deaths of MPs. That means a candidate needs the backing of 111 of 220 lawmakers to show majority support. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Dozens of nations are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You are the owner of this article. A state tax break for charitable giving, approved through a 2000 ballot question, was available for one year, in 2001, and has been on pause ever since. During a budget crunch in 2002, the Massachusetts Legislature stopped implementing the charitable deduction, scheduling its return through an economic formula. The state met the necessary criteria in 2020, but the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker agreed to hold off until state revenue recovered from the coronavirus pandemic. Baker wanted to begin implementation in 2022, but the Legislature voted in July to push it back another year, citing continued uncertainty over revenue. The deduction would allow Massachusetts tax filers to avoid paying $5 in taxes for every $100 that they give to charity. The state Department of Revenue has estimated that the policy, without revision, would cost the state $300 million a year in lost revenue. Nonprofits recent financial struggles have resulted in job losses, and some nonprofit leaders say the deduction could boost donations to the sector, which is a central player in the Berkshire County economy. Yet, the largest donations tend to come from people who have the wealth to make them, and with inequality growing, critics say the state should use tax dollars for public investments, rather than give a tax break to wealthy donors, who already receive large federal tax subsidies. While donations grew in early 2020, there is some evidence that nonprofits statewide have felt the pinch of late. In a Massachusetts Nonprofit Network survey conducted in March and April, 60 percent of the 275 nonprofits that responded said they lost revenue, with an average revenue loss of 34 percent. Thirty percent reported job cuts, and 20 percent said they reduced work hours, according to Jim Klocke, the networks CEO. Given the financial struggles of nonprofits, anything we could do to expand giving, we should do, Klocke said. Every nonprofit can use the state deduction to promote and encourage giving. Every Massachusetts taxpayer can utilize it. State Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, said the unpredictability of state revenue was the reason for the delay. But, the potential for lost tax revenue was among the reasons weve been willing to go slow on implementation, he said. Although Hinds said he agrees that it is necessary to support nonprofits, he and his colleagues have concerns with trying to do so through a policy that would provide the greatest benefit to the wealthiest. About half of the tax dollars deducted are expected to go to residents with an annual income of over $1 million, the state Department of Revenue estimated, using 2016 IRS data. Is this an effective incentive for contributions to charities and nonprofits? Hinds said, referencing the larger federal incentives for giving. I would argue that its not significant. Federal incentives The wealthiest donors can reduce their tax bill by $37 for every $100 given to charitable donations if they itemize deductions on their tax returns. When they contribute noncash assets or give to an entity such as a private foundation, the tax break is even greater, as high as 74 percent, says Chuck Collins, a researcher with the Institute for Policy Studies, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington. The wealthiest donors, Collins argues, have come to use philanthropy as a tool for tax avoidance. In the end, charity does some things well, but its not a substitute for a fair tax system, said Collins, who lived in Boston until 2020. Charitable deductions are becoming an extension of private power and wealth for the super-wealthy. The wealthy also give differently from other people, often warehousing money in private foundations, rather than contributing directly to organizations. Those foundations can pay out as little as 5 percent of their assets to organizations each year. As wealth inequality has widened since the 1970s, wealthy households increasingly have come to dominate philanthropy. The top 1 percent of earners went from claiming one-eighth of federal charitable deductions in 1995 to claiming one-third of deductions in 2015, Collins and colleague Helen Flannery wrote in a 2020 report. A state charitable deduction, Collins argues, likely would not boost giving because it does not address the underlying issue of growing inequality. The reality is that low- and middle-income people are not giving as much because they are not feeling the economic security that, in previous decades, people felt, Collins said, adding that the decreasing proportion of households that give aligns with economic trends in employment, wages and homeownership rates. When the federal government passed a historic tax cut in 2017, the legislation also changed the tax system so that most low- and middle-income households no longer itemize deductions, meaning they no longer claim a charitable deduction. The next year, the number of households claiming a charitable deduction fell from nearly 47 million in 2017 to about 17.5 million in 2018, according to IRS data. Charitable giving by individuals fell from 2017 to 2018, for the first time in four years. Klocke, of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, said that, based on 2017 IRS data, about 627,000 low- and middle-income households in Massachusetts should be expected to make use of the state deduction if it is implemented. One of the best elements of the state deduction is that it will be available to low- and middle-income people who today cannot get a big federal deduction, he said. Any time somebody is able to make a donation, its appreciated, but at the same time we dont want to see the donor base shrink. We want to see the donor base grow. The measure was supported broadly by voters, Klocke notes, passing by a 72 percent to 28 percent margin on the ballot in 2000. And about 30 states have a charitable tax deduction, the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust says. Still, lawmakers might need convincing that the possible benefits would justify the $300 million price tag. State Sen. Michael Rodrigues, the Senate Ways and Means chairman, has said that the state economy has changed during the past 21 years, and he said in a July session that the deduction as currently designed may not be the best use of our resources. Berkshire County nonprofits Nonprofits play an increasingly central role in the local economy. A report commissioned by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce found that, in 2012, local nonprofits generated $2.4 billion of the total $5.6 billion in economic activity. More than one-fourth of all people employed in Berkshire County worked for nonprofits in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Nationally, nonprofit jobs nationally grew at three times the rate of for-profit jobs from 2007 to 2016. Liana Toscanini, executive director of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, said that the pandemic has increased the workload for many nonprofits, although it simultaneously has restricted opportunities to hold fundraising events. Berkshire County saw a large increase in giving during the pandemic, and some of that wave has continued. The Berkshire United Way, which directs more than $2 million annually to local programs, has seen a steady stream of support since the pandemic hit, said CEO and President Candace Winkler. More affluent individuals and family that tended to have wealth in stock markets, they saw significant increases in their net worth, Winkler said. And so for some of the higher-income donors, I think they were observing significant need in the community and because they had seen this appreciation of their net worth, they continued. Winkler said that the Berkshire United Ways involvement in pandemic-response efforts its partnership with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Northern Berkshire United Way and Williamstown Community Chest distributed more than $2 million to 95 nonprofits from March to August 2020 might be part of why it has received continued financial support. The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation similarly has seen continued support, said Kara Mikulich, its chief philanthropy officer. The foundation distributed 32 percent more money in 2020 than in 2019, and it has distributed 40 percent more in early 2021 than during that period the year before, Mikulich said. But, cultural nonprofits have not fared as well. The arts and culture sector lost about $55 million and over 5,000 jobs from March to November 2020, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, an independent state agency, has said. The creative economy is responsible for about 5,500 jobs, or 6.4 percent of employment in the county, according to the economic development group 1Berkshire, although some workers have criticized working conditions and low pay in those jobs. Klocke said that while he understands why the state delayed the deduction in 2020, the states finances have recovered now far more than nonprofits have. State tax collections exceeded expectations by $5 billion from July 2020 to June 2021, and Massachusetts has spent only a fraction of the approximately $5.3 billion it has received in federal aid. We think its really important that this take effect in 2023, he said. Possible revisions If the deduction is implemented without revision, residents earning $1 million or more per year would save $9,581 on their yearly tax bill, according to a 2020 analysis from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank that promotes economic and racial justice. For comparison, savings would average $36 for those making $50,000 to $99,999 and just $7 for filers earning less than $50,000, said the report, which used 2017 IRS data. Phineas Baxandall, the senior analyst and advocacy director who wrote that report, has said that the deduction should be revised if it is implemented. Lawmakers could cap the deduction Vermont, for instance, allows tax filers to claim a deduction on only $20,000 worth of contributions or make it available only to filers who do not claim the federal charitable deduction, which generally is claimed by only wealthy donors. Klocke said it could be worth looking at limiting the state deduction to filers who do not claim the federal deduction. Winkler, of the Berkshire United Way, said it was an interesting idea to promote equity, although she would prefer to see more incentives for charitable giving across the board. Collins, of the Institute for Policy Studies, said that the deduction should be revised if it is implemented, although he argues that the state would be better off spending tax dollars to reduce inequality. There are ways to support nonprofits beyond tax breaks, he added. While private foundations currently are required to pay only 5 percent of their holdings to organizations per year, a federal proposal would double that requirement. Collins and Flannery have estimated that the change would pour $200 billion into nonprofits over the next three years without spending any taxpayer dollars. The Legislature has, in several cases, revised ballot initiatives before they take effect, and it can revise the charitable deduction until the start of 2023, when implementation is scheduled. While many in the Legislature say they believe that it is important to support nonprofits, there remains a desire, Hinds said, to also be strategic about it. It costs $250 per hour to rent an airplane at the Brandon Flight Centre. Advertisement Advertise With Us It costs $250 per hour to rent an airplane at the Brandon Flight Centre. Tuition for a private pilot license training, which includes 50 hours of classroom/fly time is $15,000. A commercial pilots license is $34,000. A couple of students are working toward their commercial pilots licences. But, theyre a little short. That, assistant manager and director of finance Samantha Frisen said, is why the Brandon Flight Centre is hosting a Fly-in/Drive-in fundraiser tonight at their hangar at the Brandon Municipal Airport. With a pilot shortage across the country and one-third of pilots having retired since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Friesen said there is a huge demand for pilots. The 60 students currently attending the flight school are training for their private pilots licence. The fundraiser will see all funds go toward the Student Pilot Scholarship program with an eye toward lending an extra hand for the two students attempting their commercial pilots licences. Most flight school students are working while theyre going to school. Scholarship availability is slim, and Friesen is hopeful government funding will become available. In the meantime, funds raised from tonights event will go toward helping those two students, she said. The fly-in/drive-in will take place on their ramp at the Brandon airport. Moviegoers are asked to bring a lawn chair as they hunker down to watch "Guardians of the Galaxy" while munching on popcorn, hotdogs or hamburgers. A few pilots will be flying to the Brandon Airport to support the fundraiser as well, Friesen said. The goal is to sell 100 of the $10 tickets for the movie, which will be shown on their hangar door from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. A door prize of a night flight over Brandon in a Cessna 172 is the added bonus, as the flight will take off right after the movie. This is the first time the Brandon Flight Centre has hosted an event like this. For more information, visit the Brandon Flight School Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CYBRairport/ kkielley@brandonsun.com BREAKOUT BOX Other fundraisers tonight There is an outdoor movie night in the park at Shoal Lakes beach campground tonight, next to the playground starting at 9:15 p.m. with "Sherlock Gnomes" playing. Then at 11 p.m., "A Star is Born" will be shown for mature audiences. The price for the movies is a donation to the Strathclair Fire Department. In Neepawa, the annual cross-Canada Rolling Barrage motorcycle ride from Halifax to Vancouver, will be stopping by today with a fly-over by two CF-18s at 12:30 p.m. Viewers can watch the show from the grassy area near the pool. Park on Ellen/Davidson/Mill streets. No drones are permitted. No blocking streets. The Rolling Barrage generates awareness and raises funds for therapeutic support for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and their families. See therollingbarrage.com for more information. Robert Hugh of Monte Lake, B.C., so prized his Wayne Gretzky rookie card that he bought a fireproof safe to store it in. The July Mountain wildfire burns along the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt, B.C., Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The BC Wildfire Service says it is preparing for a potential increase in lightning strikes and shifting winds as cooler weather is forecast over the next few days. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Robert Hugh of Monte Lake, B.C., so prized his Wayne Gretzky rookie card that he bought a fireproof safe to store it in. So earlier this month, when the White Rock Lake wildfire prompted an evacuation order as it tore through the community, Hugh and his wife packed up their car and left the card behind -- counting on the six-month-old box to keep it safe. It didn't. "I got to enjoy Wayne for many, many years. Some things we just don't get rid of in our lives up until we're forced to," Hugh said. "Poor Wayne. He got burned up." The wildfire ripped through Hugh's property, destroying much of the square kilometre it takes up. It levelled the house and took the not-so-fireproof safe along with it. Hugh had the card with him for 25 years, and also had a number of opportunities to sell it, he said. Earlier this year, a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie card was sold to an anonymous buyer for $4.69 million, though Hugh's card likely wouldn't have fetched that sum. "Well, it wasn't in that good a condition, but you know it was certainly worth a lot more than I thought it was worth at one time," Hugh said with a chuckle. He is hoping he can get back the $400 he paid for the box. But there are other things that Hugh said were saved and put a smile on his face. Robert Hugh looks through the remains of the home he shared with his partner Michelle Maisonneuve that was destroyed by the White Rock Lake wildfire in Monte Lake, east of Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck He found his 12-year-old black cat, Scratch, was alive and doing well when he came back to take a tour of what remained of his home on Saturday. "He was just sitting here, waiting like nothing happened." Hugh said officials from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District left food and water for the kitty, so he got attention and was well looked-after. He described his emotions since the start of the fire about a week ago as a "roller-coaster" alternating with being sad for his own loss and that of his neighbours. "I came back to find that some things I thought would be burned up weren't burned up," he said. "So you know, in every situation there is a silver lining. Sometimes it's difficult to look for it but, but here it is. My cat is still alive." He remembered the morning the fire came in as being a "beautiful" and "sunny day" although he could see tongues of flames in the distance and hear the roar of helicopters above as they tried to extinguish them. "Then the wind picked up and debris started flying around." Within minutes, he said the fire was in their community and he and his wife had to flee. They were prepared to evacuate. The couple moved into Quail Lodge, Kamloops, which is about a half-hour drive from their home. He remained in his home during the 2017 wildfires and was happy with the government's response then. He had hoped officials would have a similar strategy this year too. He said he didn't like what he characterized as the province's paternalistic approach this time around, refusing to let residents stay and help battle the fires. The BC Wildfire Service said it is preparing for a potential increase in lightning strikes and shifting winds as cooler weather is forecast over the next few days. Fire information officer Erika Berg said the shift in temperatures is forecast to start on Sunday evening, possibly also bringing pyrocumulonimbus clouds in the southern region that usually cause their own weather systems, including an increase in lightning. Thunderstorms are most likely to be seen in northern British Columbia, including the Fort Nelson and Cariboofire centres, with a chance of increase in lightning strikes which can potentially cause more wildfires, she said. Gusty, shifting winds are also forecast for large stretches of the province, noting they too may cause an increase in size and intensity of fires, she said. The service has been conducting prescribed burns on some of the larger blazes such as the White Rock Lake, Tremont Creek and Flat Lake wildfires to prepare for a potential increase in lightning strikes, Berg said. Late Saturday night the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Emergency Operations Centre issued an evacuation order for 117 properties in the Paska Lake area due to the Tremont Creek fire. B.C. currently has more than 270 active wildfires and more than 6,700 square kilometres of area scorched by blazes. Heat warnings are in effect for several parts of southern B.C. including East Vancouver and Southern Gulf Islands, Fraser Valley, North Thompson and Whistler where the mercury is forecast to touch the mid-to-high 30s. Hugh coughed as he described his hometown. The place, he said has an "apocalyptic" and "eerie" look. "It's really, really smoky and everything's burned out. I can't see two feet ahead," he said. "I've never been in a war zone, but I would assume this is what it would look like." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2021. MONTREAL - Nursing students and recent graduates from nursing programs in Quebec say working conditions in the province's public health-care system are pushing them into the private sector, further exacerbating a shortage of nurses in provincial hospitals. Health workers screen patients at a walk-in COVID-19 test clinic in Montreal on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Nursing students and recent graduates from nursing programs in Quebec say working conditions in the province's public health-care system are pushing them into the private sector -- further exacerbating a shortage of nurses in the province hospitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - Nursing students and recent graduates from nursing programs in Quebec say working conditions in the province's public health-care system are pushing them into the private sector, further exacerbating a shortage of nurses in provincial hospitals. Audrey-Ann Bissonnette-Clermont, 27, graduated with a nursing degree a year ago. While she started her career in a Montreal emergency room, she said she's now switched to telemedicine and is working for a private company. In some ways, it was a difficult choice, she said. I got into the profession because I like people, I like to work with people, she said in an interview. It's been hard to leave behind the face-to-face contact, she added, "but its not difficult for my mental health. Unlike some nurses in Quebec hospitals, Bissonnette-Clermont said she didn't face a significant amount of mandatory overtime during the COVID-19 pandemic. The past year, however, was still draining. Bissonnette-Clermont, president of nursing student group the Association etudiante en sciences infirmieres du Quebec, said the pandemic has been hard for Quebec's aspiring nurses as internships were cancelled and trainees were denied time off to study. We were required to work full-time, we were asked to work mandatory overtime," she said. That experience is pushing students out of Quebec's public health-care system and towards private sector health-care providers, including placement agencies that provide nurses to the public system -- but offer higher pay and more control over working hours, she said. What we see a lot is that new nurses are burned out, they stop working after five, six months," she said. "I dont think its normal to be burned out after a few months at your first job. That should set off alarm bells, a red flag, for managers, for the government." Beatrice Landry-Belleau, who finished a bachelor's degree in nursing in May 2021, said her experiences during the pandemic reinforced her decision to work in front-line health care -- but not in a hospital setting. While she said she loves nursing, she said she wants a balance between her work and her life. Not being able to refuse overtime in a hospital setting concerns her. "For me, its very difficult to understand how you can go to work and not know when you can go back home, she said in an interview, adding she'd welcome work in a neighbourhood, youth or refugee clinic or a nurse-run cooperative. Nathalie Stake-Doucet, the president of the Quebec Nurses' Association, said the situation that new nurses faced during the pandemic is part of a larger problem with the way the profession is treated in the province. "It's demoralizing for nursing students to go into (internships) and clinical rotations where they see forced overtime, violence, unbearable workloads and things like that," Stake-Doucet said in an interview. "We've been called heroes and this and that, but that is not at all reflected in the way we're treated at work." She said mandatory overtime and cancelled vacations are pushing nurses out of the profession. "Nurses have to be able to have a life," she said. "We're not nuns anymore, when you become a nurse you're not planning on living at the hospital, you still want a family, friends, a normal life and a job." Stake-Doucet said Quebec doesn't have a shortage of nurses; the problem is that nurses don't want to work in the public system. "There are actually enough nurses," she said. "We just are doing nothing to attract and retain them into the public health-care system." Stake-Doucet describes the government's approach to the issue as coercive, saying it limits when placement agencies can provide nurses to the public sector. Such a strategy, she fears, may push people out of the profession entirely. The province has barred the agencies from using people hired away from regional health authorities to work on contracts with those same authorities. Bissonnette-Clermont said that's unfair, noting people wouldn't criticize an engineer or marketing professional for going to work somewhere that offers them a better salary and working conditions. Rebecca Guenard-Chouinard, a spokeswoman for Health Minister Christian Dube, said the government is proud of the steps it has taken to limit the "exodus" to the private sector. "Our government reiterates its commitment to providing attractive working conditions for health-care workers in the public sector. We are continuing the work, everywhere in Quebec," she wrote in an email, adding that the government will continue to reduce its use of placement agencies. She said recent agreements in principle with nurse's unions will improve working conditions by reducing overtime and boosting staff as well as salaries. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled the plug Sunday on his minority Liberal government, arguing that Canadians deserve a say on how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back the shattered economy. Advertisement Advertise With Us Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks with a family following childcare funding announcement in Montreal on Thursday, August 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled the plug Sunday on his minority Liberal government, arguing that Canadians deserve a say on how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back the shattered economy. But opposition leaders blasted Trudeau for putting his quest for a majority ahead of the health and safety of Canadians, plunging the country into what they called an unnecessary and reckless election just as a fourth wave of the deadly coronavirus is gathering steam across the country. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon agreed Sunday morning to Trudeau's request to dissolve Parliament for a 36-day campaign the shortest allowed by law that will culminate in a Sept. 20 vote. Addressing Canadians afterwards outside Rideau Hall, Trudeau said Canada is at a pivotal moment, "maybe the most important since 1945 and certainly in our lifetimes" and Canadians need to choose how they want to proceed. "The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids will grow up in," he said. "So in this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn't want a say? Who wouldn't want their chance to help decide where our country goes from here?" He challenged opposition leaders to explain why they don't think Canadians deserve a say. Trudeau's justification for going to the polls a little less than two years after the last election was greeted with skepticism. Opposition leaders pointed out that the Liberals have been able to pass pandemic relief bills, a throne speech and a budget, surviving every confidence vote along the way. "A leader who cared about the best interests of Canadians would be straining every sinew to secure the recovery right now. Instead, Justin Trudeau has called an election," said Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their children, from left to right, Ella-Grace, Hadrien and Xavier, to meet with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Even so, O'Toole said Canadians "deserve to know what their politicians will deliver, they deserve to know that there's a plan and they deserve a government that will keep its word." He touted his own five-point "Canada recovery plan" that promises, among other things, to create one million jobs and balance the federal budget in 10 years. Launching his campaign in Montreal, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called it a "selfish summer election," triggered because Trudeau is "fed up" with New Democrats forcing his government to do more to financially support people hurt by the pandemic and pushing him to impose a tax on the "ultrarich." "It was New Democrats that delivered the help that people needed," Singh said, taking credit for insisting on more generous emergency aid programs. "Everyone across Canada benefited from New Democrats being in Ottawa and I say to folks imagine how much more we could do with more New Democrats elected." Singh also criticized Trudeau for calling an election just as the president of Afghanistan fled the country as Taliban insurgents entered the capital, Kabul. Trudeau, who announced Sunday that Canadian diplomatic personnel are on their way back to Canada, insisted the election campaign will not impede his government's efforts to evacuate Afghans who helped Canada's mission or to accept 20,000 refugees who've already fled Afghanistan. The Liberals are gambling that general satisfaction with the government's handling of the pandemic a world-leading vaccination rate and the unprecedented billions doled out in emergency aid programs will propel them past the 170 seats needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons. However, public opinion polls suggest a majority is far from certain. Trudeau signalled Sunday that Liberals will use the issue of mandatory vaccinations, a notion that polls suggest is hugely popular, as a wedge against the Conservatives. As an example of the kinds of choices that Canadians need to make, he pointed to his government's decision to require mandatory vaccinations for federal public servants and workers in federally regulated sectors. He noted that Alberta Conservative MP David Yurdiga has called that "tyrannical." "Well, the answer to tyranny is to have an election and I think people who disagree with this government or disagree with this direction should have an opportunity to make themselves heard," he said. But Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet accused Trudeau of contradicting himself. If the pandemic is so serious that vaccinations must be made mandatory, Blanchet said, surely it's too dangerous to call an election. O'Toole accused Trudeau of "trying to divide people" over vaccinations. Nevertheless, he was on the defensive trying to explain why his party does not support mandatory vaccinations and won't require its candidates to be double vaccinated before they start going door-to-door or attending campaign events. "(Vaccines) are the critical tool in turning the page on COVID-19. We have to try and encourage and have as many people as vaccinated as possible and then take reasonable precautions to use other tools to keep all Canadians safe," O'Toole said. Late Sunday night, O'Toole released a statement proposing an alternative to mandatory vaccinations. He said a Conservative government would have unvaccinated federal employees and air passengers pass COVID-19 tests instead. He also said federal public servants who are not vaccinated would need to pass a rapid test every day. Green Leader Annamie Paul launched her campaign emphasizing the need for urgent action on the climate crisis but she also joined the chorus denouncing Trudeau for calling an election amid the pandemic. "We're here because the Liberals have decided that they want all the power, that they want a majority and they think that now is the best time to get it," said Paul at an event in the riding of Toronto Centre, where she is making her third attempt to win a seat in the Commons. The election call comes days after Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, warned the country is in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic. Case numbers have been steadily rising in recent weeks, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. Tam has said she believes Canadians should be able to vote safely in a pandemic election, provided public health protocols are followed. At dissolution, the Liberals had 155 seats, the Conservatives 119, the Bloc Quebecois 32, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were also five Independents and one vacancy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said there are four Independent members of Parliament and included an incorrect spelling of David Yurdiga's last name. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Advertisement Advertise With Us Passengers walk to the departures terminal of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. As a Taliban offensive encircles the Afghan capital, there's increasingly only one way out for those fleeing the war, and only one way in for U.S. troops sent to protect American diplomats still on the ground: the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul's abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government." Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold. Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated womens rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. A passenger walks to the departures terminal of Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. As a Taliban offensive encircles the Afghan capital, there's increasingly only one way out for those fleeing the war, and only one way in for U.S. troops sent to protect American diplomats still on the ground: the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport, according to two senior U.S. military officials. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for fleeing Afghans. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam. A man sells Taliban flags in Herat province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Hamed Sarfarazi) This is manifestly not Saigon, he said on ABCs This Week." The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to return to the embassy, but it was not clear if he would be allowed to. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation," said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. God should hold him accountable. Ghani later posted on Facebook that he left to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy, left, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated that the capital would not come under insurgent pressure for a month. The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America's longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, but America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq war. For years, the U.S. sought an exit from Afghanistan. Then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month. A U.S.Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as tense. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani. Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul. Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, further tightening their grip on the country as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the embassy. Wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy's roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully, he said. Afghanistans acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not hold back his criticism of the fleeing president. They tied our hands from behind and sold the country, he wrote on Twitter. Curse Ghani and his gang. In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, members of the 16 Air Assault Brigade arrive in Kabul as part of a 600-strong UK-force sent to assist with Operation PITTING to rescue British nationals in Afghanistan amidst the worsening security situation there. (Leading Hand Ben Shread/Ministry of Defence via AP) The Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. Reports of gunfire at the airport raised the specter of more violence. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door. What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban? Getee Azami cried. It wasn't clear what happened to her after that. In this photo prvided by the Ministry Of Defence on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade arrive in the Afghan capital of Kabul to assist in evacuating British nationals and entitled persons as part of Operation PITTING amidst the worsening security situation there. (Leading Hand Ben Shread/MOD via AP) An Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan, said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she will be able to graduate in two months. She said her generation was hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now." Sunday began with the Taliban seizing Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country's last government-held border post. Later, Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters. Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada; Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem; Matthew Lee in Washington; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; Aya Batrawy in Dubai; and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. WASHINGTON Dozens of nations from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy, left, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) WASHINGTON Dozens of nations from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country. More than 60 nations released a joint statement Sunday night citing what they call the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. The statement says that those in power and authority across the country bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations' statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. The statement concludes: The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them. The statement was distributed to U.S. media by the State Department. SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas Foreign Ministry said it has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul and evacuated most of its staff to an unspecified third country in the Middle East. The ministry said a few diplomats, including Ambassador Choi Taeho, remain at a safe location in Afghanistan to support the evacuation of a South Korean national in the country and that the Seoul government is closely working with the United States and other countries to ensure their safe evacuation. Afghanistan has been on South Koreas travel ban list since 2007. There were reportedly around five South Koreans living in Afghanistan before the Seoul government in June called for all of them to leave the country within 10 days as the United States and NATO proceeded with troop pullouts. WASHINGTON A State Department official says the American flag is no longer flying at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul amid evacuations from Afghanistans capital. The official tells The Associated Press that nearly all embassy personnel have been relocated to the citys international airport. The official says the flag itself is with embassy personnel, who are among thousands of Americans and others waiting for flights. The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity In a joint statement Sunday night, the State Department and the Pentagon say they are taking steps to secure the airport for safe departures by way of civilian and military flights. The statement says the U.S. security presence will have expanded to nearly 6,000 troops over the next two days and will take over air traffic control. Those leaving include American citizens who have been living in Afghanistan, locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families, and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals. Also part of the departure plan are thousands of Afghans eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas. Nearly 2,000 of those with special visas have arrived in the United States over the past two weeks. Matthew Lee. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials have been stunned by the pace of the Talibans nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation. The speed of the Afghan governments collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed. Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it. By Sunday, though, leading figures in the administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety. UNITED NATIONS U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint in order to protect the lives of Afghans and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, further tightening their grip on the country as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the embassy. Wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy's roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that the United Nations remains determined to contribute to a peaceful settlement, promote the human rights of all Afghans, notably women and girls, and provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and critical support to civilians in need. The U.N. humanitarian office said members of the humanitarian community both from the U.N. and non-governmental organizations remain committed to helping the millions of Afghans needing assistance and are staying in the country despite the highly complex security environment. The office, known as OCHA, said in a statement Sunday that more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance before more than 550,000 people were displaced by conflict this year, a figure that doubled since May. This story has been corrected to show that OCHA said more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance, not 550,000. KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban spokesman and negotiator tells The Associated Press that the militant group is holding talks aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government in Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen spoke to the AP after the Taliban overran most of the country in a matter of days and pushed into the capital, Kabul, as the United States scrambled to withdraw diplomats and other civilians. Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce a new government from the presidential palace, but those plans appear to be on hold. WASHINGTON The United States is sending another 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, raising the U.S. deployment to roughly 6,000. A defense official tells The Associated Press on Sunday that 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne are going directly to Kabul instead of going to Kuwait as a standby force. The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a deployment decision not yet announced by the Pentagon. On Saturday, President Joe Biden authorized the U.S. troop deployment to rise to roughly 5,000 by adding about 1,000. Since then, the Taliban have entered the capital of Kabul and Afghanistan's president has fled the country. Helicopters have been evacuating personnel from the U.S. Embassy, and several other Western missions also are preparing to pull their people out. Robert Burns KABUL, Afghanistan The Al-Jazeera news network is airing footage of a large group of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace in the capital of Afghanistan. The Taliban are expected to announce their takeover from the palace, renaming the country as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The militants have taken over most of Afghanistan in a matter of days as the U.S. scrambles to withdraw after 20 years of war. LONDON Britains Defense Ministry says U.K. troops have arrived in Kabul to help evacuate remaining Britons there. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after chairing a Cabinet emergency committee meeting Sunday that the priority is to get out British nationals, as well as Afghans who helped U.K. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, as fast as we can. The ambassador is working round the clock, has been there in the airport to help process the applications, he told Sky News. We certainly have the means at the moment to get them out ... Its just a question of making sure that theyre able to do it over the next few days. The vast bulk of embassy staff and officials have already left Afghanistan, Johnson added. NEW YORK The Latest developments on Afghanistan, where a Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks before the final pullout of American and NATO troops: The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Afghanistan Monday morning (10 am EDT) at the request of Estonia and Norway. Council diplomats said Sunday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief council members on the latest situation following the Taliban takeover of the capital, Kabul. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, further tightening their grip on the country as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the U.S. Embassy. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) The U.N. chief on Friday had urged the Taliban to immediately halt their offensive in Afghanistan and negotiate in good faith to avert a prolonged civil war. He also said he is deeply disturbed by early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists. KABUL, Afghanistan Senior U.S. military officials say Kabuls international airport has been closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue. The suspension of commercial flights cuts off one of the last avenues to escape the country for Afghans fearful of Taliban rule. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days and swept into the capital on Sunday. Scenes of chaos played out at the airport earlier, as Afghans rushed to get on the last flights out of the country. Videos circulating online showed airport personnel struggling to coral crowds boarding a plane on the tarmac, while a man with an injured leg lay on the ground. In the background, a U.S. Air Force plane was landing. KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban official says the group will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by U.S.-led forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has suspended all operations and told Americans to shelter in place, saying it has received reports of gunfire at the international airport. The U.S. is racing to airlift diplomats and citizens out of Afghanistan after the Taliban overran most of the country and entered the capital early Sunday. The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly and the situation at the airport is deteriorating rapidly," the embassy said in a statement. "There are reports of the airport taking fire and we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has suspended consular operations effective immediately. Do not come to the Embassy or airport at this time. PARIS France is relocating its embassy in Kabul to the airport to evacuate all citizens still in Afghanistan, initially transferring them to Abu Dhabi. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain said in a statement Sunday that military reinforcements and aircraft would deploy in the hours ahead to the United Arab Emirates, so that the first evacuations toward Abu Dhabi can start. Evacuations have been in progress for weeks and a charter flight put in place by France in mid-July. Since May, France has taken in Afghan employees at French structures under potential threat, with 600 people relocated to France. France gradually pulled out troops from Afghanistan between 2013 and 2015, and since then former personnel who worked for the French Army and their families, some 1,350 Afghans, were brought to France, the statement said. KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan leaders have created a coordination council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of the power, after the religious militia's lightening offensive swept to the capital, Kabul. In a statement posted on social media by former president Hamid Karzai, he said the body will be led by the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and himself. The statement said the move was to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people, and to manage peace and a peaceful transfer. BERLIN The United Nations refugee agency says more than 550,000 people in Afghanistan have fled their homes due to the conflict since the start of this year. A situational update published Sunday by Geneva-based UNHCR shows about 126,000 people were displaced in the previous month to Aug. 9, the most recent date for which figures are available. A spokeswoman for UNHCR said that while the situation inside Afghanistan is fluid, for now the displacement is largely internal. There is a need to support the humanitarian response in the country, Shabia Mantoo told The Associated Press. If we do see cross border movement then additional support outside the country will be necessary too. The agency continues to have international and Afghan staff on the ground, she said. BERLIN German media have issued an urgent appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel and the countrys foreign minister for an emergency visa program to help local staff who worked for them to leave Afghanistan. In an open letter Sunday, major German newspapers, public and commercial broadcasters, and the dpa news agency warned that the lives of these freelance staff are now in acute danger. The media outlets stressed that reporting from Afghanistan over the past two decades would have been unthinkable without the efforts and bravery of the Afghan staff who supported us on the ground: local journalists, stringers and translators. Citing several recent fatal attacks on journalists, the letter said that due to the advance of the Taliban it must be feared that such murders will now dramatically increase - and many of our staff are at risk. We are convinced: there is no time to lose now, it adds. Our staff who want to leave the country are at risk of persecution, arrest, torture and deaths. That is why we ask you act quickly. KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan officials say embattled President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban moved further into Kabul. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they werent authorized to brief journalists told The Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video. He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable, Abdullah said. Ghani's whereabouts and destination are currently unknown. TORONTO -- Canada has suspended diplomatic operations in Afghanistan and Canadian personnel are on their way back to Canada. Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement the decision to suspend operations is temporary and the embassy will reopen if the security situation allows staff to be safe. Some 40,000 Canadian troops were deployed in Afghanistan over 13 years as part of the NATO mission before pulling out in 2014. More than 150 Canadian soldiers died during the Afghanistan mission. WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the Taliban enter the Afghan capital. But he is playing down Americas hasty exit, saying this is manifestly not Saigon. Speaking on ABCs This Week on Sunday, Blinken said: The compound itself, our folks are leaving there, and moving to the airport. Blinken also confirmed that U.S. Embassy workers were destroying documents and other items ahead of fleeing the embassy, but insisted this is being done in a very deliberate way, its being done in an orderly way, and its being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way. The evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had U.S. military helicopters lifting off from embassy grounds Sunday, and sent puffs of black smoke up into the skies over Kabul as U.S. officials worked to keep sensitive material from falling in Taliban hands. The scene comes after President Joe Biden earlier this year played down any idea that the Taliban could capture the country, or that the Afghanistan war would end up in scenes reminiscent of the Vietnam one, with military helicopters taking off from embassy rooftops. Blinken defended Bidens decision to end the nearly 20-year U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, saying Bidens hands were tied by a withdrawal deal President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban in 2020. If Biden had called off the withdrawal, we would have been back at the war with the Taliban, and forced to surge tens of thousands of American forces back into Afghanistan, Blinken said. __ Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City. Architectural practice was less than prosperous in post-war England and in 1947, although employed in an architectural practice, he paid impatiently for his passage to Australia to stay on arrival with penfriends in Manly. Born in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1924, Wrigley was the elder of two children (including sister Shirley) for Harold and Rose Wrigley. It was a happy childhood, but with a juvenile mastoid operation, he was left with impaired hearing and declared unfit for RAF service, and therefore eventually enrolled at the School of Architecture at the Manchester School of Art in 1939. Five years later he graduated, with a distinction for his thesis on Sound Insulation in Buildings. He was ranked first in the all-England architectural examinations in 1945. Architecture became my springboard into design and has served me well as a core discipline applicable to a growing number of peripheral design areas, Wrigley once said. Shortly after, and in the nearby suburb of Dee Why, Wrigley bought an abandoned quarry, with just 100 in savings, and lived in a small cabin on site, while designing and building OB1 (owner-builder 1), his first of many homes. During this time, he supported himself with teaching at Sydney Technical College. To fund his return passage to visit his ill father he sold OB1 soon after its completion, and on returning he started on OB2 on the same large site. Wrigley met Hilary Archer in 1952, and they married in 1954. The family came from England to attend the wedding, and his sister Shirley remained in Australia and she was later to marry renowned designer George Kral in Melbourne. Wrigley and Hilary lived in OB2 until it was sold to media celebrity John Laws. He became a founding member in 1953 of the NSW chapter of the Society of Designers for Industry, which subsequently became the Industrial Design Institute of Australia, and then in 1978, became the Design Institute of Australia. He was seminal in establishing design professionalism in Australia by his pivotal role in founding the Industrial Design Council of Australia, alongside design great Fred Ward. Sir Essington Lewis was the inaugural chair of the council, and Colin Barrie the inaugural national director. In 1957, on the invitation of Ward, Wrigley and Hilary moved to Canberra to take up the position of assistant university designer at the Australian National University (ANU). Of course, this prompted the start of OB3 in Jansz Crescent, Griffith, a home for their three boys, Ben, Simon and Adam who grew up there. Wrigley designed alongside Ward and Hans Pillig until 1961 when Ward departed to work on lucrative commissions with the Reserve Bank and the National Library of Australia. Wrigley took over as university designer and architect and rapidly expanded the ANU design unit to include landscape, graphics, furniture, way finding, building and industrial design. Guns, terrorists and a rural idyll: What you need to know about our neo-Nazi infiltration Were sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss An ambulance crew has been hailed as heroes after they pulled a woman from a burning car wreck just moments before it was engulfed in flames. Queensland Ambulance Service has revealed the ambulance was not called to the scene of the crash on Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Road at Wishart early on Sunday morning, but was simply driving past when they noticed the car on fire. The ambulance arrived just in time, and if paramedics had been any later they might not have been able to save the woman. Police say the white Nissan X-Trail left the road and crashed into a carport and two cars parked outside a home about 1am. The ambulance crew discovered a sole person in the car, a 22-year-old woman, with burns to her abdomen, arms and legs. It has resulted in #Justiceforwalker, which represents Indigenous incarcerations rates and deaths in custody. It is also seminal generational pushback against a generations-long emasculation of language, lore and culture. In Yuendumu, the 1928 Coniston massacre has been also invoked in the aftermath of Mr Walkers death. Estimates of the dead from those attacks, reprisals for the killing of white dingo trapper Fred Brooks, range from a few dozen to 200. Protesters march in Melbourne in November 2019. Credit:AAP On August 24, 2018, the same day Scott Morrison won the prime ministership from Malcolm Turnbull, the Territorys most senior officer, Reece Kershaw, now the AFP Commissioner, went Yuendumu to apologise on behalf of the Northern Territory police. As it turned out, this moment of healing was terminal. To the other side of this line, Constable Rolfe, the son of a prominent white Canberra family, veteran of Afghanistan and a decorated officer once pinned by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove with a bravery medal for rescuing tourists from floodwaters, is the copper portrayed as being in an impossible situation serving in remote Northern Territory. The charges alone have damaged rank-and-file morale, the police union says. Some officers have been sacked or investigated for inflammatory comments, including the sale of a T-shirt with the slogan: Dont wanna get shot, dont stab a cop. #Blue Lives Matter. For the nation, it may be the most significant murder trial this century. It was put to this masthead by one person with deep connections through the Territorys central desert region: If hes convicted, the police force is f-----. On the extreme other end, if hes innocent. Imagine that. Then theres a real chance of unrest a stick it to the system. That wont be traditional people in Yuendumu. That will be people on the fringes with pent-up energy. Somewhere in the middle, that is, lesser findings open to the jury reckless or negligent conduct causing death and engaging in a violent act causing death everyone feels like theyve lost. Constable Rolfe faces a mandatory life sentence with a minimum 20 years if found guilty of murder. Mr Walker was on parole at the time of his death. It was among his conditions that he wear an electronic monitoring device. The remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Credit:Janie Barrett In the early hours of October 29, 2019, Mr Walker allegedly cut his bracelet in Alice Springs and travelled to Yuendumu. On November 6, police went to arrest him, but he had allegedly armed himself with a small axe. He threatened the officers and fled, according to the prosecution. The following day, Constable Rolfe, 300 kilometres away in Alice Springs, was among those briefed about Mr Walker. Two days later the constable and colleagues, including a member of the dog squad, made their way to Yuendumu and found Mr Walker that evening at house 511. The prosecution will allege that at 7.21pm and 50 seconds, Constable Rolfe told his arrest target: Just put your hands behind your back. He fired his first shot 11 seconds later, which was moments after Mr Walker stabbed him with the scissors. He then fired shots two and three, one of which was fatal. Mr Walker didnt die straight away. He was taken to the communitys police station, where isolated and anxious officers locked the gates. They tried first aid, for there were no health staff at the Yuendumu clinic that night - a series of home break-ins in the lead-up to November 9 had given them cause to leave. Instead, an ambulance was called from the nearby community of Yuelamu but was too slow for Mr Walker. He died at 9.28pm. The community found out the next day. In the days that followed, Aboriginal people of the desert boarded buses to the nearest seat of power, Alice Springs, and marched at least a thousand strong with comrades and activists who had come from across the nation. Last week, Transurban delivered its results for the financial year, disclosing in the process significant cost blowouts on the West Gate Tunnel project. When it did, much of the reaction was predictable, although two things did cause surprise. The West Gate Tunnel project has had significant cost blowouts. Credit:Jason South First, was the magnitude of the blowouts which could, at this stage, be anywhere from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion. A worst-case scenario could see the overruns reach or even exceed 100 per cent of the initial $6.7 billion project cost. What also surprised, however, was the governments response, which appeared to attribute blame to the very process it oversaw in this saga, rather than its own obligation to manage the project on behalf of Victorians. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday confirmed Australia would look to join evacuation efforts alongside the US and Britain but said he will not be discussing any operational plans at this point. I dont think it is advisable for me to go into operational arrangements that are being put in place for the security of those were seeking to help, Mr Morrison said. What I can assure you is this task has the utmost urgency and priority of the government and, of course, has been considered at the highest levels of the government yesterday. Along with the rescue operation, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Friday that the government will expand the net of Afghans who are eligible to receive visas to include individuals who had less formal links to the Australian government during the decades-long conflict. The federal Opposition has called on the government to urgently fast-track visas and evacuations for the immediate family members of Australians who are in Afghanistan, along with those who worked with the Australian Defence Force. The Australian government has been criticised by military experts and former soldiers who served in Afghanistan for its relatively slow response processing the applications of Afghan interpreters and other locally engaged workers who say they will be targeted by the Taliban for helping foreign forces. Ezatullah Rahimi, who served as an interpreter with Australian troops for almost four years and is now an Australian citizen, has been trying to get the Australian government to accept humanitarian visas for up to 14 family members in Kandahar, which was taken by the Taliban last week. Mr Rahimi, 31, said his sisters husband was recently killed, while his other family members were regularly threatened by the Taliban. We are running out of time... it wont take long for the Taliban to take over Kabul, he said. My message to the Australian government is this: mate, dont handpass. You asked me to stand next to you, and I stood next to you. I was hit multiple times by ambushes I got targeted by the special forces of Taliban, the Red Group. Ive had multiple threats to my family. Americans have picked up their people, the British picked up all of their people, Canada has promised to take 20,000 people. Ezatullah Rahimi, who served with Australian troops in Afghanistan as an interpreter, fears for his family. Another Afghan-Australian, who wished not to be named to protect family members still in Afghanistan, recently left Kabul over the weekend by paying $9500 in flights to return to Sydney. I started fearing for my life as the Taliban are capturing multiple cities in one day, he said. The Oppositions foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said the government must urgently fast-track visas for immediate family members, subject to national security checks. Thousands of husbands, wives, partners and children of Australians have been waiting for years for partner and family visas, and others must now be eligible for refugee and humanitarian visas, Senator Keneally said. Data from the Department of Home Affairs shows Afghan citizens wait almost three times as long for visas as the global average - with prospective marriage visas more than doubling to 16.2 months over the past decade, and to 13.6 months for the provisional partner category. Labor MP Julian Hill, whose Melbourne electorate of Bruce has one of the highest populations of Afghan-Australians in the nation, said time was running out to save these lives. MPs are receiving desperate, heart-breaking requests for help from thousands of Australians with immediate family stuck in Afghanistan, he said. Nationals MP Darren Chester, who was Minister for Veterans Affairs up until two months ago, said a failure to help Afghan interpreters and other locally engaged staff wouldnt just put them in danger - it would also adversely affect the long-term mental health of veterans who served in Afghanistan. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has begged people to stop visiting family and friends as hundreds of extra police begin patrolling streets from Monday in an unprecedented effort to slow rising COVID-19 case numbers. Dr Chant delivered one of her most sober messages of the pandemic on Sunday as NSW recorded 415 new cases, starkly warning: I cannot describe my concern level if we do not drive these cases down. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has given one of her most stark warnings of the pandemic. Credit:Edwina Pickles We are at a fork in the road, and we have to decide what path we will choose, and the path I want is one where I see declining case numbers and increasing vaccination, she said. With all NSW in lockdown, Premier Gladys Berejiklian conceded it would be near impossible to eliminate the Delta strain but what we desperately, desperately need is to get those numbers as low as possible to make it safe. If we were to reopen the whole economy or reopen and let people move freely right now, then we will finish up with where Sydney is at right now thousands of cases, not cases in the 10s and 20s. While the Premier said he did not know what Thursdays announcement on lockdowns would entail, he did indicate that these were not good signs. Mr Andrews said there had not been enough compliance with the lockdown rules, citing a pub crawl in Richmond on Friday. COVID response commander Jeroen Weimar called out families allowing their children to meet for play dates, and said not enough people were getting tested. Were seeing children gathering, were seeing school work club, were seeing sleepovers, Mr Weimar said. If your children have been contacting each other or been with other kids over recent days, you must go and get them tested today we have seen positive cases coming out of this outbreak from that kind of contact. If youre supposed to be working from home ... and youre choosing to work from an office, we would like you to get tested. Because, again, weve seen people who are not abiding by the work-from-home directives who are picking up coronavirus and spreading it to their community. At this stage of last months outbreak, seeded by Sydney-based removalists and spread at a number of packed venues such as the MCG and the Young and Jacksons hotel, COVID-19 case numbers had begun falling. Catherine Bennett, chair of Epidemiology at Deakin University, agreed with Mr Weimars assessment that Victoria was at a make-or-break juncture, pointing to similarities between the present situation in Melbourne and that of NSW several weeks ago. Every day were getting cases popping up that tell us weve got a wider spread than we realised, Professor Bennett said. We dont know how far the virus has got out into the community, and without being alarmist, thats what happened in Sydney. They found the chains of transmission out into western Sydney only after they had been there for a few weeks and then found how widespread it was. Mr Weimar said Victoria was now at a tipping point as the latest cluster was continuing to grow. The cluster started with a Newport teacher at Al-Taqwa College. COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Commander said the city was at a tipping point. Credit:Nine Weve now got three, four significant clusters that are being generated that we now have to focus on, and thats the area of concern at the moment, and that is why this is a real tipping point, Mr Weimar said. We can deal with those new clusters. We can deal with [the mystery cases] in St Kilda East, we can deal with Middle Park, we can deal with Glenroy, but if there are more cases coming off the back of them, thats where you start to get issues. Ten of Sundays new cases were linked to Al-Taqwa, seven to Glenroy West Primary School and three to Caroline Springs Square Shopping Centre. Loading Health authorities are particularly worried about an outbreak in Melbournes Orthodox Jewish community, after two people in St Kilda East tested positive to coronavirus at the weekend. Contact tracers are investigating whether the duo attended an illegal gathering during lockdown. Border closures look likely to persist into 2022. West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said on Sunday his states hard border with NSW could stay for the rest of the year, while Mr Andrews said he would not open up Victoria to its northern neighbour until case numbers there were under control, regardless of vaccination rates. The national cabinet has agreed, on advice from the Doherty Institute, that Australia could open up when the adult vaccination rate hits 70 per cent. But Mr Andrews said on Sunday that NSW residents would still not be allowed into Victoria if the case numbers remained in the hundreds each day. They wont be getting in here, the Premier said.That [Doherty] modelling [about reopening the economy after hitting a vaccination target of 80 per cent] does not assume there are thousands of cases, and hundreds of cases every day. That modelling assumes there are very low numbers of cases. So if we want to be open, if we want to have a new set of rules as we go into a new year, if we want to preserve our health system for everyone who needs it then when we get to 70 or 80 per cent we have to have cases down here, not raging. The Premier called out Melburnians gathering for the Walk, Talk, event, which he described as a pub crawl, on Saturday. Credit:Nine He backed the Prime Ministers decision to send most of the new Pfizer shots to NSW. They have to be given more vaccine in NSW because nothing else theyre doing is working, Mr Andrews said. Mr Morrison said the additional doses would be enough to vaccinate everyone aged 20 to 39 in Sydneys 12 highest-risk local government areas. Loading Mr Andrews called out people who he said had been laughing at Victorias predicament during the second wave. We got a lot of commentary from people last year, we got a lot of political attacks, with a lot of people in different parts of the country lecturing Victorians, and laughing at Victorians, and enjoying our difficulties a bit more than they probably should have, Mr Andrews said. Lets not return that. The remaining Pfizer doses are due to arrive in Australia this week. Polands Australian embassy said in a statement Australia had been added to the list of low and middle-income countries with which Poland was sharing vaccines due to the recent outbreaks of the Delta strain. The doses were sold on a non-profit basis, according to the embassy. The decision to also add Australia to the list was taken against the backdrop of the current outbreak of Delta variant in the country, following the talks between both countries officials, including the prime ministers and foreign ministers, the statement said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson led calls for the issue of how Davison came to legally own a gun to be properly investigated. He said he was appalled by the misogynistic views that were espoused online and said that this is something that will undoubtedly be part of the investigation into the killings. The attacks came after years of online rants during which Davison described himself as a depressed virgin who struggled to attract women and shared violent videos glorifying gun violence. In his final video blog, he spent 11 minutes ranting about how his life had hit a dead end before declaring I am a terminator. A Whitehall source said that the Home Office produced papers in 2019, via the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, that classified incel culture as a threat, defining it as political violence and terrorism. Campaigners urged police on Friday to reverse a decision not to treat the killings as terrorism. Laura Bates, of the Everyday Sexism project, said that we are talking about an individual radicalised online into an extremist belief system who then acted on those beliefs to massacre people. This is terrorism. It is extremism. It is radicalisation. Loading Repeated news reports, police and politicians all saying this is not terror related. This is shocking and shameful. Extremist misogyny, male supremacy, sees women die all over the world, including repeatedly in incel massacres. We cannot tackle it if we do not name it. A Whitehall source said the government should consider the shooting an act of terrorism and should look to formally proscribe incel groups, treating incel websites with the same severity as Islamist and right-wing extremism. Officials are also under pressure to tighten gun laws. The Gun Control Network, the successor organisation to the Dunblane Snowdrop campaign that helped ban handguns, said: The important question is how did he get the gun and why was he given a licence. It is not about his motivation but what was wrong with the system that we can put right. Loading The comments were backed by Luke Pollard, a Plymouth MP, who called for a full investigation into him and whether the firearms licence was properly and correctly issued. Friends of Martyn added: If he had issues why the hell was he allowed to have a shotgun? The incident was the worst mass shooting in Britain since 2010, when Derrick Bird also used his legally held firearm to killed 12 people in Cumbria. To obtain a licence Davison would have been assessed by a specialist officer who would have been required to visit his home to ensure that he had somewhere to safely store the weapon. The shooting raised questions about the decision to return the weapon, despite claims that Davisons family had contacted the local NHS mental health services to ask for assistance. A source close to the family said: Apparently, he hasnt been well for quite a bit, mentally, and also beat up his father a couple of months ago. The police took his gun licence from him, but then gave it back to him. There are about 1.4 million licensed shotguns in England and Wales, and 546,000 shotgun licence holders. The fee for a five-year licence is 80 ($150). SoftBank-backed Electric took the wraps off its maiden e-scooter offerings -- S1 and S1 Pro -- for a commercial launch on Sunday. With prices starting from Rs 99,999 (excluding state government incentives, registration fee, and insurance cost), the Bhavesh Aggarwal-founded firm said the e-scooters are designed and engineered in India for the world and will deliver the best scooter experience to the consumer. He suggested that after 2025, sale of petrol-powered two-wheelers should not be allowed. It will be the best scooter ever made, not just the best electric scooter, said Aggarwal, chairman and group CEO, Ola, during a roundtable at the Electric campus in Bengaluru. We have to make technology which is the best in the world and that's what we're doing. We've been saying we'll build our own technology. We built our own technology. All of this has been done by Indian teams based here in this office, and it's world-leading. With pricing that undercuts competition-- internal combustion engine (ICE) powered scooters and e-scooters and a promise of delivering an e-scooter that claims superiority over rivals, Aggarwal gave a clarion call to reject petrol and commit to electrification. According to him, the scale of pollution by the traditional automotive industry is very high and electrification is the only sustainable solution. He said are much more efficient and sustainable than gasoline vehicles. In terms of the total cost of ownership (TCO), Aggarwal said the vehicle will be 40 per cent lower than the petrol vehicle in a 4-5 year cycle. The only true solution for us is to genuinely completely reject petrol and commit to electrification, he said, often interrupting himself to ask What do you think? He said after 2025, no petrol two-wheeler should be sold in India and it is possible to make this transition to sustainability in four years. In India, Ola is now in direct competition with electric two-wheeler makers, such as Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Bajaj's Chetak, and TVS Motor Company. Ola has the S1 (Rs 99,999) and S1 Pro (Rs 1,29,999) electric scooter models the S1 Pro has 3.97 kWh (kilowatt-hour) battery packs, which, according to the company, have enough power for a range of 181 km in a single charge. The S1 and S1 Pro are likely to be available for purchase from September. With aggressive pricing that undercuts the products offered by the competition and superior products, coupled with the charging infrastructure that Ola is creating, Ola Electric is set to disrupt the worlds largest two-wheeler market, said analysts. Ola is priced aggressively at par with the gasoline Activa and undercuts its EV rivals, Aditya Makharia, analyst at HDFC Securities, wrote in a research report. With a starting price of Rs 85,000 in Delhi, the Ola electric scooter is cheaper than the TVS iQube (Rs 101,000), Bajaj Chetak (Rs 142,000) and the Ather 450 (starting at Rs 1,13,000). Ex-showroom Delhi prices for ICE scooter Honda Activa 6G ranges between Rs 69,080 and Rs 72,325, while the more-powerful Activa 125 costs Rs 72,637-79,760. Thus, the pricing of the OLA is extremely competitive, said Makharia. ALSO READ: Firms that want to import vehicles into India should invest here: Ola CEO Its superior to rivals even in terms of product specifications, he wrote. With a 2.9kwh battery (the best in class) and peak output, this is 40 per cent more than the Ather. A driving range in excess of 100 km for its S1 base model addresses the range anxiety (121 km range on a single charge). The battery has a capacity of 2.9kwH (among the highest in EVs) for the base variant and 3.9kwH for the S1 Pro (30 per cent higher than the Ather). The launch comes days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed hopes that the Indian government would slash tax on imported electric cars. Earlier, Aggarwal had said he was not in favour of the government paring duty on imported and his comment went viral. But Aggarwal, on Saturday, said that many people misinterpreted his comment that his firm didnt want any competition. I welcome that gentleman to India. Competition is good, said Aggarwal. According to him, whether Indian or international, should invest in the country. Many people misinterpreted my comment that we don't want the competition. Nothing like that. We welcome competition and we will beat the competition, whether it is Indian or global. Ola Electric had also revealed its plans to set up the worlds largest electric two-wheeler charging network. The Ola Hypercharger Network is likely to be the widest and densest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world, with more than 100,000 charging points across 400 cities. Besides large cities, it is also witnessing huge demand from small towns and cities for its scooter. Chasing the mission of a faster adoption to e-mobility, Ola had announced in December 2020 that it would be investing Rs 2,400 crore for setting up phase 1 of the factory. The Ola Futurefactory is coming up on a 500-acre site in Tamil Nadu. At full capacity of 10 million vehicles annually, it would be the worlds largest two-wheeler factory and would handle 15 per cent of the world capacity. It would have an initial capacity of 2 million units a year in Phase 1 and also serve as the companys global manufacturing hub for its range of electric-powered scooters and two-wheelers across India and international markets, including EU nations, the UK, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand. Watch: Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal taking the e-scooter for a fun and test ride India's cultural diversity and multi-faceted dance forms, ranging from Bharatanatyam to Purulia Chhau, have come alive in a vibrant doodle by the internet search giant to mark the country's 75th The digital artwork is a veritable palatte of colours with dancers or the props held by them, representing the letters of 'Google'. The doodle made by Kolkata-based artist Sayan Mukherjee "celebrates India's and its cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress," according to information shared by on its website. The six artistes, donning colourful traditional costumes, stand in a row, on a platform adorned with old heritage designs, to add to the festive atmosphere. The one portrayed on the extreme left of the doodle is a Bharatanatyam dancer in a resplendent dress and an evocative 'mudra' forming the 'G' of 'Google', while a Kathakali dancer in dazzling costume syabda is on the other end of the spectrum with folded hands. After the Bharatanatyam dancer, stands a woman in Bihu costume, holding a jaapi -- the traditional hat of Assam -- forming the letter 'O', followed by a Bhangra dancer from Punjab, beating a 'dhol', the percussion instrument forming the second 'O' in the search giant's name. Purulia Chhau dancer with the colourful headgear is the next in line followed by a 'garba' dancer from Gujarat with a pair of sticks in her hands, completing the line-up. India is inhabited by one-sixth of the total global population and is characterized by the thousands of distinct languages and ethnic groups within its borders. Indians across the subcontinent's 29 states celebrate their freedom and multicultural spirit with customs such as traditional dance performances, which vary depending on regional culture," the search giant said. The doodle artwork illustrates these diverse forms of dance. Depicted on the far right, the masked reenactments from Indian epics known as Chhau dance have origins in the eastern state of Jharkhand, the Purulia Chhau, and the Seraikella Chau regions, it added. On Saturday, the US-based firm, known to commemorate key historic events and celebrate iconic personalities, had also showcased a doodle -- inspired by an ancient fort, marking 75th of Pakistan. "In honour of this historic day, today's doodle artwork depicts the medieval Derawar Fort, a massive square edifice with a symmetrical perimeter of 40 massive circular bastions built in the 9th century," the search engine major wrote on the artwork on August 14. Located in the vast expanse of western Pakistan's Cholistan Desert, each of these ancient stone fortresses rises nearly 100 feet from the sand and comprise an imposing symbol of Pakistani adaptability and antiquity," it said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): Carrier AI-243 landed safely at capital Kabul from Delhi an hour delayed amid turmoil in with Taliban. AI-243 took off from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport for Kabul in the morning. Security and boarding processes of an flight are underway at Kabul airport in The flight will return to Delhi tonight with a full load of passengers. Soon after landing the aircraft staff was told by the aviation authority at the Kabul, "to start boarding the passengers who wish to come back to their homeland, currently security checks boarding and process are underway," top sources told ANI. The two-hour and the twenty-minute flight had to be halted in the air for about an hour. Taliban forces, which have devastated the war-torn country, reached the outskirts of Kabul and officials in Kabul's air traffic control (ATC) were unavailable to help Air India Flight AI-243 land. "Air India plane hovering over Kabul airspace due to landing permission was not given by ATC, finally plane is landed at Kabul airport." Sources told ANI. Earlier Air India has only three flights in a week for Kabul now as per demand Air India increases flight services to Kabul seven days a week. Replying to ANI question on whether India has issued an advisory regarding avoiding Afghanistan airspace in connection with the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Ministry of External Affair (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that "India is looking the security situation very closely and monitoring the situation in Afghanistan but there is no such advisory." According to the sources, India is closely monitoring the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan and will be deciding on the evacuation of diplomatic personnel from Kabul amid the Taliban gaining control. Earlier today, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital Kabul from all sides faced with little or no resistance. There are negotiations going on in the Afghan Presidential Palace ARG to transfer power to the Taliban. Moreover, Ali Ahamd Jalali will be appointed as head of the new interim government, The Khaama Press Agency reported citing sources. (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.) Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has left the capital Kabul for Tajikistan, a senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said on Sunday. The president's office said it "cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani's movement for security reasons". A representative of the Taliban, which entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, said the group was checking on Ghani's whereabouts. insurgents entered Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Sunday and said they expected to take power within days, promising to moderate their earlier hardline Islamist rule even as foreign diplomats and many locals tried to leave. American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by chopper after a lightning advance by the militants, who were poised to run Afghanistan again following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. fighters were reaching the capital "from all sides", a senior Afghan interior ministry official told Reuters. However, there were no reports of fighting. The group was in talks with the Western-backed government for a peaceful surrender, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. "Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed," he said in a statement. Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, could be named head of an interim administration in Kabul, three diplomatic sources said, though it was unclear whether the Taliban had agreed. Known during their past rule for keeping girls out of school and their hardline practice of Islamic law, including punishments of amputation, stoning and hanging, the Taliban appear to be trying to project a more modern face. Another spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group would protect the rights of women, as well as freedoms for media workers and diplomats. "We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe," Shaheen told the BBC, saying a transfer of power was expected in days. The ease of the Taliban's advance, despite billions of dollars spent by the United States and others to build up local Afghan government forces, has stunned the world. Just last week, a US intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months. There was no immediate word on the situation from President Ashraf Ghani. A palace official said he was in emergency talks with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and officials from the NATO transatlantic alliance. Power would be handed over to a transitional administration, the government's acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, tweeted on the Tolo news channel. "There won't be an attack on the city, it is agreed that there will be a peaceful handover," he said without elaborating. A tweet from the Afghan presidential palace account said firing had been heard at a number of points around Kabul but that security forces, in coordination with international partners, had control of the city. Many of Kabul's streets were choked by cars and people either trying to rush home or reach the airport, residents said. "Some people have left their keys in the car and have started walking to the airport," one resident told Reuters by phone. Another said: "People are all going home in fear of fighting." Afghans had fled the provinces to enter Kabul in recent days, fearing a return to hardline Islamist rule. Early on Sunday, refugees from Taliban-controlled provinces were seen unloading belongings from taxis and families stood outside embassy gates, while the city's downtown was packed with people stocking up on supplies. About 22 students from studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are not willing to go back to their country and want to extend their visas through academic courses. Afghan students are worried about their stay in India as their visa tenure is about to expire within months. The visa limit for most of these foreign students is getting over by the month of December this year, however, with the situation in turning volatile, no one wants to go back and they want to extend their visa through academic courses such as a PhD, sources said. "For a war-torn country like Afghanistan, most of the people are extensively unemployed and trying to escape from either death or captivity. Arranging a 'hefty fee' seems impossible." said Afghan students in JNU while talking to ANI. Terminal students have to leave the hostel by September 23, which is making them unsure of accommodation with narrow financial capacity. Jalaluddin, a JNU student told, "Situation is extremely critical there. I am hoping that the administration will understand our situation and extend my visa permit. Also, PhD in JNU is highly expensive for foreign nationals, and for poor families that are certainly not the possible way out. However, at present, I really don't know what to do." If a student visa expires, one cannot work or study until a new permit is given. Also while extending a visa, one must be sure that his/her passport does not expire at the same time. The study permit cannot be extended beyond the passport's expiry date, said sources. Shafiq Sultan, a student of International Relations and Area studies in JNU told, "My visa will get over by December 31. I was a government employee before I came here to study. I am sure if I go back they will capture me. My family is staying in the area captured by the and I am unable to contact them for the last one and a half weeks. The tension is scaling up, we definitely need help." Ali Asghar, an Afghan student at JNU, said that his visa tenure will expire within three months. He stated, "I spoke with my father a week ago, he told me my family is escaping to another area because the may take control over our city. They do not want me to come back but the fee structure for foreign students is extremely high which we cannot bear without family's support. However, my family is completely unemployed." JNU administration released a press note on August 14 stating "Some Afghan students of JNU have requested the JNU administration to facilitate their return to the Campus. As the University has remained closed as per the latest Circular issued by the DDMA, Govt. of NCT, Delhi, this matter is currently being looked into. (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 on Sunday reported a net decrease of 2,337 in active cases to take its count to 385,336. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.25 per cent (one in 44). The country is tenth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Saturday, it added 36,083 cases to take its total caseload to 32,192,576 from 32,156,493 an increase of 0.1%. And, with 493 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 431,225, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 7,350,553 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Saturday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 543,846,290. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 31,376,015 or 97.46 per cent of total caseload with 37,927 new cured cases being reported on Sunday. Now the tenth-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 258,121 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 2.25% of all active cases globally (one in every 44 active cases), and 9.86% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths). India has so far administered 543,846,290 vaccine doses. That is 1689.35 per cent of its total caseload, and 38.99 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (62282170), Maharashtra (53894322), Gujarat (43449460), Rajasthan (42279965), and Madhya Pradesh (40452843). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (743269), Uttarakhand (692086), Gujarat (680254), Delhi (670724), and J&K (571504). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 26 days. The count of active cases across India on Sunday saw a net reduction of 2,337, compared to net addition of 2,446 on Saturday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Maharashtra (256), Kerala (242), Himachal Pradesh (87), Tamil Nadu (16), and Delhi (10). With 37,927 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.46%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.34%. The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.72%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.11%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 38,420 493 deaths and 37,927 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.28%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 618.1 days, and for deaths at 605.9 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (19451), Maharashtra (5787), Tamil Nadu (1916), Karnataka (1632), and Andhra Pradesh (1535). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (94.57%). India on Wednesday conducted 1,923,863 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 493,624,440. The test positivity rate recorded was 1.9%. Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR) percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases are Goa (15.34%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.71%), Sikkim (12.86%), Maharashtra (12.58%), and Kerala (12.55%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are, Kerala (13.97%), Manipur (12.63%), Sikkim (10.71%), Meghalaya (8.04%), and Arunachal Pradesh (5.3%). Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1315258), J&K (920669), Kerala (819803), Karnataka (603268), and Telangana (593037). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6387863), Kerala (3671541), Karnataka (2928033), Tamil Nadu (2586885), and Andhra Pradesh (1992191). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 5787 new cases to take its tally to 6387863. Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 19451 cases to take its tally to 3671541. Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1632 cases to take its tally to 2928033. Tamil Nadu has added 1916 cases to take its tally to 2586885. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1535 to 1992191. Uttar Pradesh has added 42 cases to take its tally to 1708918. Delhi has added 50 cases to take its tally to 1437038. To cover more people in the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Delhi government on Sunday issued an order to reserve 70 per cent of vaccination slots of Covishield and Covaxin at state-run facilities for those receiving the first dose. More than 1.15 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the national capital till Sunday, of which 32,66,927 are second doses. "First dose proportion of Covishield may be increased from 40 per cent to 70 per cent of the total slots being created and first dose proportion of Covaxin may be increased from 50 per cent to 70 per cent...," the order said. The Delhi government had on July 22 ordered that only the second dose of Covishield vaccine will be administered at government inoculation centres till July 31 due to limited supply. Also, only 20 per cent of the Covaxin stock was being used for the first dose due to its "irregular delivery cycles". Earlier this month, the government had issued a fresh order allowing the resumption of inoculation of the first dose of Covishield, albeit in a limited manner. "Private Covid vaccination centres can continue to administer both doses of the two vaccines. However, they are advised to factor in stock availability for the second dose while planning and publishing the slots for the two doses," the latest order read. (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's right to intercept for duly authorised legal causes like security and terrorism will always exist with checks and balances in any democracy, Minister of State for Electronics and IT said on Sunday. The minister, while speaking at Times Now India at 75: The Freedom Summit, said the right to free speech is a fundamental right that any elected government cannot contravene easily. "As far as the government's right to intercept for duly authorised, legal causes like security, terrorism, etc (is concerned), that right will always be there with every sovereign government in any democracy, but those are accompanied with checks and balances. "We must understand that there is no utopian world or where George Orwell's sort of a situation is addressed completely," Chandrasekhar said. He said that to remain confident, ignore the conspiracy theorists who will waive a fig leaf of truth and create a whole conspiracy around it. The minister was responding to questions around concerns on the back of certain controversies in worldwide expose, where the state is also being seen as a bit of a threat. "The senior minister (Ashwini Vaishnaw) in my ministry has very clearly and very simply put it out there that we are a country with checks and balances. "We have systems. We have procedures for everything that a ministry or a government is able to do in its normal sort of a job of maintaining law and order," Chandrasekhar said. He said that while the fears may be there, but the reciprocal confidence in some people, in terms of following the law, the fact that the privacy and free speech are constitutionally guaranteed in India and it is not some favour that somebody is putting out there, has to be also in a sense understood. "So, don't always believe the conspiracy theorist who's waving the flag of conspiracy," Chandrasekhar said. The monsoon session of Parliament was disrupted with the Opposition kept demanding inquiry into Pegausus snooping row in which WhatsApp of some journalists and politicians were allegedly hacked for spying on them. Chandrasekhar said people have started responding to politicians who have been peddling fake news. He said fake news is not something that the governments in democracies are going to be ever able to do and is going to finally end up with the citizens who will say that they don't want to listen to the fake news. "I think the Indian democracy is responding well. If you see the track record of politicians who have peddled fake news for the last six-seven years, and you correlate their political success to their track record on social media, I think the people of India are already responding to this," Chandrasekhar said. He said the government's mission is to use the large capable resources, the innovation, the talent and organisational depth of companies and entrepreneurs around the country to take technology to the last man or woman standing. "We are today celebrating 75 years of independence, a lot of Indians there are almost 400 million Indians who are looking at what the next 25 years will be. "I hope, to a large extent, my ministry will play a role in empowering them to be powerfully capable of following their dreams and becoming global citizens," the minister said. He added that the goal for the Ministry of Electronics and IT has been laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he said he aspires for India to become a trillion-dollar digital economy in the near term. "Digital economy is not just about the size because digital economy represents size as well as the innovation and all of the other cutting-edge technologies...like artificial intelligence, 5G-6G, machine learning. "All of these areas we need to be very good at because those are going to be relevant in the coming years," Chandrasekhar 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.) India closely monitoring the fast-changing situation in to decide on the evacuation of diplomatic personnel from Kabul, news agency ANI reported. is close to a complete victory in as fighters entered the outskirts of the capital on Sunday and said they were awaiting a peaceful transfer of the city after promising not to take it by force, but the uncertainty panicked residents who raced to the leave the capital, with workers fleeing government offices and helicopters landing at the US Embassy. Three Afghan officials told The Associated Press that the were in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman in the capital. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military. The lightning speed of the push has shocked many and raised questions about why Afghan forces crumbled despite years of US training and billions of dollars spent. Just days ago, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure. The GRP here has invoked the stringent MCOCA against a millionaire hawker accused of extortion, his wife and six other associates, and attached many of his properties, a police official said on Sunday. The accused, Santosh Kumar Singh alias Bablu Thakur, has properties worth crores, including two high-end cars and a motorcycle, 10 houses in Mumbai, two land plots at his native place in Uttar Pradesh, five acre agricultural land, 1.5 kg gold, insurance policies worth around Rs 10 lakh and cash in about 30 bank accounts, the official said. Thakur was allegedly involved in extorting money from hawkers at railway stations and he would beat and attack them with sharp weapons if they refused to pay, he said, adding that apart from other provisions, the accused has now also been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The accused was running the extortion racket at Dadar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Byculla and Kurla railway stations here as well as stations in neighbouring Thane city and Kalyan town, the official said. Thakur and his wife Rita Singh have multiple cases registered against them and many of them are still pending in court, Dadar Government Railway Police's (GRP) senior inspector Dnyaneshwar Katkar said. "We have invoked the MCOCA against Thakur, his wife and six other associates and attached their properties. The last case was registered against them under Sections 387 (extortion) and 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and further investigation is underway, the official said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister said on Sunday that preparations are underway for holding assembly elections in the future in Jammu and Kashmir, where development is now visible on the ground. "Giving fair opportunities to the potential of all, this is the real spirit of democracy. Be it Jammu or Kashmir, where the balance of development is now visible on the ground. "The Delimitation Commission has been constituted in and preparations are on for holding assembly elections in the future," the prime minister said while addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 75th He also referred to the abrogation of Article 370 and said holding the first-ever District Development Council polls in J-K reflects the country's determination. Talking about Ladakh, which was carved as a Union Territory after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, he said it is also progressing towards its limitless possibilities of development. "On the one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand 'Sindhu Central University' is also going to make Ladakh a centre of higher education," he said. Modi said that whether it is eastern India, the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh including the entire Himalayan region, or the coastal belt or tribal region, they will become the base for India's development in the future. (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 Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit will honour freedom fighters, their families and farmers in every village of the state under a new campaign, party general secretary Vadra said on Sunday. Greeting people on the country's 75th Independence Day, the leader said the party would undertake the "Jai Bharat Jan Sampark Abhiyan" on the occasion. "On 75th Independence Day, the UP will honour freedom fighters, their families, farmers in every village of UP under 'Jai Bharat Jan Sampark Abhiyan' and thank each and every person of the state for their contribution in strengthening the country," tweeted in Hindi. (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 has put in place contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul that has been gripped by fear and panic following reports of fighters entering the outskirts of the Afghan capital city on Sunday. People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation. "The government is closely monitoring the fast-paced developments in We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian embassy in Kabul at any risk," said one of the persons cited above. Specifically asked when the Indian staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, they said decisions will depend on the ground situation. It is learnt that a fleet of the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions. According to reports from Kabul, fighters have entered the outskirts of the city, triggering panic and fear among the residents. In the last few days, the fighters have swept through most parts of Afghanistan, seizing control of around 25 of the 34 provincial capitals, including cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad. The Afghan Presidential Palace said on Twitter that the situation is under control in Kabul and it has not been attacked, though there were instances of sporadic gunshots. It said the Afghan security forces are working with their international partners to ensure the security of Kabul. "Kabul has not been attacked. The country's security and defence forces are working together with international partners to ensure the security of the city and the situation is under control," the statement in Pashto said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had a telephone conversation with security officials regarding the security of the citizens in Kabul, it said. The BBC reported from Kabul, quoting the country's acting interior minister, that a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government is being prepared. As the situation deteriorated in Kabul, the United States and the embassies of several other countries began evacuating their staff from the Afghan city. (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 at least half of the districts in the state reporting a good number of new cases daily, the Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday further extended the Covid curfew till August 21. Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said the 10 pm to 6 am curfew has been extended after a thorough review of the Covid-19 situation and keeping in view the number of positive cases. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC would continue to be in force even during non-curfew hours, he said. Gatherings at marriages, functions and religious events should not exceed 150 persons. "Following Covid appropriate behaviour is a must at all congregations. Any violation will attract action as per the Disaster Management Act and the IPC," Singhal said. The Principal Secretary directed the district Collectors, Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to enforce the orders scrupulously. (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 announcement of a Rs 100 lakh crore 'Gatishakti' initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead to an all-round national development with focus on jobs, growth and self-reliance, said on Sunday. CII President TV Narendran said Prime Minister's speech comprehensively outlined a strategic economic vision that embraced various critical sectors of the economy. "The proposed Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti programme of Rs 100 lakh crore promises to converge infrastructure, manufacturing and competitiveness to drive India's future growth and create employment. His words on manufacturing quality to build pride in Indian products were timely with a renewed thrust on the mission," he said. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 75th Independence Day, Modi said India will launch the 'Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti National Master Plan', which will help local manufacturers turn globally competitive and also develop possibilities of new future economic zones. "At the same time, the stress on providing basic amenities at the grassroots to all and policies to empower farmers are welcome as they would set the foundation for new growth waves. The progressive perspectives on sustainability, hydrogen, innovation and technology encourage industry to move on these paths and would help maintain the momentum of India's growth path," he added. The CII also said that through the National Hydrogen Mission, India has the potential to gain global leadership and it would help reduce India's carbon footprint and offer new opportunities for industry at the same time. PHDCCI President Sanjay Aggarwal said that 'Sabka Prayas' along with 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas' signals the much needed change in mindset, inviting citizens and corporates to contribute equally for building a new India. "Gatishakti will create a foundation for holistic infrastructure and give an integrated pathway to our economy. This increased spending on infrastructure will give a multiplier effect to rejuvenate the aggregate demand in the economy. Undoubtedly, robust growth of infrastructure is the key ingredient to realise the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," Aggarwal said. Assocham said that Gatishakti "would lead to all-round national development with focus on jobs, growth, self-reliance and edge to Indian products/services in the global market". (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.) Looking to put the Covid horrors behind and place the economy on the fast-track, Prime Minister promised a slew of initiatives in his speech on Sunday, including the Rs 100-trillion Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti Bharat Master Plan for integrated infrastructure growth. He also set a target of making India energy independent by 2047 by replace petroleum with other forms of energy and announced a National Hydrogen Mission, noting the country spends Rs 12 trillion on energy imports every year. In his 90-minute speech, the prime minister hailed start-up unicorns for wealth creation and said his government would develop an e-commerce platform for products manufactured by women SHGs in villages. The Gatishakti Bharat Master Plan has a striking resemblance to the 2019-20 Budget proposal which mentioned the same figure for the same purpose: Infrastructure creation; his own speeches in 2019 and also last year had mentioned the National Infrastructure Pipeline Project. The plan is aimed at easier interconnectivity between road, rail, air and waterways to reduce travel time and improve industrial productivity. As before, the prime minister emphasis was on Indian-made: Whether it was fighter aircraft or mobile phones. He said India used to import mobile phones in large numbers but is now exporting them. He asked exporters to make goods that were not merely competitive but also high quality because your goods are brand ambassadors for the country. In our eyes, there must be a dream: A dream to capture the world market, he said. ALSO READ: Every rule, process that is a hindrance must go: Modi on Independence Day Modi said the next 25 years are Amrit Kaal for Indian citizens. The purpose of Amrit Kaal is to better the lives of citizens, lessen the development divide between villages and city, reduce government interference in people's lives, and have latest technology so that we are not behind any country in the world," the prime minsiter said. Glossing over the shortages in public health facilities, especially during the second wave of Covid-19, Modi said the world had praised India for its Covid management and while its large population presented huge challenges, the country was forging ahead in vaccinating people. But can you imagine what might have happened if India did not have its own vaccine? he asked. He promised the expansion of public health facilities to panchayat levels. The PM posed the ongoing protest against the three farm laws as a small-versus-big farmer problem. He said the Swaminathan committee formula for minimum support price had already been implemented. But it was farmers with small land-holdings who faced the biggest challenge. He referred to the ongoing digitisation of land records and said that this would help establish ownership and bring down litigation. He said through ration shops or the mid-day meal scheme, fortified rice would be made available under every government programme by 2024. The prime minister also said Sainik Schools, which used to admit only boys, would be now open to girls after a successful pilot project in Mizoram over two years ago. Delivering his address from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi said there would be 75 Vande Bharat trains by 2023, besides India would have better air connectivity in the coming years with new airports. Work to connect capitals in the northeastern region with rail services would be completed soon, he said. Indias production-linked incentive plan would make manufacturing globally competitive, he said. This came days after one of his ministers criticised Indian industry for not doing enough to aid the national manufacturing effort. The PM also asked state governments to revisit unnecessary regulations and scrap those that slowed down the system. Given that the COP26 meeting on climate change is barely weeks away, the PM dwelt extensively on issues of climate change, mentioning the issue as one of environment security. He noted the Indian railway system would meet the net-zero target by 2030, the country had already surpassed the developed world in meeting per capita emission levels, and the emphasis on renewable forms of power would further reduce emission. Green energy will lead to green jobs, he said. ALSO READ: India must commit itself to a 25-year timeline for progress, change: Modi Under the National Hydrogen Mission, the aim is to make the country a global hub for the production and export of green hydrogen hydrogen as fuel obtained from the electrolysis of water, without any emission. The PM referred only in passing to the world order that is emerging post Covid but said two challenges were evident: The challenge of terrorism and concerns about expansionism. The world is looking at India with new eyes. And India is also replying to the challenges with resolve. Whether it is surgical strikes or expansionism, India is responding with courage and vigour, he said. He said elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon. He avoided taking any position on Afghanistan where the Taliban -- a force that India does not recognise and members of which are on the list of sanctioned organisations by both UN and US -- is on the brink of establishing a government. There were some firsts in the PMs speech. His speeches are known for pure Hindi. This time, it was peppered with English words and phrases. For the first time, he read out a poem, presumably penned by him, as part of his speech, in the tradition of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Possibly for the first time, in a somewhat reflective tone, Modi referred to his tenure as prime minister and how future PMs would judge him. This reference to his place in history seemed to suggest a succession plan might be in the making. There are negotiations going on in the Afghan Presidential Palace ARG to transfer power to the with Ali Ahamd Jalali as head of the new interim government on Sunday, according to the news agency ANI. Media reports said President Ashraf Ghani will step down and make way for a commander to take over. President Ghani has urged government forces to maintain Kabul law and order, news agency AFP reported The Khaama Press News Agency reported that the Head of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah is said to be mediating the process. Sources have also said that Ali Ahamd Jalali will be appointed as head of the new interim government, reported The Khaama Press News Agency. Meanwhile, Acting Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal in separate video clips assured the people of Kabul will be secured as they are protecting the city along with allies. Mirzakwal said Kabul will not be attacked and that the transition will happen peacefully. Mirzakwal assured Kabul residents that security forces will ensure the security of the city. Earlier, the in a statement assured residents of Kabul no to be afraid as they are not intended to enter the Afghan capital militarily and there will be a peaceful movement towards Kabul. Faced with little or no resistance, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital Kabul from all sides. The fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital and said they were awaiting a peaceful transfer of the city after promising not to take it by force, but the uncertainty panicked residents who raced to the leave the capital, with workers fleeing government offices and helicopters landing at the US Embassy. Taliban has now ordered its members to wait near Kabul gates and not attempt to enter the city, TOLO News reported. Meanwhile, Russia, together with partners, is working on convening an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the issue of Afghanistan, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told Sputnik on Sunday. "We will convene [the meeting]. But it will not change the situation, we should have thought about it earlier, and not hold seatings now," Kabulov said. The First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, told Sputnik that the situation in Afghanistan must be urgently discussed in the UN Security Council, as the fate of the country seemed to have been foreclosed. He added that Russia cannot and will not interfere in the situation in Afghanistan, as it is a sovereign state. Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry reported Sunday that 84 Afghan servicemen crossed the border into Uzbekistan asked for assistance. Uzbek guards detained the group of Afghan military when they crossed the border. The group included three wounded soldiers that needed medical help, the ministry said. The men were offered food and temporary accommodation in Uzbekistan, and the ministry was in touch with Afghan officials regarding the return of Afghan soldiers to their home country. The announcement Sunday came as fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The said they don't plan to take the capital city by force. (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.) Former US president has slammed his successor President and accused him of failing on Afghan policy as the continued to capture cities and provinces in the war-torn country. The no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power. What a disgrace it will be when the raises their flag over America's Embassy in Kabul. This is a complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence, Trump said in a statement. Hours after the president announced deployment of 5,000 US troops in Afghanistan, Trump said that Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy and many other issues. Everyone knew he couldn't handle the pressure. Even Obama's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, said as much, he said. He ran out of instead of following the plan our Administration left for hima plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America. The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground, Trump said. After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone, 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.) Russia's state news agency reported Sunday that the promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian embassy in Kabul. Tass quoted Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, as saying that the organisation has good relations with and a policy in general to ensure safe conditions for the functioning of the Russian and other embassies. The Kremlin's envoy on Afghanistan said Sunday that there are no plans to evacuate the Russian embassy in Kabul. Zamir Kabulov told the Interfax news agency that Russia's ambassador and its staff are calmly carrying out their duties. The reports came as fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The said they don't plan to take the capital city by force. (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.) insurgents captured the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight on Sunday, leaving the territory controlled by the crumbling government to little more than the capital Kabul. The started evacuating its diplomats and was sending more troops to help secure Kabul airport and the embassy after the Taliban's lightning advances brought the Islamist group to the door of the capital in a matter of days. Just last week, a US intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months. "We have a small batch of people leaving now as we speak, a majority of the staff are ready to leave," a US official told Reuters on Sunday. "The embassy continues to function." The fall of Jalalabad gives the insurgents control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked It followed the Taliban's seizure of the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Saturday, also with little fighting. "There are no clashes taking place right now in Jalalabad because the governor has surrendered to the Taliban," a Jalalabad-based Afghan official told Reuters. "Allowing passage to the was the only way to save civilian lives." A second security official in the city said the had agreed to give safe passage to government officials and security forces while they leave Jalalabad. The decision to surrender was taken to avoid "casualties and destruction", the official said. After US-led forces withdrew the bulk of the their remaining troops in the last month, the Taliban campaign accelerated as the Afghan military's defences appeared to collapse. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorised the deployment of 5,000 US troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an "orderly and safe" drawdown of military personnel. A US defence official said that included 1,000 newly approved troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. Taliban fighters entered Mazar-i-Sharif virtually unopposed as security forces escaped up the highway to Uzbekistan, about 80 km (50 miles) to the north, provincial officials said. Unverified video on social media showed Afghan army vehicles and men in uniforms crowding the iron bridge between the Afghan town of Hairatan and Uzbekistan. Two influential militia leaders supporting the government - Atta Mohammad Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum - also fled. Noor said on social media that the Taliban had been handed control of Balkh province, where Mazar-i-Sharif is located, due to a "conspiracy." POPULARLY ACCEPTED In a statement late on Saturday, the Taliban said its rapid gains showed it was popularly accepted by the Afghan people and reassured both Afghans and foreigners that they would be safe. The Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban calls itself, "will, as always, protect their life, property and honour, and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation," it said, adding that diplomats and aid workers would also face no problems. As the capital looked increasingly isolated as a government stronghold, Afghans streamed into Kabul, fleeing the provinces and fearing a return to hardline Islamist rule. Early on Sunday, refugees from Taliban-controlled provinces were seen unloading belongings from taxis and families stood outside embassy gates, while the city's downtown was packed with people stocking up on supplies. Hundreds of people slept huddled in tents or in the open in the city, by roadsides or in car parks, a resident said on Saturday night. "You can see the fear in their faces," he said. Western governments were accelerating plans to evacuate their embassy staff, citizens and Afghans who had worked for them. The British ambassador will leave the country by Sunday evening, UK media reported. An Iranian official said the embassy in Kabul would be evacuated by Monday. The State Department was contacting advocates to request names of Afghans in Kabul who have worked with the Americans and needed to be evacuated, two sources familiar with the matter said. The list of names could include journalists and human rights activists. Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in talks in Qatar that any action that put US personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response." CLOSING IN ON KABUL The Taliban, facing little resistance, took Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province and 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul on Saturday, said a local provincial council member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Police officials, however, denied reports that the Taliban had advanced closer to Kabul from Pul-e-Alam, which is a staging post for a potential assault on the capital. Kandahar, the biggest city in the south and the heartland of the Taliban, fell to the militants' control on Friday. Herat, the biggest city in the west and near the border with Iran, also fell on Friday. Biden has faced rising domestic criticism as the Taliban have taken city after city far more quickly than predicted. The president has stuck to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to end the US military mission in by Aug. 31. Biden said it is up to the Afghan military to hold its own territory. "An endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me," Biden said on Saturday. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday held talks with local leaders and partners, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Ghani and Blinken discussed urgent efforts to reduce violence in Afghanistan, the State Department said. Qatar, which has been hosting so-far inconclusive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said it had urged the insurgents to cease fire. Ghani has given no sign of responding to a Taliban demand that he resign as a condition for any ceasefire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) fighters entered the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters began landing at the US Embassy in the Afghan capital, further tightening the militants' grip on the country. say in a statement they don't plan to take Kabul 'by force' as sporadic gunfire echoes in Afghan capital. Three Afghan officials told The Associated Press that the fighters were in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman in the capital. The militants themselves didn't acknowledge the advance, though they earlier took Jalalabad, near a major border crossing with Pakistan, the last major city other than Kabul not under their control. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swathes of the country, even with some air support by the US military. The rapid shuttle-run flights near the embassy began a few hours later as diplomatic armored SUVs could be seen leaving the area around the post. The US State Department did not immediately respond to questions about the movements. However, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy's roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the situation. The Czech Republic also approved a plan to begin withdrawing their Afghan staff from their embassy after earlier taking their diplomats to Kabul Airport. President Ashraf Ghani, who spoke to the nation Saturday for the first time since the offensive began, appears increasingly isolated as well. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving Ghani without a military option. Ongoing negotiations in Qatar, the site of a Taliban office, also have failed to stop the insurgents' advance. Thousands of civilians now live in parks and open spaces in Kabul itself, fearing the future. While Kabul appeared calm Sunday, some ATMs stopped distributing cash as hundreds gathered in front of private banks, trying to withdraw their life savings. Militants posted photos online early Sunday showing them in the governor's office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. Abrarullah Murad, a lawmaker from the province told The Associated Press that the insurgents seized Jalalabad after elders negotiated the fall of the government there. Murad said there was no fighting as the city surrendered. The militants took also Maidan Shar, the capital of Maidan Wardak, on Sunday, only some 90 km (55 miles) from Kabul, Afghan lawmaker Hamida Akbari and the Taliban said. Another provincial capital in Khost fell later Sunday to the Taliban, said a provincial council member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The fall Saturday of Mazar-e-Sharif, the country's fourth largest city, which Afghan forces and two powerful former warlords had pledged to defend, handed the insurgents control over all of northern Afghanistan. Atta Mohammad Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum, two of the warlords Ghani tried to rally to his side days earlier, fled over the border into Uzbekistan on Saturday, said officials close to Dostum. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorised to publicly speak about his movements. Writing on Twitter, Noor alleged a conspiracy aided the fall of the north to the Taliban, without elaborating. Despite our firm resistance, sadly, all the government and the Afghan security forces equipment were handed over to the Taliban as a result of a big organised and cowardly plot, Noor wrote. They had orchestrated the plot to trap Marshal Dostum and myself too, but they didn't succeed. In his speech Saturday, Ghani vowed not to give up the achievements of the 20 years since the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks. The US has continued holding peace talks between the government and the Taliban in Qatar this week, and the community has warned that a Taliban government brought about by force would be shunned. But the insurgents appear to have little interest in making concessions as they rack up victories on the battlefield. We have started consultations, inside the government with elders and political leaders, representatives of different levels of the community as well as our allies, Ghani said. Soon the results will be shared with you, he added, without elaborating further. Many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban's oppressive rule. The group had previously governed Afghanistan under a harsh version of Islamic law in which women were forbidden to work or attend school, and could not leave their homes without a male relative accompanying them. Salima Mazari, one of the few female district governors in the country, expressed fears about a Taliban takeover Saturday in an interview from Mazar-e-Sharif, before it fell. There will be no place for women, said Mazari, who governs a district of 36,000 people near the northern city. In the provinces controlled by the Taliban, no women exist there anymore, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes. In a statement late Saturday, however, the Taliban insisted their fighters wouldn't enter people's homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they'd offer an amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. The Islamic Emirate once again assures all its citizens that it will, as always, protect their life, property and honor and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation, the militants said. In this regard, no one should worry about their life. Despite the pledge, those who can afford a ticket have been flocking to Kabul International Airport, the only way out of the country as the Taliban took the last border crossing still held by the government Sunday at Torkham. Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there after the militants seized it. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Afghan official tells The Associated Press that negotiators are heading to the presidential palace to prepare for a "transfer" of power. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said Sunday that the goal was a peaceful handing over of the government to the The have said they don't plan to take the capital by force. (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 takeover of is happening with dizzying speed. In just a few weeks, the militant group has swept from province to province until it entered the capital, Kabul, earlier today. Rather than push on militarily, it seems for now the are letting the government fall on its own. All signs are that President Ashraf Ghani will agree to a power sharing arrangement. Which in effect means the will be back in charge coming full circle 20 years after the Americans booted them out and Ghani will either step down or move to a figurehead role, someone to give the Taliban a veneer of respectability with the rest of the world. While the Taliban are issuing statements about ensuring the transition process is completed safely and securely, without putting the lives, property and honor of anyone in danger, the danger is their actions will be quite different. Controlling the customs posts and border crossings (aside from airport) and with the Afghan military collapsing, the Taliban hold the cards. Russia and China will be comfortable engaging with the groups leaders. But already there are reports the militants are seeking to reimpose the fundamentalism that defined their earlier rule. Two decades of painful but hard won progress for women and civil society could vanish. A concern for neighbors is that an exodus of refugees from could include terrorists, and Uyghur separatists. The Taliban might permit groups like al-Qaeda to train and operate from there. presents US President Joe Biden with an unwinnable challenge. Americans wanted their soldiers home after so many years of fighting. And yet the US also says it stands as a defender of human rights. Biden is unlikely to reverse course despite the growing criticism. I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan two Republicans, two Democrats, he says. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth. Rosalind Mathieson. Evacuation scramble | Countries including the US, Australia, Canada and the UK are racing to fly out diplomatic staff, as well as Afghan interpreters and contractors. Biden has boosted the US troop deployment by about 1,000 from the 3,000 Marines and soldiers announced earlier and 1,000 troops already in Afghanistan, with reports of helicopters landing at the US embassy compound to ferry people to the airport. Russia does not plan for now to evacuate its embassy. The world is watching in horror the results of Washingtons latest historical experiment, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post. Cutting them off | A Republican lawmaker is calling on the Federal Reserve to ensure official assets held by Afghanistan in the US dont fall into the hands of the Taliban. Representative Andy Barr made the request in a letter to the New York Fed, saying the goal is to ensure the countrys account at the Fed cannot benefit the Talibans malign activities. Refugee risk | The Talibans advance has made the willingness of Turkey to take the lead in securing airport riskier as it struggles to seal its eastern border with Iran against those fleeing Afghanistan. Turkey already hosts the worlds largest refugee population and, as tens of thousands of Afghans follow in the footsteps of Syrians and Iraqis, its hospitality has gone cold. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week he may meet leaders from the Taliban. The background | The Taliban have a long history in Afghanistan. They first took over in 1996, and ruled until the US military ousted them in 2001. But America is not the only country to invade Afghanistan Russia has, too. For more details, read this explainer. Protecting women | In recent weeks, Taliban fighters in northern areas told some female employees of Afghanistan Bank, the countrys largest by assets, to leave and go home, a source tells Eltaf Najafizada. We cant allow wholesale massacres of any woman whos in the workplace in Afghanistan, or any woman who has an education, or allow them to kick all of the girls out of school and go back to, really, the days of cave people in the way they treat women and girls, says US Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The said on Sunday that negotiations were underway with the Afghan government for the peaceful surrender of Kabul, adding that there was no plan whatsoever to topple the capital city militarily In a statement, the insurgent group acknowledged that the fighters have no intention to enter the Afghan capital Kabul and will enter the city peacefully. The statement reads that Kabul is the most populated city of and the fighters are not allowed to enter the city and are directed to stay out of Kabul's doors. The statement was published hours after fear and panic spread in the city and people are roaming on the streets. People seemed to be closing shops and markets and there is no city transportation available in the city, Afghan media reported. The Afghan Presidential Palace also said in Facebook posts that the situation of Kabul is under control and the Afghan forces are working along with allies to secure the Afghan capital. "We reiterate that Islamic Emirate has nothing to do with the civil and military officials in Kabul. We are not seeking revenge and there is general pardon for government officials," said the statement. The statement further reads that the upcoming Islamic system will comprise all classes and groups in --IANS san/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrating the 75th Independence Day on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh CM said the state attracted investment worth Rs 4 lakh crore while no communal riot took place under his tenure. "The state, which was the sixth biggest economy in the country, has become the second biggest. Once associated with anarchy and known as a state of riots, UP today has become a role model in terms of law and order," he said after unfurling the Tricolour outside the UP Vidhan Bhavan. "A new era of investment has started in the state and in the past four years, there has been an investment of Rs 4 lakh crore," he said, adding that UP has come out of the BIMARU state tag. Adityanath further claimed, "In the 53 months, not a single communal riot took place and there is a feeling of security in every citizen." The chief minister also spoke of primacy of "rashtra dharm" over all other duties. "Our duty is our biggest 'rashtra dharm'. Our styles of worshipping may be different but our duty towards our nation is 'rashtra dharm'," he said. "After prolonged freedom struggle and countless sacrifices, the country got freedom. The price of Independence can be gauged from the numerous memorials built in the memory of martyrs and freedom fighters across the country. They are living proof of this," he said. He said the first war of independence in 1857 gave the foreigners a taste of India's collective might. "Rani Laxmibai was leading the fight in Jhansi while it was Ballia's Mangal Pandey, who was leading at some other place, as the collective fight was intensified by revolutionaries in Lucknow. And the result is that in barely 90 years, the foreigners were forced to leave the country," Adityanath said. He paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters on this occasion. "It was in Lucknow in 1916, where Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave the slogan of 'Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it'. This became the mantra for the entire nation. Revolutionary activities continued throughout the country and UP was one of the hubs," he said. "The 1922 historic incident of Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur in which farmers waged a decisive battle against the foreigners is in its centenary year. Who can forget the Kakori train ction in which revolutionaries like Ram Prasad Bismil, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajendra Lahiri and others had participated," he said. The UP chief minister also said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dreams of new India are being realised. "Modiji has envisioned a healthy, prosperous and clean new India, and it will not take time to realise it," the CM said. On Covid, he said the capacity to test four lakh samples has been developed and UP has administered the highest number of vaccines. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Kumar, and UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were present on this occasion. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Britney Spears conservator, Jamie Spears has collected $16,000 per month for the past 13 years from her $59 million fortune. But in court documents, he turned the tables and claimed that his ex-wife Lynne Spears is also collecting millions from their daughters estate. Lynne Spears said her ex-husband is incapable of putting Britneys interests ahead of his own On July 26th, Britney Spears attorney Mathew Rosengart filed a request to have Jamie Spears immediately suspended from the conservatorship. Rosengart cited, among other things, Jamies attacks on Britneys mental health and an alleged misuse of her money. Since he has also collected $16,000 per month and a percentage of her Piece of Me residency in Las Vegas (totaling $5 million over 13 years), many have questioned his motives. Coming along, folks coming along !!!!! New with real representation today I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!! Thank you to my fans who are supporting me You have no idea what it means to me be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!! pic.twitter.com/27yexZ5O8J Britney Spears (@britneyspears) July 15, 2021 On the same day of Britneys last filing, Lynne Spears also filed papers stating that she didnt believe Jamie Spears had his daughters best interests in mind. She backed up Britneys request to replace Mr. Spears as conservator. I became involved in this conservatorship because I wanted to ensure that everything in my daughters life was handled in the best interests of my daughter, the conservatee, read Lynn Spears court statement. Which I did not believe at the time (and I still do not today) to be the case. It is clear to me that James P. Spears is incapable of putting my daughters interests ahead of his own on both a professional and a personal level and that his being and remaining a conservator of my daughters estate is not in the best interests of my daughter, the conservatee. Jamie Spears fired back with accusations that his ex-wife has benefited, as well According to Insider, his response to Britneys request for immediate removal (which indicated a willingness to eventually step back from the conservatorship) also claimed that Lynne Spears benefited $150,000 per year toward her Louisiana mansion. In stark contrast, it appears that Lynne is the one who is incapable of putting her daughters interests ahead of her own, Mr. Spears filing said. Lynne has not been involved in her daughters life for most of the past twelve years. Despite their estranged relationship, the Conservatorship Estate, during the entire duration of the Conservatorship, has paid and continues to pay for the mansion in Louisiana where Lynne lives, including all of her utility bills, weekly maid service, and all maintenance (totaling upwards of $150,000 per year and to date, nearly $2,000,000 in total). All told, that would mean that Britney Spears has lost at least $7 million of her estate to her own parents both of whom vigorously claim to be watching out for her best interests. Jamie Lynn Spears is also reportedly involved in Britney Spears financial affairs Britney Spears, father Jamie, brother Bryan and mother Lynne in Las Vegas. | Chris Farina/Corbis via Getty Images The Britney Spears conservatorship seems to have become a full family affair, as The Blast reported in 2020 that Jamie Lynn was put in charge of a trust for Britneys two sons, Jayden and Sean. Jamie Lynn denies having directly received any money from her sisters estate. In a blistering court statement in June, Britney Spears criticized her familys involvement in her conservatorship and said they had all financially benefited. I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you, she told Judge Brenda Penny in Los Angeles Superior Court. I also would like to be able to share my story with the world, and what they did to me, instead of it being a hush-hush secret to benefit all of them. RELATED: Britney Spears Reflects on Weight Loss, Says She Was Happier When She Looked Heavier Back in MTVs heydey, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and his ex-wife Playboy playmate Shanna Moakler became reality TV royalty. The couples raunchy show, Meet the Barkers, aired from 2005-2006 with just over a dozen episodes. Through the course of two short seasons, Barker and Moakler put their lives up for public consumption. Heres some of the drama you probably forgot about. Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler had a rocky relationship Shanna Moakler and Travis Barker | Denise Truscello/WireImage Its been 13 years since Barker and Moakler officially split but their relationship remains one of the most-watched on TV. Due to the sheer number of foul language, deeply inappropriate groping, and other visuals that shouldve come with an NC-17 warning, Meet the Barkers had no lack of censorship bleeps. Though the two kept things spicy on camera, their romance was up and down throughout their six years together which included police calls and cheating accusations The parents of son Landon and daughter Alabama divorced in 2006 but continued the on-again-off-again romance for two more years. Barker revealed in his 2015 autobiography Can I Say that Moakler wanted to do the show to get a jump start on her acting career. Much of this couldve begun with the reality show. Moakler claimed Barker distanced himself when cameras werent rolling but thats only one of the former couples problems. The two also had their fair share of steamy scenes and explicit conversations leading some to wonder if things remained so loving off-camera. Did the two divorce because of Meet the Barkers? Barker and Moakler both admitted in Barkers book that the show contributed to their problems. I think the show destroyed our relationship, Moakler wrote. I think he was afraid he was going to be looked on as a reality star. So when the cameras stopped rolling, he distanced himself from me in every way that he possibly could. I felt like having the reality show changed Shannas character, Barker wrote. Shanna wanted to be an actress, and I felt she started doing things just for the cameras for attention, or maybe it was just her dramatic personality. It was turning into a variety show instead of a reality show and in my mind, she was behaving out of character on camera, which was carrying over to her not being genuine with me. But, there are numerous digs from one or the other that allude to how damning that period in time had been. According to Barkers autobiography, Meet the Barkers allowed for toxic energy, which led to his decision to quit the show. In an interview with Khloe Kardashian on Kocktails With Khloe, Barker spoke about the time spent filming. It was so real that I didnt feel any type of way. It was like what was really going down, he said. There were just cameras documenting it. Between the on-air disputes and all of those not shown, we can only imagine how the added stress of cameras could come between the already struggling couple. Since then, theyve moved on sort of. Barker is in a relationship with Kourtney Kardashian The beds too big without you Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) August 7, 2021 RELATED: Travis Barker Had to Learn to Walk Again After Horrific Plane Crash That Killed 4 2021 has been a year of firsts such as Barker finding love in a pandemic with Keeping Up With the Kardashians reality star Kourtney Kardashian. After months of denying rumors, they finally made it social media official with plenty of PDA-filled posts. And, while the two are still going strong, Moaklers taken it upon herself to weigh in about it all. Im very much over my ex. Its been a long time. However, do I think some of the PDA that hes doing with her is weird? [Yes], she told People. The movie, True Romance, that I feel like theyve been bonding over was the theme of our wedding. Our daughters named after the character in the movie. Flying banners overhead like we did on Meet the Barkers. Stuff like that I just think its weird. She continued: If anything, my only issue with this whole sort of craziness thats been going on is her fan base its really almost to the point of being bullied, she said about the internet trolls. I look at social media as a place to have fun. It should be positive. Barker doesnt comment on his private life much anymore which we can likely attribute to learning the hard way on Meet the Barkers. Want to eat like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex? It wont require fancy ingredients, just a trip to the grocery store. Meghan shared some of her favorite recipes spoiler, theyre filled with fruits and vegetables in her pre-royal days when she played a foodie on Suits. Check out some of her go-to snacks and what she likes to make for Sunday dinners. 1. Meghan Markle likes to eat watermelon and cinnamon Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2019 | Tim P. Whitby Pool/Getty Images In June 2012 Meghan shared some food ideas with Today and this was one of them. Watermelons a favorite of hers and she recommended sprinkling it with cinnamon for an added kick. I have always loved watermelon and relish any opportunity to eat it, whether plain or diced up with feta and mint and tossed with a little olive oil. It makes me think of summertime, she said. On set and at home, I try to always have a container of watermelon sprinkled with cinnamon because it elevates the flavor just a notch, and makes it feel special. 2. Meghan Markles go-to meal on set, seasoned veggie quinoa, is easy to make ahead Grab some vegetables and quinoa for an easy meal prep moment courtesy of Meghan. She shared how its her go-to meal on set and something thats easy to make ahead. At the start of each week, I generally cook a box of quinoa, and while its simmering, I saute onions, garlic, and any veggies I have on hand in a separate pan, she said. I season the vegetables with Spike, a seasoning blend my mom [Doria Ragland] always used when I was growing up, or a little Bragg Liquid Aminos. I always add crushed red pepper and chopped fresh herbs. Toss this veggie mixture into the finished quinoa and eat it as a side dish, poured on top of a kale salad, or as an easy snack, she added. 3. Meghan Markles trifecta snack is crackers, hummus, and carrots Eating like royalty can be as simple as crackers, hummus, and carrots. Meghan called it her trifecta snack, saying she likes to put out a plate of crackers she suggested gluten-free herb crackers from the brand Marys Gone Gone with homemade hummus and carrots. This sounds so simple, but truly, it satisfies so many sensesthe savory taste, the textural crunch, the unctuousness of the hummus, she said. Thats probably why Meghan keeps her fridge stocked with carrots and hummus, so she can make this at a moments notice. 4. Meghan Markle is a big fan of Sunday suppers with chicken adobo on the menu Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images RELATED: Meghan Markles Food Habits Are Surprisingly Similar to Princess Dianas I am a big fan of Sunday suppers. Whether were eating lamb tagine, pot roast, or a hearty soup, the idea of gathering for a hearty meal with friends and family on a Sunday makes me feel comforted, Meghan said. Something she likes to make come the end of the week? Filipino-style chicken adobo. Its so easycombine garlic, soy (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), vinegar, maybe some lemon, and let the chicken swim in that sauce until it falls off the bone in a Crock-Pot. I have a beautiful Le Creuset that could also do the trick, but the Sunday supper Americana of it all calls for a Crock-Pot, she said. Set it and forget it and serve with brown rice and salad. 5. Meghan Markle loves Gwyneth Paltrows amazing turkey meatball recipe Meghan grew up eating a lot of turkey. She called her childhood the Bubba Gump of turkey. As an adult Meghan still loves it. One of her favorite turkey recipes is Gwyneth Paltrows turkey meatballs. Youd think I would be sick of it, but when I find gems like Gwyneth Paltrows turkey meatball recipe, its as though the fowl is no longer foul to me, she said. The hint of lemon zest in her recipe elevates the dish to another level. Its amazing and definitely worth trying. 6. Meghan Markle shared her own fish taco recipe Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images RELATED: Meghan Markles Acai Bowl Recipe Is Super Simple to Make at Home and So Satisfying Meghans a big fan of fish tacos. Born in California and raised in Los Angeles she said she was conditioned to like Baja-style food from the womb. One of her favorite recipes is fish tacos. Want to make them exactly how she does? Meghan shared step-by-step instructions: Grill some peppers and onions and a couple filets of fish (a flaky white fish works best). Season everything with salt and pepper, a little lime, and stuff it all inside of a warm corn tortilla, she said. Few bites of food make me happier than that. 7. Meghan Markles healthy potato chip alternative is kale chips Meghan confessed making homemade kale chips can be a little time-consuming. It comes down to washing and drying the kale plus 25 minutes of roasting. But when theyre done and drizzled with olive oil and flaky salt they become your healthy potato chip alternative that you can reach for when you want to munch on something. Disney announced in Jan. 2021 that actor Ethan Hawke had officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The prestigious actor, known for his independent film work, is currently playing an undisclosed villain role opposite Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight. The upcoming Disney+ series is based on the comic book character of the same name. Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, is a former Marine with dissociative identity disorder who becomes a vessel for an Egyptian moon god. Isaac is playing Spector. On a recent Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance, Ethan Hawke revealed major details about his upcoming role on the superhero show. Lets break down some of this new information. Ethan Hawke on Late Night with Seth Meyers | Lloyd Bishop/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Oscar Isaac approached Ethan Hawke about Moon Knight in a coffee shop If you think most of Marvels business dealings happen inside of a board room, think again. As Hawke told Meyers, Isaac initially offered him his role in Moon Knight in public. I heard about it from Oscar Isaac, who lives like three blocks down the street from me in Brooklyn. I was at a coffee shop and he came up to me. He said, Hey. I really like The Good Lord Bird, Hawke recounted, referencing his Civil War miniseries about John Brown. I was like, Oh, cool. I really like your work. Youre amazing! The way Hawke tells the story, Isaac just asked him right after that. He was like, Want to be in Moon Knight with me? I was like, Yeah! So it happened the right way. Obviously, Hawke met with Kevin Feige and the Marvel team to work out the kinks, but what was once asked at a Brooklyn coffee shop is now being film in Budapest. He didnt reveal much more about what he and Isaac were doing in Hungary. However, he did say, Were conjuring ancient gods and fighting for good and evil. Its very exciting. Ethan Hawke had to sign NDAs for Moon Knight During his interview with Meyers, Hawke admitted that being a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was unlike anything [hes] ever done before. In particular, the studios notorious secrecy policy took Hawke off-guard. I had to sign like 10,000 NDAs about what I would and would not say which Ive never done, which I dont respect and I dont honor, so Im happy to talk to you about it completely, the actor joked. Clearly, the actor does take the studios secrecy seriously. While recounting how Isaac asked him to join the project, Hawke started a sentence that he quickly retracted. [Isaac] was like, Want to be the Want to be in Moon Knight with me? he ended up saying. Marvels production team impressed Ethan Hawke While Hawke remained tight-lipped about which specific character he will play, he did not hesitate to praise the production team behind Marvel and Moon Knight. MOON KNIGHT Star ETHAN HAWKE Credits OSCAR ISAAC For His Castinghttps://t.co/yJxbaWXVUG pic.twitter.com/9HyO2IMJsX ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) August 13, 2021 Ive been acting since I was 13. I did my first movie in 1985 and thats a long time ago. These are the best sets Ive ever been on in my life, he gushed. Hawkes first film was Explorers, and went on to star in Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, and Training Day. The costumes, the set, the production design, the cinematography all those elements are kind of mind-boggling. So I have entered some alternate universe, and it is kind of interesting, he concluded. RELATED: Moon Knight: What Did Ethan Hawke Say About Superhero Movies Before Joining the MCU? Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, aired for 12 seasons and amassed a huge following. Decades after its finale episode aired, new books based on the series are being published. While the character of Jessica was considered mostly wholesome, fans have developed a much darker theory. They think the mystery writer might have had a little something in common with Dexter Morgan of Dexter fame. In short, some fans believe Jessica was a serial killer who used her creativity to pin the murders on innocent people. A fan theory suggests Murder, She Wrote was following the life of a serial killer, not a mystery writer Murder, She Wrote is an interesting watch on its own. One Reddit user suggests the series is a lot more fun when you approach it from a unique angle, though. The user recommended viewing the series as if Lansburys character, Jessica, is always the murder. They theorize that her amateur investigation is her way of keeping the cops off her back. The theory suggests that Jessica is not just a bestselling author but also an efficient and rather successful serial killer. Jim Sunrise and Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest | Randy Marcus/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Fans arent the only ones who think Jessica Fletcher might have been a serial killer. Craig Ferguson announced his thoughts on the long-running series back in 2008. On The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, the TV personality theorized that the amateur detective only involved herself in murder investigations because she wanted to make sure the cops werent on to her. There is some circumstantial evidence to support the theory While the theory is a bit far-fetched, there is some circumstantial evidence to support it. Fans point out that Jessica was tangentially connected to an awful lot of death and destruction. It seems unlikely that one mystery writer, living in a small and sleepy coastal town, would have a connection to so many murder cases. It seems equally unlikely that a rural town in Maine would have so many unconnected murders. The Telegraph points out that Cabot Cove would have the highest murder per capita in the world if it were a real place. Either the residents were all homicidal, or one person was responsible for the bulk of the death in the town. Why couldnt it have been Jessica? Fans also note that Jessicas slow move away from Cabot Cove indicates that the authorities were catching on. At the start of the series, Jessica spent all her time in Cabot Cove, a town she adored. By the end of the series, Jessica traveled a fair bit and spent less and less time in the area. Fans of the series theorize that things were heating up and that the authorities were on to Jessica, so she kept things moving. Does Jessica Fletcher really have anything in common with Dexter Morgan? While its certainly an interesting theory, Jessica probably wasnt a serial killer like Dexter. Still, its possible. Her backstory doesnt match Dexters, at the very least. Fans also note that her job wouldnt have given her the knowledge base to get away with so many killings. Dexters background in forensic science ensured he knew exactly what to do to avoid detection. While a mystery writer, Jessica didnt seem to have a ton of knowledge on how criminals get caught. Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan | GONZALO/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images That, however, might be why she left the bodies to be found. One could argue that instead of avoiding detection by making the killings clean and disposing of the bodies, like Dexter, Jessica relied on her skillset to avoid getting caught. She was a creative writer who was able to spin a good story. Could she have used her creative writing skills to railroad innocent people into admitting to a murder she, herself, committed? It seems possible. Season 5 of The Last Kingdom may be the last, but fans cant wait to see it. The official social media accounts have been sharing official looks of some of the characters, including Sigtryggr (Eysteinn Sigurarson). Fans recently reacted to the post of his official look in season 5, and we have all the details to know. Alexander Dreymon in The Last Kingdom | Adrienn Szabo/Netflix Sigtryggr in The Last Kingdom Sigtryggr is a Dane and cousin to Cnut (Magnus Bruun) as well as the late Ubbas (Rune Temte) great-nephew according to Sigtryggrs Fandom page. He leads a group of Danes that were all forced to leave Ireland. He becomes a threat to the Saxons when he takes Winchester in Wessex along with Brida (Emily Cox). However, he comes to an agreement with the Saxons, taking Stiorra (Ruby Hartley), Uhtreds (Alexander Dreymon) daughter, with him as a stipulation for him leaving Winchester and being given possession of Eoferwic as well. Its still unclear what kind of role he will play in season 5. Get an official look at Sigtryggr in season 5 of The Last Kingdom RELATED: The Last Kingdom: Fans Weigh in on the Most Gruesome Death in the Series On August 4, 2021, the official social media channels shared a look at Sigtryggr in season 5. In the upper left corner is the name of the show. Sigtryggr is in the middle of the image looking serious with his hair down at his sides hitting his shoulders. He has on his usual necklace and a dark-colored ensemble. Its unclear where he is based on the shot, but it seems to be a serious situation based on the look on his face. There is also a quote below from Sigryggr. It is more difficult to live peacefully with enemies than to fight them. Sigtryggr. The post is captioned: Keep your enemies close #TheLastKingdom #TLK5. Over 40,000 people already liked the post on Instagram, and there are over 300 comments. Fans react to the post As can be expected, fans have their own opinions about the post. Some fans naturally mentioned season 5, but some commented with thoughts on Sigtryggr. Sigtryggr has aged, and some fans noticed. He looks way older here well done, a fan said. Love Sigtryggr . They aged him well, another fan wrote. One fan said, D hes looking good. Looks like Sigtryggr has seen some things a fan added. Another fan sees a resemblance to Uhtred in Sigtryggr in the post. He looks a lot like Uhtred in this picture, they said. Another fan calls him, The most intelligent Dane on English shores . One fan commented on Sigtryggrs quote. Hes not wrong , they said. Hes a favorite to some fans. My favorite Dane , a fan said. A fan is looking forward to seeing the character even more. Looking forward to seeing more of him in season 5, they said. Well have to see what else is shared before season 5 of The Last Kingdom finally premieres. Afghan president flees country as Taliban seize Kabul, take control; US attempts evacuations Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment UPDATE 12:23 P.M.: The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan told Americans to "shelter in place" after it received reports of gunfire at the Kabul international airport. In a security alert released Sunday, the State Department said the security situation in Kabul is changing quickly including at the airport. It advised Americans seeking to leave the country to fill out an online form. The Pentagon said an additional 1,000 troops would be deployed to Afghanistan to evacuate Americans. This brings the total number of U.S. troops on the ground to 6,000. Original report: Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani fled the country Sunday for Tajikistan as the Taliban terrorist group moved further into Kabul, a senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said. The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation. God should hold him accountable, said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, in an online video, according to a translation of his comments on social media, The Associated Press reported. Other videos posted on social media purported to show Ghani and his advisors leaving the country on a plane at around 10 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Taliban militants have taken control of all major cities in Afghanistan and are now seizing its capital city of Kabul. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul lowered its flag as officials moved their diplomatic operations to the city's airport. Some U.S. diplomats and American staff were evacuated by helicopter overnight and taken to the Kabul airport where they await military flights out of the region. President Biden on Saturday authorized the deployment of about 5,000 U.S. troops to safely evacuate U.S. and allied personnel from the South Asian country. Based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams, I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance, Biden said in a statement. The president, who held consultations with top advisers at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Marylands Catoctin Mountains, added: I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth, he said. The deployment includes 1,000 troops already stationed on the ground as well as the 3,000 U.S. infantry troops one Army and two Marine Corps units, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that Saturdays authorization effectively means there will be an additional 1,000 troops sent from the Gulf region into Kabul. The president said in Saturdays statement that he had ordered Secretary of State Antony Blinken to back Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and other leaders in their efforts toward a political settlement. Biden also said Taliban representatives in Doha had been warned against any action on U.S. personnel in Afghanistan which will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response, according to the Journal. The United States is seeking to develop an over-the-horizon capability to mount attacks inside Afghanistan if terrorist groups emerge in that country after U.S. forces are gone the administration doesnt have access to Central Asian countries yet to do so. Before their takeover of Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban had said their fighters would remain at the entry points of the capital city to negotiate a peaceful transfer of power, the BBC reported, adding that the chairman of the United Kingdoms Foreign Affairs Committee called the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan Britains biggest foreign policy disaster. Tory MP Tom Tugendhat said the U.K. has abandoned the Afghan people. The U.K.s shadow Foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said there had been a catastrophic miscalculation by the U.S. and the U.K., which overestimated the strength of Afghanistans government. It beggars belief that in the face of all that, the (U.K.) government has been so slow to respond. What we need to hear now is an actual strategy from the government. Haiti earthquake death toll rises to nearly 1,300, at least 5,700 injured; Christian aid groups provide relief Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment UPDATE 10:15 P.M.: The death toll rose to 1,297 Sunday evening and the number of those injured rose to at least 5,700 people, with thousands more displaced. UPDATE 3:35 P.M.: The death toll rose Sunday, with at least 724 reported deceased and 2,800 injured, according to Haiti's Office of Civil Protection. Original report: More than 300 people have been found dead after Saturday mornings magnitude 7.2 earthquake toppled and damaged buildings, including churches, in southwestern Haiti but the U.S. Geological Surveys assessment suggests that the number could reach thousands. Christian groups say they are also estimating damages and the needs to provide immediate humanitarian assistance. According to the Office of Civil Protection of the island nation that is also struggling with political and ongoing humanitarian crises, at least 304 people have died and more than 1,800 were injured, as of early Sunday, in the region where a large portion of the population resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, Miami Herald reported. The streets are filled with screaming, Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Episcopal church in Les Cayes, told The New York Times. People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water. Lozama was meeting teachers and parents to discuss plans to return to school when the earthquake struck Les Cayes. The quake, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time, struck about 5 miles from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, which is 93 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince, and was felt across the Caribbean. It was followed by a series of aftershocks, the USGS said. People are sitting around waiting for word, and there is no word no word from their family, no word on who will help them, Lozama said. When such a catastrophe happens, people wait for word or some sort of confidence from the state. But theres nothing. No help. Saturdays magnitude 7.2 earthquake was more powerful than the 7.0 temblor that hit the island nation in 2010, killing more than 300,000 people. My initial reaction was, Dear Lord, not another hit, Florida International University professor Richard Olson, who studies the politics of disasters, told the Herald. Were in the middle of hurricane season. They havent ever really recovered from the 2010 event, and then the assassination and political instability that surrounds that. Im almost afraid of anything else that can go wrong. Christian organizations said they were preparing to provide humanitarian assistance. Along with the effects of an earthquake whose damage has not been officially assessed, we have a pandemic and the threat of tropical storm Grace, which is expected to hit Haitian territory Sunday, Marcelo Viscarra, leading evangelical aid organization World Visions national director in Haiti, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. World Vision said it has pre-positioned supplies to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to 6,000 people. It is also mobilizing staff personnel to Les Cayes to accurately estimate damages and the needs of the most affected families. The Haiti chapter of the Christian child sponsorship organization Compassion International said on its Facebook page that its disaster response team is on the ground to assist children and parents affected by the earthquake. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is also providing emergency help. The group said in a statement to CP that it was one of the first aid relief organizations to reach the affected area of Saint-Louis de Sud. From our assessments, the main concern is to care for the injured, Elian Giaccarini, ADRAs emergency management coordinator for the Caribbean, said. At this moment, evaluations of the damages are being carried out. One of the main challenges is the extreme complexity of gang blocks that do not allow easy access to affected areas. We are also concerned about the pending storm Grace and the already delicate situation in Haiti due to violence and the massive displacement of populations. The situation is extremely complex. The impoverished nation was already struggling in the social and political aftermath of the assassination of President Jouvenal Moise last month. Haiti has also seen an increase in crime since last year. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti stated in a February report that there were 234 kidnappings in the previous 12 months, an increase of 200% from the previous year. Authorities in Haiti reported 1,380 killings in 2020. According to the watchdog group Fondasyon Je Klere, over 150 gangs operate in Haiti. Pastor Spencer covered my steps with prayer: Rep. Val Demings honors pastor who died from COVID Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. 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. Two decades, trillions of dollars, and hundreds of thousands of lives after the United States ousted the Taliban from power following 9/11, the Islamic militant group has retaken control of Afghanistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation on Sunday as Taliban insurgents entered the capital city of Kabul, marking the collapse of the government the U.S. spent the past 20 years attempting to remake. As the Taliban moved into Kabul, officials said they expect a complete transfer of power, Reuters reported, and Afghan political leaders are working with the Taliban to try to ensure the transition is peaceful. The Taliban is expected to announce the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace, according to the Associated Press. The name is the same one used prior to the U.S. removing the Taliban from power after 9/11. Al Jazeera captured footage of the Taliban inside the presidential palace. Images via Al Jazeera of the Taliban inside the presidential palace in Kabul. pic.twitter.com/UzNEPUf6Cb Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 15, 2021 The collapse of the Afghan government comes after a week in which the Taliban escalated its months-long offensive across the nation, seizing several key provinces, districts, and cities in rapid succession, and forcing thousands of civilians to flee. Insurgents took control of Lashkar Gah, Herat, and Kandahar, Afghanistans second-largest city, on Friday, leaving Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif, and the capital of Kabul as the only major cities still under government control. Mazar-i-Sharif was taken early on Saturday, giving the Taliban full control of northern Afghanistan. Jalalabad fell later in the day. Ghani fled on Sunday as insurgents moved in on Kabul. The Taliban held outside Kabul early on Sunday, saying they wanted a peaceful transfer, before armed insurgents moved into the city. Helicopters hovered over Kabul all morning, waiting to remove personnel from the U.S. embassy. The Afghan citizens who have packed into the capital city as the Taliban swept through the rest of the nation didnt have the luxury of an aerial evacuation. The effect here on the ground is just one of absolute panic and chaos, CNNs Clarissa Ward reported from Kabul on Sunday. Real gridlock on the streets, unbelievable, choked with traffic. People with luggage hanging out of their windows, trying to get out of the city. Not long after the Taliban entered Kabul, the U.S. embassy suspended all consular activities while instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place. The security alert noted reports that the Kabul airport was under attack. CNN reported that the American flag above the embassy had been taken down. The State Department announced late on Sunday that the evacuation of the embassy had been completed and that all personnel were on the premises of the airport, which had been secured by the U.S. military. More of Kabul in a grid lock. Bystanders told me they are gathering outside to see if todays the day that Taliban would roll into Kabul and take over. One woman named Shakila tells me: today is the end day of our lives pic.twitter.com/Dv6jbGNFqr Marcus Yam (@yamphoto) August 15, 2021 The Taliban started to escalate its offensive in Afghanistan in 2020, after the Trump administration committed to a full withdrawal of U.S. troops by May 1st of 2021. Their efforts accelerated after President Biden announced earlier this year that he was delaying the deadline to August 31st. The Taliban had been expanding its control of Afghanistan ever since, culminating with the past weeks furious offensive that saw the militant group seize every major power center in the nation with little resistance. Biden blamed Trump in a statement released on Saturday. When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor which he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019 that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1st, 2021 deadline on U.S. forces, the president wrote. Biden, however, has stood by the decision to remove troops from the nation as the Taliban forced the Afghan government to its breaking point. On Tuesday, he put the onus on the Afghan forces to ward off the Taliban insurgents and preserve the nations government. We spent over $1 trillion over 20 years, the president said during a news conference. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces, and Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands, we lost to death and injury, thousands of American personnel. Theyve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation. A day after Bidens plea for the Afghan military to fight the Taliban, it was reported that some U.S. officials didnt expect the Afghan government to last more than 90 days, with others projecting it could fall within a month. The fact that it took only days underscores how drastically the U.S. overestimated the resilience of the government it spent 20 years building, and underestimated the Talibans ability to topple it. Just last month, Biden said that the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. Biden reiterated his support for the withdrawal on Saturday as insurgents moved in on Kabul and the governments collapse neared. One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country, Biden wrote in a statement, in which he also authorized the deployment of 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to make sure we have an orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghan troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Talibans advance. Since the spring, thousands of Afghan civilians have fled their homes as Taliban insurgents have expanded control over city after city. The situation is turning into a humanitarian catastrophe. Food is scarce and the streets of Kabul have been filled with civilians who fled other cities taken over by the insurgents. People are sleeping in the streets, abandoned warehouses, and makeshift camps set up on the citys outskirts, according to the BBC. The United Nations announced that 1,000 Afghan civilians were killed in the past month alone, and that more than 250,000 people 80 percent of whom are women and children have fled the country since the end of May. The situation stands to get worse once the Taliban assumes control, with many fearing a return to the Islamic extremism that characterized the years before the U.S. ousted the group from the nation following 9/11. Women are especially vulnerable. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, women were forbidden from receiving an education, prohibited from working, deprived of health care, and not allowed to leave their homes without a male to escort them. Conditions for women remained harsh during the U.S. occupation, but many rights were restored. Girls went to school in increasing numbers, health facilities were constructed, and according to data from the World Bank, female life expectancy rose by 10 years from 2001 to 2017. This progress could now be undone. I feel we are like a bird who makes a nest for a living and spends all the time building it, but then suddenly and helplessly watches others destroy it, Zarmina Kakar, a 26-year-old womens rights activist in Kabul, said recently as the Taliban bore down on the city, according to the Associated Press. The 20-year war in Afghanistan, the longest in American history, is estimated to have cost over $2 trillion while resulting in the death of over 240,000 people, including more than 2,400 U.S. service members, according to a study by the Costs of War Project. The U.S. put so many resources into strengthening Afghanistans government and military precisely so it could sustain itself in the face of aggression from insurgents. The Taliban toppling this government and seizing power before the U.S. could even finish withdrawing from the region cements the war in Afghanistan as one of the most catastrophic failures in the history of U.S. foreign policy. This is a developing news story and will continue to be updated. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul's abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government." Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold. Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated womens rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport, according to two senior U.S. military officials. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for fleeing Afghans. Dozens of nations called on all parties involved to respect and facilitate the departure of foreigners and Afghans who wish to leave. More than 60 nations released the joint statement distributed by the U.S. State Department late Sunday night Washington time. The statement says that those in power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam. This is manifestly not Saigon, he said on ABCs This Week." The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to return to the embassy, but it was not clear if he would be allowed to. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation," said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. God should hold him accountable. Ghani later posted on Facebook that he left to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated that the capital would not come under insurgent pressure for a month. The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America's longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, but America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq war. For years, the U.S. sought an exit from Afghanistan. Then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month. After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as tense. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani. Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul. We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully, he said. Afghanistans acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not hold back his criticism of the fleeing president. They tied our hands from behind and sold the country, he wrote on Twitter. Curse Ghani and his gang. The Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. Reports of gunfire at the airport raised the specter of more violence. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door. What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban? Getee Azami cried. It wasn't clear what happened to her after that. An Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan, said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she will be able to graduate in two months. She said her generation was hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now." Sunday began with the Taliban seizing Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country's last government-held border post. Later, Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters. ___ Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada; Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem; Matthew Lee in Washington; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; Aya Batrawy in Dubai; and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. Your new favorite Whataburger comboavailable only at Academy For a limited time, you can reel in this perfect combo of Texas favorites. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) COVID-19 hospitalizations have prompted the largest South Carolina school district already back open to return to virtual lessons as students in more than 60 other districts prepared to return to class. Pickens County school officials made the decision at an emergency meeting Friday, after nine days of in-class learning for its 15,000-plus students, the Greenville News reported. We dont know if its safe to continue as is, and other districts should pay attention, district spokesman Darian Byrd said during the meeting. He said four staffers and one student are hospitalized and 142 students who have tested positive for COVID-19. Last school year's peak was 85 students in January of this year, Byrd said. The county's remote schooling will last at least this week, with the first two days giving students a chance to pick up laptop-like Chromebooks, officials said. Byrd said the district will announce next week's plans by Thursday. Other districts' openings are scattered from Monday to Thursday. By the end of this week, Union County students will be the only ones out of 760,000 statewide who are still on summer break. They start back August 23 It's another very different school year. Many schools are welcoming students back in person after the 2020-21 school year saw massive disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. School leaders have said students and teachers are welcome to wear masks, but they cant mandate them even with another spike in COVID-19 cases. They also cant require vaccines for students who are eligible for the shots. The South Carolina General Assembly put a rule in this years state budget prohibiting districts from requiring masks. It passed in June before the current massive increase in COVID-19 cases started. Gov. Henry McMaster agrees that parents should choose if students wear masks. Lawmakers also put a rule in the budget that school districts will start losing significant funding if more than 5% of their students choose to go to classes virtually. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Hunkering indoors and watching her country fall to the Taliban, one young woman in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul described on Sunday the anxiety, fears and dashed hopes her generation feels as embassies evacuate staff and the government all but crumbles. But the day wasn't supposed to be like this. In the morning, Aisha Khurram made her way to Kabul University, where she is just two months shy of graduation. Before she could reach her class, the 22-year-old was turned back and told to head home. Life in the capital of 6 million people rapidly deteriorated Sunday, just as it had across much of the country over the past several weeks amid a Taliban blitz that saw the group capture one provincial capital after another. Already, Kabul's parks were filling with internally displaced people families who'd fled their homes as the Taliban seized control of their towns and targeted people. Khurram, 22, said female students who'd made it to Kabul University early Sunday were told good-bye by their professors, who said they were unsure if the girls would be allowed to return and unsure whether if classes resumed that boys and girls would be allowed to study together. The future is at stake. Our lives are at stake, she said, speaking from her home in Kabul. Electricity in her neighborhood had been out all day as she spoke to The Associated Press over her mobile phone. Shed hoped to serve her country after graduation, having spent the past several years studying international relations, working as a human rights defender, volunteering and even speaking at the United Nations. Everything I did was for a vision and the future, she said. The fight for our rights, the things we advocated for during the peace process, they are taking the backseat, Khurram said. The only thing people are thinking about is how to survive here or how to escape. But for her and millions of others of Afghans, there is no way out. With land borders closed, visa costs out of reach for most and embassies shuttering, theres a feeling that everybody turned their back on the Afghan people. Neither government, nor Taliban none of them represent us, she said. The only thing we have is our God. Although no fighting has yet broken out in Kabul as the Taliban advances, the sound of sporadic gunfire could be heard throughout the day. Men carrying the white and black flag of the Taliban were seen walking through the city's empty streets. Residents clamored indoors following a morning rush on ATMs to withdraw savings. Some rushed to the main airport to catch flights out. U.S. military helicopters circled overhead, evacuating personnel from the U.S. Embassy as staff destroyed important documents. Khurram had just one word when asked to describe her feeling as Western embassies emptied: Betrayal. She said she believed in the prospects of U.S.-backed peace talks that had been unfolding between the government, Taliban and others in Qatar. She'd advocated strongly for the inclusion of diverse voices in those talks aimed at mapping out Afghanistan's future. As the Taliban push deeper into Kabul, she said it's clear to her the U.S. used those talks as cover for its withdrawal. Right now I feel naive, Khummar said. I'm very much sorry for my generation and myself for trusting them." ___ Follow Aya Batrawy on twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) As the Alabama church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected to his first leadership position in the civil rights movement marks its 155th anniversary, work has begun to make a museum out of the crumbling building where that vote was taken. King was 26 when the Montgomery Improvement Association met at Mt. Zion AME Church on Dec. 5, 1955, the first day of what turned out to be a yearlong bus boycott that ushered in the civil rights movement. In his 1958 memoir about the boycott, King wrote that his election happened so quickly that I did not even have time to think it through. It is probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination. The church, which marked its 155th anniversary Sunday, moved to another building in 1990, so the 19th century structure is now an annex. It became known as the fall-down church after an interstate project split the neighborhoods around it, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. Now the Central Alabama Community Foundation has begun work under a $500,000 grant to renovate the church and turn it into a museum. The National Park Service approved the grant in 2018 with an eye to opening the museum in 2020. However, a series of problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, delayed the money's arrival, foundation President Charles C.P. Everett told the newspaper. The building was saved from demolition nearly 20 years ago by $75,000 from a Central Alabama Community Foundation fund, but its future remained uncertain. With the grant in hand and a second $500,000 National Park Service grant expected, work has begun to rehabilitate the fellowship hall and install a sprinkler system throughout the building. As that work progresses, officials will start the bid process for the second grant, which Everett said will let the foundation create and open the museum. Everett said the church was unveiling a banner Sunday to announce the beginning of construction. Were moving forward, he said. OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) Chip Baker surveyed a vast field on the outskirts of an old hay farm an hour east of Oklahoma City, his ponytail waving in the thick, humid air, his voice growing excited. This is probably the largest collection of Squirt in the world! he boasted, pointing to an array of neatly plotted cannabis plants before him that will soon flower pounds of the popular strain. Baker would know. From the time he planted his first marijuana plant at 13, hes been all about growing weed. A dream formed in the Georgia fields took him to Humboldt County, California the nations earliest pot epicenter then Colorado, the countrys first recreational market. But its here in rural Oklahoma, down a dusty dirt road along the banks of the North Canadian River, where true cannabis cowboys including droves of Colorado entrepreneurs like Baker are buying mammoth properties to grow mammoth numbers of plants, all in a quest for mammoth stacks of kush-derived cash. Its a place unlike virtually any other in America. Other states grow patches, Baker said with a grin, taking in the 90-acre, 40,000-plant cannabis farm before him. In Oklahoma, we grow fields. The Sooner State, as deeply red as the American political palette will go, has almost overnight become the hottest place in the country to grow marijuana. Its an unprecedented look at what happens when the government stays largely out of the picture and lets the free market run wild. And Colorado businesses are pumping their sizeable dollars and cannabis expertise into the state, hoping to cash in on what Baker and others in the industry call the next green rush. Its the Wild West of weed, he said, in all its glory. Oklahoma is now Americas most unlikely bastion of bud a law-and-order mecca that took the war on drugs to its extreme and still imprisons a higher percentage of its population than every state but Louisiana. Contrary to most other highly regulated cannabis markets, in Oklahoma there are no caps on how many plants you can grow and no limit to how many grows or dispensaries the state can handle. As a result, Oklahoma now has the most medical marijuana patients per capita in the nation and its not even close. Just three years after legalization, the state has seven times the number of growers as Colorado and twice as many dispensaries. Land is affordable and plentiful. Doctors conduct virtual consultations that help people get medical licenses in as little as 15 minutes no approved medical condition necessary. These low barriers to entry make Oklahoma the new eye of the national weed storm. Anyone with a dollar and a dream can get started in Oklahoma, said Brent McDonald, marketing and sales director at Apothecary Farms/Apothecary Extracts, one of the many Colorado cannabis companies competing in what has quickly become a national marijuana arms race. The flip side to this wild west environment, Oklahoma law enforcement officials contend, is a state flooded with people including those migrating from Colorado looking to take advantage of the lax new laws. Illegal growers are setting up shop in rural areas, they contend, forcing their workforce to live in squalid conditions and diverting their product out of state for massive profits. Meanwhile, land prices are going for five times their value, with eager growers paying in straight cash. Im not frustrated, said Haskell County Sheriff Tim Turner, whose deputies in rural eastern Oklahoma busted two Colorado individuals in June for allegedly operating an illicit 10,000-plant grow. Im madder than hell. Leaving Colorado for greener pastures After getting his start in California, Baker spent a decade honing his cannabis chops in Colorados medical and, later, recreational scenes. In Denver, he formed his Cultivate Colorado brand that supplies growers with the soil, lights, shovels and anything else they might need to raise plants into mature products. But soon after Oklahomans in June 2018 voted to legalize medical marijuana, Baker noticed transportation costs for his hydroponic supplies were five times higher than normal. All of it, Baker realized, was going down to Oklahoma. I didnt even know they legalized medical, he said. It only took three months for Baker and his wife to sell their Denver home, buy 110 acres outside Oklahoma City and move their operations east. We follow the green rush, he said. Always have. In addition to operating his own farm, Baker also manages the 90-acre grow in Okemah whose owners converted an old hay farm into what Baker claims is one of the largest cannabis plots in the nation. The Tribe Collective owners are Oklahomans from a variety of backgrounds: oil and gas, tech and even Hollywood. They ditched the old industries and went all-in on growing bud. The sprawling farm sits on a 900-acre property, replete with multiple greenhouses, a state-of-the-art extraction lab, walk-in freezer and thats before you get to the outdoor grows. Driving down the dusty dirt road, it looks like it could be any rural swath of American heartland. But then you see the plants more than 40,000 of them swaying gently in neat rows of fields with names like Skinny Marie and Lucky Day. On a recent, oppressively hot Oklahoma summer day, workers drenched in sweat installed rope lines to keep the plants upright. Nearby, Baker and his team strategized about the best ways to keep irritating caterpillars off the marijuana leaves, discussing plans to expand even further on the seemingly endless property. People used to say Oklahoma like a cuss word when we moved here, Baker said with a laugh. But this will prove to be the biggest cannabis state in the country. For New Orleans native Jeff Henderson, Colorado served as a crash course in cannabis. But it was time to take the training wheels off. Henderson who goes by Freaux, a shortened, Cajun version of Jeffro did a bit of everything in Colorados marijuana scene. Bottom of the totem pole stuff. Trench work. I was trying to break into the scene, getting licenses, getting investors, he said. But Colorado real estate is god-awful expensive, the licenses are expensive. I kinda came up short in that realm. So when Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, Henderson jumped at the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. He and his partners, who had Oklahoma ties, didnt have deep pockets, but some savings here, a bridge loan from a friend there, and the wide-eyed cannabis connoisseurs had themselves a boot-strapped business. They worked 16-hour days, the four partners doing the work of 10 people. Were the furthest guys from corporate, Henderson said on a recent day inside his Jive Cannabis facility in Inola, a town 25 miles east of Tulsa. As he showed off his plants, pointing out the deep-purple coloring, Henderson took the tone of a proud father. We were just four guys with a hope and a dream, he said. Unprecedentedly low barriers to entry Everything changed for Baker, Henderson and the state of Oklahoma on June 26, 2018, when 57% of voters checked the yes box on legalizing medical marijuana. In the months leading up to the vote, a frenzied coalition of state medical and hospital associations, district attorneys, sheriffs, the State Chamber of Oklahoma and the states Republican governor lined up to oppose the measure. This is a bad public health policy that does not resemble a legitimate medical treatment program, Dr. Kevin Taubman, former president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association and chairman of the opposition group, told the Associated Press after the vote passed. Then-Gov. Mary Fallin feared the proposal was essentially legalizing recreational marijuana. Many Oklahomans, including those in the cannabis industry, wouldnt argue. Up and down the board, there were very few restrictions put in place on who could operate a grow, how many there could be and how easy it would be to obtain a medical card. Unlike in many states, including Colorado, patients dont need qualifying medical conditions in order to get a card. Doctors sometimes would set up outside dispensaries, offering their services. Websites with names like NuggMD and PrestoDoctor promised customers a medical marijuana card online in 15 minutes. Business licenses cost just $2,500, a fraction of the price in other states, making it possible for nearly anyone with a bit of cash to start a grow or dispensary. In Arkansas, on the other hand, a licensing fee runs $100,000 plus a $500,000 performance bond. In New York, an application costs $10,000, with a $200,000 registration fee. Colorado charges roughly $7,500 for initial recreational and medical shop licenses, and renewing that license annually will run an operator thousands more each time, depending on how many plants they want to grow. Then theres the finding of suitability fee a state check to make sure someone is allowed to actually run a business. Thats another $800 per person, or $5,000 for a publicly traded company. Not to mention, of course, the local fees that come on top of the states, which can run thousands more per year. The costs quickly add up. Additionally, Colorado companies or individuals cant just grow as many plants as they wish on their own they must apply with the state in order to add or subtract plants. Cities and counties in Oklahoma, meanwhile, arent allowed to outlaw dispensaries or grow operations another major break from states like Colorado, where despite legalization, the drug is still barred from being sold recreationally in many local jurisdictions. These are unprecedentedly low barriers to entry in Oklahoma, said John Hudack, a cannabis expert at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C., think tank. With typical roadblocks and red tape shoved to the side, the industry has exploded. Nearly 376,000 Oklahomans roughly 10% of the states population have medical marijuana cards, by far the highest share in the country, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. New Mexico, by contrast, has the second-highest number at 5.35%, with Colorado at 1.5%. Even at the height of Colorados medical marijuana boom in 2011, however, the state topped out at 128,698 patients, a third of Oklahomas total, and just 2.5% of the state population. The cost difference between getting in the game in Colorado versus Oklahoma is stark. To even think about opening a (marijuana) business in Colorado, you have to have a million dollars liquid to get the ball rolling, said McDonald, the Apothecary Farms executive. In Oklahoma? You can be fully vertically integrated for $7,500, Henderson said. Cheaper land prices, building costs and license fees mean its easily 10 times cheaper here than in Denver, he said. Those factors, combined with the states hands-off approach, means its getting awfully crowded in Oklahomas cannabis space. Some states that legalized marijuana created a small, set number of licenses. Arkansas, for example, allows for only 40 dispensaries in the state. Connecticut has just four cannabis producers and 18 dispensaries nearly a decade after legalizing medical marijuana. But Oklahoma decided to let the free market run unencumbered. As a result, the state is now home to nearly 12,600 marijuana business licenses, including more than 8,600 growers and upwards of 2,300 dispensaries. Thats more than double Colorados combined recreational and medical stores despite the fact that Oklahoma has some 1.8 million fewer people. The Centennial State has more than 1,200 cultivation operations, per state data, nearly seven times fewer than Oklahoma. The town of Bristow, a 4,200-person community nestled between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, used to thrive on oil and cotton. Its downtown strip along historic Route 66 has a few restaurants, a host of vacant buildings and three dispensaries. Thats the story all over Oklahoma, where small towns from the panhandle to the Missouri border boast more pot shops than grocery stores. Meanwhile, Oklahoma County, which is home to Oklahoma City, now sports 530 dispensaries three times as many as Denver. People see this as an opportunity to enter a market thats costly elsewhere and so theres this rush of people who think theyre going to make it rich, Hudack said. We know how this story plays out. We saw a less permissive system operate in Oregon and they ended up with hundreds of thousands of pounds of excess inventory. McDonald called it the Armageddon stage for Oklahoma cannabis. There are serious windfalls that come with barriers being so low, he said. The market is so oversaturated in Oklahoma. What this has done is make it a true buyers market. Things are so competitive, its a race to the bottom. Industry watchers predicted a bloodbath in the near future as companies peter out, selling for pennies on the dollar. The freedom to operate has been the driving force bringing companies to Oklahoma but some are finding that the lack of regulation is hurting those trying to do things the right way. On the surface, the Oklahoma market seemed incredibly enticing for Clear Cannabis Inc., a legacy cannabis company headquartered in Denver: a plethora of clients, endless shelves to stock its products. But without the regulator framework, it makes it challenging for a compliant business like us to truly succeed, said Seth Wiggins, the companys president. Oklahoma marijuana regulators still lack an important tool to ensure compliance: a seed-to-sale tracking system used in nearly every other state with a medical or recreational cannabis program. The system lets regulators track a plants movement anywhere, so if its found, say, in New York, they know exactly where it came from. The state tried rolling it out only to be met with a lawsuit alleging the company, Metrc, acted as a monopoly since businesses were not given any other options to track their plants. The matter is still working its way through the legal system. Without seed-to-sale tracking, Wiggins and other industry workers said, less compliant individuals can more easily divert weed elsewhere without detection. Plus, companies skirting the rules are offering prices that Wiggins and other legitimate competitors cant touch. Folks doing it right are getting penalized right now, Wiggins said, noting that the companys sales are substantially lower than we would have anticipated in Oklahoma. Oklahomas medical marijuana regulators are rapidly staffing up to meet the demand of the burgeoning industry even recruiting some of their top people from Colorado. Taylor Hartin, the states deputy director of compliance and enforcement, who came from Colorados private sector, said the agency paused field inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now increasing its work. Were not going to tolerate it That lack of regulation is also frustrating state and local law enforcement officials, who say the drugs hasty legalization ushered in an alarming rise in illicit grows and other criminal activity. While its difficult to put a number on a market that lives in the shadows, officials say anecdotal evidence points to out-of-staters, including people from Colorado, coming into Oklahoma to operate unregulated operations. Nearly every week brings another news story about large raids conducted across Oklahoma, where, authorities allege, people are growing and shipping vast quantities of marijuana for sales out of state. The illicit grows also bring in other ancillary crime, including prostitution, harder drugs like ketamine and labor trafficking, said Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. When the agency saw how the new marijuana law was written three years ago, they knew people would come to the state to take advantage, he said. But law enforcement didnt realize just how many people it would be and how quickly they would set up shop. This was a Trojan horse, Woodward said. We let this into our village because it looked really good on the surface. The Bureau of Narcotics simply cant keep up with the number of illicit grows, he said. In response, Oklahoma has asked for $4 million in federal funding to battle the unregulated marijuana market, with the state legislature promising additional money to fund a unit dedicated to the issue. What we will be concentrating on is drug trafficking organizations that are transnational and national drug organizations that have infiltrated Oklahoma, Donnie Anderson, the agencys director, told local reporters in July as he announced the federal aid request. Theyre here in Oklahoma and theyre not going away anytime soon. In June, authorities in rural eastern Oklahoma arrested two Colorado individuals for allegedly operating an illicit 10,000-plant grow as part of a larger transnational money-laundering operation. When officers raided the property, they also found 100 pounds of processed marijuana. I would say 60% of the grows in Haskell County are from Colorado residents, said Turner, the Haskell County sheriff though he didnt provide any hard data. A tour through the 12,000-person county, located 100 miles southeast of Tulsa, showed old chicken coops being converted into grow houses on vast parcels of land, their white tops visible through a thicket of trees lining the roadway. As Undersheriff Terry Garland drove slowly past grow houses, he glanced over to see the license plates in the driveways. Some had Minnesota tags, others showed Washington and Oregon. Im gonna run those plates later, he said as he inspected one car. For Garland and Turner, legal marijuana has upset their rural slice of life. The price of our land has gone up, and citizens cant swim in their pools because they have to smell marijuana growing every day, Turner said. Folks here growing are not even residents of Oklahoma. They come here because its the Wild West well, were not going to tolerate it. When it first started, Garland said, people in the county would laugh when they smelled weed coming from next door. Now theyre not laughing, he said, pausing to point out a new grow operation that seems to have sprung up overnight. A lotta people hate the idea that its in our county. Gary Coyle just cant believe what the influx of pot farmers has done to real estate in this rural community. A former welder, Coyle was forced out of his old career as his health declined and needed a new source of income. One day two years ago, his brother suggested he open up one of those marijuana dispensaries. I didnt know a damn thing! he said regarding his previous cannabis knowledge. Coyle never smoked himself, abiding by his fathers old axiom that the drug puts you in prison or puts you in the grave. If the grows are legal in town, Coyle said he doesnt mind, but he wishes sales were better in his shop. After the 10th of the month, when everyone in town has spent their paycheck already, sales slow to a trickle. He and Garland swapped stories about land prices inside Coyles G&C Dispensary in Keota, expressing disbelief at what some of their friends and family were being offered. Since legalization, out-of-towners have been showing up to peoples doorsteps, offering four, five, eight times the value for their land and the ability to pay in cash, they said. I said, You done fell out the well and hit your head! Coyle said after reciting a story about one particular offer. Oklahomans are outlaws But despite the wishes of some Oklahomans, marijuana is here to stay. And the people its attracting would surprise even themselves. Ten years ago, Billy Moon would have thought you were crazy if you told him hed one day be operating a professional cannabis business. The former Oklahoma City police detective spent his career dealing in the dark world of cartels and narcotics, his nights occupied taking down meth houses. But after being diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, the doctor told him to try cannabis. The cancer caused Moon to feel burning sensations in his hands and feet, but he realized that smoking and taking edibles would make the pain disappear. That was it, he said. I thought, Were missing (out) on something. Theres some obvious benefits to this plant. Moon partnered with Rich Cardinal, a Colorado cannabis lifer, to set up a grow operation called Canna Culture on a family-owned piece of property in Chickasha, a small town 45 minutes southwest of Oklahoma City. The former police detective is selling Cardinal on the Oklahoma way of doing business. Oklahomans dont want that lazy, hippie vibe, Moon said next to an outdoor field full of cannabis. Oklahomans are outlaws. Its a (expletive)-the-government kind of attitude. But the fact that a state as red as Oklahoma is leaning into legal cannabis should no longer be surprising, said Ricardo Baca, a former Denver Post journalist who was the countrys first cannabis editor and founder of the Denver-based Grasslands marketing agency. The turning point, he said, came in 2016. When most of the country had its eyes peeled on the presidential upset, eight states including deeply conservative ones like Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota were quietly legalizing some form of marijuana, a precursor to places like Oklahoma turning from red to green. Cannabis is no longer a partisan issue, Baca said. And we need to stop treating it as such. Back in Okemah, Baker studied the drip irrigation system a technique perfected in the Israeli desert now used to grow tens of thousands of marijuana plants. Were looking at two tons of weed right here, he said, smiling. Last year, the Tribe Collective crew raked in 50,000 plants the equivalent of 63,000 pounds of pot. Thats whats beautiful about Oklahoma, Baker said. They call it the Wild West. Well, were a little wild here. Its a business-friendly state. They dont overregulate any business here. For good or for bad, he said, thats what capitalism is supposed to be. Robert F. Bukaty/AP CONCORD, N.H. (AP) Authorities in New Hampshire said a hiker died due to an unknown medical condition while hiking in the Mount Washington area. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said the 66-year-old man died while hiking up the Jewell Trail on Saturday. They said he was a resident of Naugatuck, Connecticut, and was hiking with his sons when he suddenly collapsed in the early afternoon about two miles from a base station. Firefighters have finally extinguished a warehouse blaze in Fort Atkinson after more than four days. WMTV-TV reported that the city fire department posted on its Facebook page Saturday that operations at the warehouse have ended. RED BUD, Ill. (AP) A former mayor in southwest Illinois has become the second area mayor to plead guilty to lying to federal agents investigating an illegal business arrangement between the two. Former Red Bud Mayor Tim Lowry, who entered his plea on Friday, faces up to five years in federal prison when he returns to court for sentencing on Nov. 22. Red Bud, a community of roughly 3,500 people, is about 28 miles (45.06 kilometers) from St. Louis. HONG KONG (AP) A pro-democracy group that organized some of the biggest protests during months of political upheaval in Hong Kong in 2019 is dissolving, the group said Sunday. The Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front, made up of a slew of member organizations, said it could no longer operate. The decision comes as the group faces a police investigation for possible violation of a national security law, according to local media. The group, which also organized an annual protest march marking the semiautonomous territorys handover to China in 1997, is the largest to disband amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the city. Earlier this week, the citys largest teachers union disbanded in light of what it said were drastic changes in the political environment. Rights group Amnesty International expressed its concern over the pattern of self-censorship seen this week." The London-based organization said in a statement this signals a concerning domino effect, as Hong Kongs draconian national security law has triggered an accelerating disappearance of independent civil society groups from the city. The crackdown follows Beijings imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong last year. The legislation outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion and has been used to arrest more than 100 pro-democracy figures since it was first implemented a year ago, as well as the closure of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The crackdown has virtually silenced opposition voices in the city and drawn sanctions from the U.S. against Hong Kong and Chinese government officials. Former leaders of the Civil Human Rights Front, Figo Chan and Jimmy Sham, are currently in jail on charges related to their activism. While authorities have said the law would not be applied retroactively, a recent interview with a Hong Kong police commissioner suggested the group was being investigated for holding rallies in the past year. A statement by Hong Kong police on Sunday said they would continue to spare no effort to investigate whether any organization or individuals violated the national security law and other local laws. It said they would pursue individuals regardless of a group's disbandment. Police asked the group to hand over information on its members and activities as well as funding back in April. Since the national security law was enacted, many unions, associations and political organizations have disbanded amid concerns that the law could be used to target them. Although the Civil Human Rights Front no longer exists today, but we believe that different groups will continue to stick to their ideals, who will not forget their original intentions, and continue to prop up civil society! the group said in a statement. ___ Associated Press videojournalist Katie Tam in Hong Kong and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report. JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) Its a sellers market, and property owners are cashing out of Jackson Hole at unprecedented rates. For renters, that rapid turnover often means a terminated lease and uncertain future in a state where tenants have limited rights and few options for legal recourse. One legal aid group said tenant-landlord disputes that they handle have quadrupled. In this market, if a landlord is in control, theyre going to hand you a lease and say, Take it or leave it, or Ill find somebody else, said Audrey Cohen-Davis, an attorney, who also serves on the board of Teton County Access to Justice. The turbulence has risen so quickly that people turned to social media to vent their frustration. The meme Instagram account, @ikonoftheday, previously devoted to poking fun at Ikon ski pass holders, turned its attention to the housing crisis and opened up its direct messages to submissions. Within 24 hours, stories of insecurity poured in: Local teachers, mountain resort employees, and lifelong valley residents all report struggling to find alternative housing after being evicted this summer. A three-parcel lot on East Kelly Avenue is currently listed for $14 million. Its renters seven local workers who staff St. Johns Health, Peak Physical Therapy and local restaurants have until April 2022 to find somewhere else to live. Nowhere to Live Such instability isnt limited to Jackson. Two roommates who bartend at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and lived in Driggs, Idaho, were forced to move to Alta when their rental sold. Their other two roommates were also displaced. One of those roommates, an oral surgery assistant, moved in with his girlfriend. The other, a post office worker in Driggs, left the area. Meanwhile, for some properties that dont sell, landlords are increasing the rent by thousands of dollars. Chris, who asked the Jackson Hole News&Guide to use only his first name, has lived in four Jackson rentals in nine months. Currently, hes got a six-month lease for an east Jackson townhome. When he signed, the landlord seemed intent on housing the local workforce. But when that lease renews in October, the monthly rent is nearly doubling from $3,200 to $6,000. Chris has an established, well-paying job in town, but theres no way he can cover his share of a three bedroom at that price tag; half of his income would be consumed by rent. I simply cant afford to be a martyr for Jackson, Wyoming, he said. Id love to stick around and watch that. Its almost like, this anger, right? Like, ... damn. How did we get to this point? And I so wish I could be here when the tide turns and that bubble bursts and its no longer sustainable. But I know that I cant afford that, and I wont be here. Like other valley renters, the 28-year-old recognizes a need to house seasonal workers in a more sustainable way. Were so tourism based, that its a requirement to find housing for those folks, he said. Otherwise, well become a ghost town of Zoom-sequestered millionaires. With that new rent due in two months, Chris doesnt have time to wait for a town- or county-approved solution. Hes searching satellite communities and gritting his teeth for the necessary commute. Its part of my everyday conversation, he said. Its not going to fall in your lap. Thats an approach consistent with recommendations from April Norton, housing director for the Jackson/Teton County Housing Department, who suggests struggling individuals and families sign up for every waiting list and use their networks. For some, thats a plea on Facebook group 22 Rents or a tear-sheet flier posted in Hungry Jacks General Store. Sara Dery is one of the renters living on the lot listed for $14 million in East Jackson. Luckily, her landlords plan to honor their lease through next April, which gives the 25-year-old time to look for another home. But between her two jobs at Peak Physical Therapy and Snake River Grill, Dery is struggling to find housing options within her price range. Her roommates are all in a similar boat; as renters, they havent had the chance to build up equity. Im basically throwing away all this money for this roof over my head, Dery said. Thats on top of student loans, car payments and a ski pass. Dery grew up in Victor and frequently commuted over Teton Pass to compete with the Jackson gymnastics team. She knows its always been difficult to find reliable housing in Jackson Hole, but now that property owners are able to sell sight unseen to out-of-state millionaires and billionaires, homeownership for locals feels increasingly out of reach. With no homes currently listed for under $1 million, and no condos listed for under $500,000, inventory for locals has all but disappeared, a 2021 annual report by Engel and Volkers found. In the first six months of 2021, 176 single-family homes sold in Jackson for a median price of $2.75 million, according to the report. On a recent Tuesday, a man casually sporting flip flops and sipping an iced latte from Cowboy Coffee chatted with a friend about his plans to buy a $10 million ski slope chalet in Teton Village. It doesnt have any land on it, but you can ski right up, he said. Wed probably only come a dozen weekends out of the year, but it would be fun. That kind of wealth has long flown into Jackson Hole Airport, and its been documented in books like Billionaire Wilderness by Yale University professor Justin Farrell, who spoke Tuesday in Jackson. Still, recent increases in property values and the evaporation of supply have pushed sales prices into the stratosphere. The net value of the county is up 13.5% from 2020, according to Teton County Assessor Melissa Shinkle. Sasha Motivala, a local filmmaker and landlord, has rented his second home in Wilson to local workers for nearly two decades. In the past 12 months, that houses property value doubled, and Motivala realized he could sell it for $1.5 million. He gave his three renters until the end of August to move out. Motivala said he intentionally kept rent under market value so seasonal workers could afford to live there. Now, theyll be hard-pressed to find a similar deal. Unfortunately, the opportunity for tenants to obtain favorable leases in this market is very small, said Jackson attorney Kevin Gregory, who represents both landlords and renters. He said property owners are trying to take advantage of the hot real estate market and sell off classic Jackson rentals to buyers who are interested solely in the land underneath. In the Cowboy State, where property rights and written contracts reign supreme, most of those sales are perfectly legal. The landlords are being very careful about how they go about this, which just leaves the tenants in a bind, said Tricia Kalish, director of Teton County Access to Justice, which attempts to mediate tenant-landlord disputes. Im always waiting for the time where were getting people coming in and being like, I was unfairly evicted or improperly evicted, Kalish said. But in most cases, people are following the rules. By people, Kalish means landlords, many of whom call her to make sure theyre following all the appropriate steps to legally evict. She often sends them back to their own attorneys. Access to Justice was started as a nonprofit to give low-income individuals access to legal aid. Kalish said the number of tenant-landlord disputes theyre responding to has quadrupled since this time last year, something she attributed to the market and easing of the pandemic. Legal evictions allow landlords like Motivala to oust negligent tenants (his prior renters left a refrigerator full of mold and a bucket full of human feces). But in a supply drought, where alternatives come primarily through luck, connections, or wealth, some landlords may also be abusing the system. Kalish said you have to be a perfect renter in order to not violate the terms of your lease. And that can be difficult when those terms list items like snow clearance without specific guidelines. As attorney Jeremy Macik put it, you could legally be served an eviction notice for a single day of un-shoveled snow. Other lease agreements he has read give the landlord power to evict for any reason whatsoever. People will still sign, he said, because otherwise theres 10 more people in line behind them. Living on such thin ice, with the pressure of being kicked out whenever your landlord sells, is already having a documented mental health impact on valley residents. For those struggling with rent payments, the One22 resource center is continuing to offer relief. Most applicants earn just $200 more than their rent expense in monthly wages, Executive Director Sharel Lund said. Thirty-seven Teton County households have applied for funding through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and six have received payment so far, said ERAP spokeswoman Rachel Girt. There are an estimated 789 Teton County renters eligible for ERAP funding, Girt said, which can help cover unpaid past due rent and utilities incurred after March 13, 2020. Eligible renters can also receive assistance with future expenses in three-month increments. An estimated 350 renting households in Teton County are behind on rent by an average of $3,000, according to data compiled by Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit health organization which recently published its findings in the New York Times. Apart from forcible entry and detainer (eviction) cases which come up in Teton County civil court, local eviction data is practically nonexistent. Norton said the housing department doesnt track evictions because elected officials havent made that request. Because lease agreements are private contracts, they are often handled behind the scenes. Former town attorney Audrey Cohen-Davis said eviction data could potentially be tracked by a local non-profit interested in increasing public awareness. Meanwhile, long-term rental solutions have been slow to materialize. The highly-anticipated Sagebrush Apartment complex a third of which is deed restricted for local workers was pitched as high-density housing ideal for employees. But as it nears completion, the project is drawing public ire for its rates. Studio units start at about $1,700 a month, which critics see as unfeasible for local workers. This town will fully crumble if the workforce cant afford to be here, Dery said. Many renters were reluctant to go on record for fear of jeopardizing their future housing prospects, but Dery said she knows the cause is worth it. Honestly, let them fear me, she said. Because its not fair. The systems not set up to let any of us that have been here and work so hard to be here be successful. And Im not afraid to call people out for that. GHENT, W.Va. (AP) When retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Dayton Meadows displays the American Flag at his Mercer County property, people notice. The 20-foot by 38-foot U.S. garrison flag is secured to an 82-foot-tall flagpole just outside the Interstate 77-West Virginia Turnpike right of way at Milepost 25, midway between the Ghent and Athens interchanges. Clearly visible to both northbound and southbound travelers, the giant flag is on display day and night, illuminated by a spotlight during the hours of darkness. More than 600,000 vehicles travel this section of interstate every month, said Meadows. I figure each one is carrying at least two people, on average, meaning that more than a million people see the flag each month. The flag was first raised on Aug. 27, 2016, through the efforts of The Freedom Flag Project, created by Meadows and supported by fellow veterans, neighbors and friends. Meadows also organized the nonprofit Mountain Memories Veterans Retreat, a secluded, 200-acre tract of land with a lodge available to service members who have returned from stressful missions abroad, located a few miles east of the giant flag. Meadows said the motivation for his giant flag display and veterans support work is based on his belief that America is involved in the biggest battle in its history. Were losing our sense of patriotism and were ignoring our veterans, he said. Instead of working together, everyones playing the blame game. I feel obligated to tell people whats good about America and how much our veterans have done for our country. Americas got its problems, but its still the best country in the world. Meadows grew up in Southern West Virginia, attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1963, on his 18th birthday. I liked the Marines commercial about building men in mind, body and spirit, and wanted to be a part of it, he recalled. To say he doesnt regret the move is an understatement. One of his early duty assignments was as an electronics technician for HMX-1, the presidential helicopter squadron that operates Marine Corps One. In 1969-1970, Meadows served as a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam. I was terrified when I first got to Vietnam, but Ill never forget the feeling of camaraderie I had by the time I left, he said. He later was an aircraft systems analyst with a Marine A-6 unit, then spent the last nine years of his Marine career as a recruiter at a variety of West Virginia locations, including two years in Charleston. Near the base of the giant flag, on a 42-acre tract of land fronting U.S. 19, which parallels I-77, Meadows makes use of an A-frame cottage, a shop and a cluster of storage buildings, and lives in a cabin in a wooded section of the property away from the freeway. Meadows said he is now raising funds, collecting donated and discounted supplies, and organizing donated labor for a new addition to the flagpole area a 1,900 square-foot pavilion, half enclosed and half open-air. He said he envisions it being used for community events, awards ceremonies, and any activities that promote core American values. He hopes to have the new pavilion open by October. Meadows also plans to convert the A-frame into an Airbnb rental unit, and to replace the existing eye-catching flag with an even larger one a 30-foot by 60-foot banner displayed from a 135-foot tall flagpole. Bigger is better, he said. Meadows said he draws a large measure of inspiration for his work from World War II Medal of Honor recipient and fellow Marine and West Virginian Hershel Woody Williams. When I first started on the flag project, Woody asked me how long I thought it would take me to get it raised, Meadows recalled. I told him three to six months. It ended up taking two years. Five years ago, Williams was the main speaker at the flag raising ceremony for the giant banner. I got the last screw put in the flagpoles base a few minutes before Woody got here, Meadows said. ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) A 14-year-old boy is in custody after he allegedly crashed a stolen vehicle in a St. Cloud train yard. The St. Cloud Times reported Saturday that police responded to a robbery report early Friday morning. A man told officers that three males had assaulted him and stolen his vehicle. Officers on the scene received a report of a vehicle matching the stolen vehicles description swerving all over the road. Police chased the vehicle, breaking off once due to high speeds, before pursuing it into a train yard. The vehicle crashed and caught fire. Police doused the flames and removed the boy from the vehicle. He was taken to a hospital and could face charges that include driving under the influence, vehicle theft and robbery. In 1862, California physician Arthur Stout published a scathing report with a terrifying title: "Chinese Immigration and the Physiological Causes of the Decay of the Nation." According to Stout, newcomers from China were spreading tuberculosis, syphilis and other diseases that could "insidiously poison the well-springs of life" and "corrode the vitals of our strength and prosperity" in the United States. DOMESTIC TERROR: A WWII veteran thought he had left Nazis behind Sound familiar? That's what Republican politicians have been saying in recent weeks about the coronavirus: It's being brought here by immigrants. That's not true, any more than it was about the Chinese and disease in the 19th century. But it speaks to an old theme in American history: When an epidemic arrives, we blame non-Americans. That happened right after the coronavirus pandemic began, of course, when President Donald Trump called it the "China virus" or even "Kung Flu," a racist trope that helped fuel a dangerous increase in anti-Asian violence. And it's happening again now, despite there being no evidence to suggest that Latin American immigrants are responsible for recent upticks in coronavirus infections, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others have suggested, while deflecting criticisms about their policies banning masks or slowing vaccinations. Evidence suggests that recently arrived migrants have similar infection rates as the local population in places such as McAllen, Texas, and more importantly, nearly 100 percent of migrants released into the United States have tested negative, or have been offered or provided a place to quarantine if they test positive. But Americans have always linked epidemics to those deemed outsiders, as Alan Kraut demonstrated in his indispensable 1994 book "Silent Travelers." They provide a convenient scapegoat, absolving the rest of us from responsibility for the disease and death in our midst. So when a smallpox epidemic seized San Francisco in 1876, the city health officer blamed it on "unscrupulous, lying, and treacherous Chinamen who have disregarded our sanitary laws." Others charged that Chinese immigrants were spreading leprosy, one of the most fearsome diseases of all. To drum up support for restricting Chinese immigration, which would culminate in the federal 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, White San Franciscans drove disfigured "Chinese lepers" around the city - although there was no evidence that these men actually had leprosy. In 1900, when a Chinese immigrant in San Francisco was diagnosed with bubonic plague, officials cordoned off the 15-block Chinatown community with rope. Acknowledging the need to quarantine individuals who had been exposed to the illness, Chinese Americans condemned the barricading of their entire neighborhood. "Never have we heard of blocking the whole town," a Chinese American newspaper declared. RELATED: Abbott, DeSantis face mounting lawsuits, federal government challenges In the early 20th century, as millions of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe entered American cities, they were accused of bringing diseases with them. "Steerage passengers from a Naples boat show a distressing frequency of low foreheads, open mouths, weak chins, poor features, skew faces, small or knobby crania, and backless heads," observed sociologist E.A. Ross in 1914, drawing on the era's eugenic language to denounce Italian immigrants. "Such people lack the power to take rational care of themselves." Ross reported that Italians' death rate from disease was twice the New York norm. But in reality, data compiled by an insurance company showed that Italian mortality was lower than the citywide average. Ditto for Jews, who were less likely to contract fatal illnesses than most other ethnic groups. But that did not prevent Ross from denouncing them as vectors for disease, thanks to their allegedly inherent frailties. "On the physical side the Hebrews are the polar opposite of our pioneer breed," Ross wrote. "Not only are they undersized and weak muscled, but they shun bodily activity and are exceedingly sensitive to pain." The point of these observations wasn't to uphold public health, but to disparage entire ethnic communities that were seen as inferior. To be sure, immigrants who crammed into urban tenements contracted tuberculosis and other ailments associated with dense living quarters and poor sanitation. That was a chief motivator for municipal water treatment, housing regulations and other reforms of the Progressive Era. But many native-born Americans continued to insist that the problem resided within immigrants' bodies, not in the environments where they lived and worked. That belief undergirded the Immigration Act of 1924, which established quotas favoring newcomers from Northern and Western Europe, limiting Southern and Eastern Europeans and excluding nearly all Asian people. But even after Congress removed those quotas in 1965, the link between immigrants and disease remained. When the HIV/AIDS crisis began in the early 1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified Haitian newcomers as a special high-risk category alongside gay men and intravenous drug users. But there was no real evidence that Haitians were more likely to carry the virus than anybody else. Indeed, a federal official later admitted, "Haitians were the only risk group that were identified because of who they were rather than what they did." Alas, they wouldn't be the last. In 2014, Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., warned "illegal migrants" were "carrying deadly diseases such as swine flu, dengue fever, Ebola virus, and tuberculosis" across America's border with Mexico. Pressed by a journalist to identify any specific Ebola carriers, Gingrey - a physician by training - admitted he didn't know any. But he didn't have to know, either. A few months later, amid a new global Ebola scare, Senate candidate Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the only proper response was to "seal the border and secure it." He also charged that there were "bad actors coming across the border," but - like Gingrey - he didn't actually identify them. Others called for banning all migrants from West Africa, whether Ebola had appeared in their countries or not. MORE NEWS: What can businesses do as TABC threatens to pull permits? They say history repeats itself, first as a tragedy and then as a farce. The coronavirus is spreading most rapidly in places with low vaccination rates, not high immigration. We could contain it by inoculating more Americans and by taking other simple precautions such as wearing masks. But in the states with the most disease and death, politicians are pointing fingers at people south of the border instead of working to change behaviors. We have met the enemy, and it is us. But it's always easier to blame an outsider than it is to look in the mirror, or into our own broken hearts. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) -- House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco requested the Commission on Audit to brief lawmakers anytime this week on the supposed deficiencies of the Department of Health in spending 67.32-billion worth of pandemic funds. We want to get the facts straight from COA and we are particularly concerned because the funds involved were among those allocated under the Bayanihan laws that Congress passed last year, said Velasco in a statement. Out of the 67.32 billion, deficiencies worth around 66.28 billion can be attributed to non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations, according to the COA audit report. Among other issues highlighted by state auditors were irregularities in the procurement process and lack of documentation in various contracts entered into by the DOH. Velasco said the briefing, to be hosted by the Committee on Public Accounts, would allow House lawmakers to develop corresponding legislation on the use of pandemic funds. He added that DOH officials will also be invited to the congressional briefing to explain their side. The briefing would also serve as a venue for the DOH to explain and account for the pandemic funds mentioned in the COA report, said Velasco. The COA earlier clarified that the audit report did not mention any findings of funds lost to corruption and that the DOH still has time to comply. Meanwhile, the DOH claimed the funds flagged by the state auditors are "accounted for. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) Fr. Roque Angel Jamias Ferriols SJ, who established the AB Philosophy program at the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), has died, the university said on Sunday. He was 96 years old. An announcement about Ferriols' passing was made by AdMU on their social media pages early Sunday. "Dr Leo Garcia has just sent word that at 12:24am, August 15, 2021, on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, our dearest Fr Roque Angel Jamias Ferriols SJ passed on to eternal life. He celebrates his 97th birthday in heaven on August 16, 2021," it read. Ferriols' biography on the AdMU website said he was born on August 16, 1924, at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. He joined the Jesuits in 1941 and received his doctorate degree in philosophy at Fordham University in New York. Ferriols also pushed for his classes at AdMU to be taught in Filipino. "It was in 1969 that Ferriols began to teach Filipino, as part of a greater move towards Filipinization in the university--a move that was not at odds with phenomenology's emphasis on lived experience. At first, however, this method was not fully encouraged by the university's administration... but this did not dissuade students from enrolling in his classes. Word then slowly but steadily spread among the students, and as each semester passed the classes grew in size. Today, nearly half of all philosophy classes taught by the Department of Philosophy are in Filipino," his biography read. Ferriols also wrote, translated and edited a several philosophy books. No announcements referring to Ferriols' wake have been released. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) COVID-19 National Task Force Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said it is too early to say whether the quarantine status in Metro Manila should be extended or downgraded. "We're still looking at the cases, nakita naman na tumataas ang cases natin. And still, premature kung iextend or we will downgrade to MECQ," he said at a briefing on Sunday. [Translation: We're still looking at the COVID-19 cases, we see that cases are rising. And it's still premature if we extend or downgrade to MECQ.] In a separate briefing last Friday, Dr. Norberto Francisco, spokesperson of the Quezon City-based Lung Center said the hard lockdown in NCR should be extended as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Galvez said they would wait for the meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 before making any further decisions regarding quarantine status. "Sa ngayon po, baka mag meeting kami after our meeting with the President this Monday," Galvez said. [Translation: For now, we may meet after our meeting with the President this Monday.] READ: Health experts, Metro Manila mayors weigh in on ECQ extension Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) A group of private hospitals hopes healthcare workers will not push through with their mass resignation plan over unpaid pandemic-related benefits, amid the countrys worsening COVID-19 situation. Sana naman po ay wag nilang ituloy yun, dahil malaki po ang magiging epekto dahil pandemic pa po ngayon, Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, told CNN Philippines on Sunday. [Translation: Hopefully, they wont push through with that, because that will have a huge impact, especially as were still in a pandemic.] Some frontliners battling the health crisis have threatened mass resignation, saying that on top of the low pay and being overworked, months worth of special risk allowance (SRA) and other incentives covered by law have yet to reach them. De Grano acknowledged that many medical workers have not yet received COVID-related benefits promised by the government. Ito pong SRA na supposedly ibigay na sa ating mga healthcare workers, government and private, ay ang karamihan po diyan...hindi pa po naipapamahagi yan sa ating mga hospitals, De Grano said. [Translation: The SRA, which should be given to healthcare workers in the government and private sector, has actually not yet been issued to most of our hospitals.] The frontliners warning of a medical lockdown comes as the country faces a fresh spike in COVID-19 infections. More hospitals, especially in Metro Manila, are nearing or have declared full occupancy, with over tens of thousands of new cases tallied nationwide in recent days. Latest data from the Department of Health show that over 300 hospitals nationwide have reported an occupancy rate of at least 85%, or critical risk classification. At least 135 other medical facilities, meanwhile, are under the "high risk" category after recording a bed utilization rate of 70% to 85%. On Sunday, the country listed 14,749 new COVID-19 infections, the second-highest single day jump since the start of the pandemic, beating the figures logged just a day before. Active cases, or currently ill patients, also breached 100,000 as it reached 102,748. Japanhdav.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 10 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the japanhdav homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the japanhdav homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if japanhdav has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the japanhdav homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the japanhdav homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the japanhdav homepage on Twitter + the total number of japanhdav followers (if japanhdav has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 SERVER Apache/2.2.18 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.18 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_fcgid/2.3.5 (PHP/5.3.3) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux The language of japanhdav.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for japanhdav.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Now, a seasoned UFO investigator will tell you that theres more that they arent talking about. And theres a deeper layer here -- while the government often tries to turn people away from conspiracies, there have been times where the government has either allowed UFO conspiracies to fester or has actively promoted them. You see On June 25, 2021, the United States government released an anticipated document called Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Besides demonstrating that the official name for UFOs is now UAP, which is much less catchy, it gained significant attention because it could have been the first time that the government acknowledged that aliens might exist. Reading the document, though, probably disappointed a lot of UFO enthusiasts because it didnt say, Yep, aliens exist. Tom DeLonge was right. 5 The Report Doesnt Exactly Talk About Aliens, But If anyone was hoping that the UFO report would either confirm or deny alien sightings, they'd be very disappointed. Extraterrestrials are sadly omitted from the document. Instead, the report states that there have been 144 reports about UAP that were studied. Out of these, most have not been fully explained. NeONBRAND/Unsplash "But 144 is 12 squared, and 12 is the number of star signs, and ALIENS come from the stars." Findings were split into five categories: Airborne Clutter, Natural Atmospheric Phenomena, USG or Industry Development Programs, Foreign Adversary Systems, and other. The first few categories essentially mean that sensors detected something, but it was probably just weird weather or objects in unexpected places. Foreign Adversary Systems refer to potential unknown technology coming from China or Russia. (This isnt alien technology, but its scary to the U.S. government.) The category that matters for those looking for out-of-this-world activity is that last one, other. This catch-all term does not specifically refer to aliens, but if there were any section that alluded to them, this is it. Some of the sightings in reports involved objects flying in ways that seemed to break our understanding of flight. These objects might move at impossibly fast speeds or function without a standard propulsion system. Navy Could be aliens, could be mutants. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The 2017 Navy sightings are great examples. These videos, which have been confirmed to be real, capture moments where Navy fighter pilots spot flying objects that fit the other description. Their movements are not like any plane or helicopter. Is this something that the pilots just misinterpreted? Is it futuristic tech from China? Or is it something more otherwordly? The government doesnt know. With the recent rise of COVID-19 cases, 39 Connecticut municipalities are now back in the red zone. As of Aug. 12, there were 361,294 coronavirus cases in Connecticut, according to the state's COVID-19 data portal. The weekly positivity rate is over 3 percent in the state with Fairfield and New Haven counties presenting the most cases in the state. The system, which has been active since last year, divides the tiers as red, orange and yellow and provides different recommendations to individuals, communities and local governments. Here are some questions and things to know to help understand the system: Which are the red-zone towns as of now? As of Aug. 13, the towns of Ansonia, Ashford, Beacon, Falls, Bloomfield, Bristol, Brooklyn, Cheshire, Columbia, Durham, East Hampton, East Hartford, East Haven, Easton, Franklin, Hampton, Hartford, Ledyard, Meriden, Middlebury, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London, North Branford, North Haven, North Stonington, Norwich, Plymouth, Rocky Hill, Stamford, Stonington, Thomaston, Waterbury, Waterford, Wethersfield, Willington, Windham, Windsor and Wolcott are in the red-zone. View the daily-updated map of the Connecticut towns' infection rates. What does it mean to be in a "red zone"? Towns in the red tier are those with a daily average of at least 15 new COVID-19 infections for every 100,000 people in two weeks, ending on Aug. 7. Orange zone are those that present 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 residents. Read the daily data report for Connecticut here. What should I avoid doing while in the red zone? The state points to the following recommendations online: Individuals should avoid trips outside the home and gatherings with non-family members. The state is also encouraging the postponement or cancelation of indoor community events as well as outdoor events that cannot sustain mask-wearing and social distancing. What are the mask mandates if I'm in a red-zone town? Each Connecticut municipality decides its own mask mandates within its borders. For example, Stamford residents, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks indoors or at any outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people on city property. However, West Haven is strongly recommending masks, but is not requiring them. Find out which towns have issued mask mandates. What happens with schools in red-zone towns? Local school districts are recommended to work with the local health department in determining whether schools should consider distance learning, the DPH advises. Gov. Ned Lamont has said it is up to each school district to make a decision on distance learning. The state no longer requires each school district to offer distance learning. For 20 years, Bill Bloss served on Guilfords board of education. For 14 of those years, he served as chair in a town that takes its schools seriously. Only once in all that time, he said, did the board split on a partisan vote. The topic? Moving the start time for the high school. Debate was rigorous but respectful. People who attended the meetings marveled afterward that they couldnt tell the political parties of the members. Bloss said he didnt always agree with his Republican colleagues, but that they were reasonable and thoughtful people. Then, in July, Guilford Republicans sidestepped three of those reasonable and thoughtful incumbent Republicans to put up, instead, five candidates endorsed by something called Truth in Education and bent on serving as foot soldiers in the latest battle in our fake culture war. The five candidates oppose critical race theory. Their mission statement -- available here: https://www.truthineducationguilford.org - says they exist To EDUCATE the citizens of Guilford about Critical Race Theory (CRT); to EXPOSE the evil that this theory poses for our children, our community, and our country; and to END the indoctrination of our entire Guilford School Community with this Marxist, Racist, anti-American ideology. Their vision statement/goals say they want to (again, emphasis theirs): EXPLAIN EXPLICITLY that systemic racism is a lie and does not exist in America. Id wish these modern-day Know Nothings luck, but I wouldnt mean it. In response, the Guilford Independent Party endorsed three unaffiliated candidates, and they crossendorsed two Democrats for the local board. They call their slate Protect Guilford Schools, and their candidates include a molecular biologist, a real estate and construction executive, a public defender, among others. Guilfords traditional Republicans may have plans of their own. Because of the town code, the number of members of any one political party who may be elected to or serve on any elected board or commission shall not exceed a bare majority of the whole membership of those boards. Guilfords anti-fact candidates would be entertaining if Connecticut boards of education didnt have such power. A wrong turn in local education policy can cause irreparable harm. As Bloss used to say when he was campaigning, You only get one chance to educate a child. I think Ive figured out why people fall for this nonsense. Capital R-racism, of course, drives some candidates to plant their flag on the non-existent hill that is CRT. Those who bemoan the theory hear race and they start shouting, driving conversation and political action all over the state in towns like Guilford, with its excellent schools that serve as a draw to new families. But I think theres something else at work: People who pretend CRT is a viable issue are fearful of how history will treat them, and I dont blame them. History called their foremothers and - fathers Know Nothings, a uniquely anti-immigrant, pro-Protestant phenomenon from the mid1800s. Leading up to the carnage of the Civil War, the Know Nothings started as a secret society (they were to tell anyone who asked that they knew nothing) but eventually included governors, Congresspeople, and even an 1856 Presidential candidate, former Pres. Millard Fillmore, who lost that round and effectively ended the Nothings strangle-hold on governmental power and public conversation. The original K-Ns strapped on intellectual blinders and blamed people who didnt look like them for the countrys ills. Their political platform was indefensible, and they, too, shared their nonsense by every means available. Todays Know Nothings ignore the fact that critical race theory is strictly a framework by which to study history, particularly legal history. It is not taught to children. Last Tuesday, Guilfords Human Rights Commission sponsored a Zoom lecture by retired judge Angela C. Robinson, who teaches a graduate-level course on critical race theory at Quinnipiac University and so we should assume, given her legal and academic background, that we are on solid ground listening to her, and that we can learn from her. Still, Robinson, who runs Robinson Diversity Consulting, spoke to the commission in July, and received an anonymous email that said, in part that critical race theory is an anti-White agenda. I expect you will be met with great resistance when you are in Guilford. (In fact, critical race theory is based on an understanding that races are equal. But hot words like anti-white makes you look, doesnt it?) CRT, Robinson told the 300 or so attendees, has three main tenets: Race is a social construct; racism is a pervasive societal problem that goes beyond individual hatred, and a colorblind approach (I dont even see color!) is ineffective. After her hour-long talk, some attendees wanted to know if they could audit her graduate class on critical race theory, it was that engaging. Robinson said shed check. To a query about how to dial down heated rhetoric around critical race theory and race, Robinson said that when people say outlandish things like systemic racism doesnt exist, she tries to hear the pain and the fear and the anxiety. She also told the group that race is the tool most often used to divide us. Dont let it. BRANFORD For the next 30 days, those passing by the Indian Neck/Pine Orchard Volunteer Fire Company can see a black bunting draped over the firehouse. Caroline Schollaert, 27, a former firefighter and EMT for the company, was shot Aug. 3 in Jacksonville, Fla., after a man attempted to break into her car, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said. She later died from her injuries. We put that up as soon as we found out, said Capt. Chris Gagliardi, of the Indian Neck/Pine Orchard Volunteer Fire Company. A man was later arrested and charged with second-degree murder, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office announced Tuesday. Schollaert, a petty officer 3rd Class for the U.S. Coast Guard, was sent to New Haven around 2013 after graduating basic training in New Jersey. She was assigned to be a firefighter for the Coast Guards Aids to Navigation Team for Long Island Sound, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. At that time, she became part of the Indian Neck/Pine Orchard Volunteer Fire Company. Gagliardi said Schollaert fit in quickly with the tight-knit team. She even helped plan a surprise party for Gagliardis 22nd birthday. I always think about that, he said. She was very generous. She walked in the door and she knew how to make you smile, Gagliardi added. She was always looking out for others and putting others first. , Schollaert started off as a firefighter with the volunteer fire company. Near the end of her tenure in New Haven, she finished classes to become an emergency medical technician, Gagliardi said. As a member of the Aids to Navigation Team, she kept navigation equipment along waterways to ensure the free flow of maritime traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Gagliardi said Schollaerts Coast Guard training came in handy. She knew the water a lot better than we did, he said. In 2017, Schollaert left Connecticut to attend Aviation Maintenance Technician training in North Carolina. She graduated to her current rank and was assigned to the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron in Jacksonville, the Coast Guard said. The Virginia native joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2013. We are extremely saddened by the loss of a member of our Coast Guard family, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. Early on Aug. 3, Schollaert called the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and reported that someone was burglarizing her vehicle, according to T.K. Waters, chief of investigations for Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. While on the phone with the sheriffs office, Schollaert held the suspect at gunpoint and ordered him to remain until police arrived, Waters said. The suspect, 22-year-old Tyree Levon Parker, fired several shots at Schollaert, Waters said. She later died from her injuries. Parker later turned himself in to police. He has been charged with second-degree murder. Waters said other possible charges are pending. Police said Parker used a handgun that was stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the same neighborhood 11 days before. When Gagliardi heard of Schollaerts death, he was heartbroken. It shouldnt have happened, he said. Everyone in the fire department is completely torn over this. TOKYO (AP) Japan marked the 76th anniversary of its World War II surrender on Sunday with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided apologizing for his country's aggression. Suga said Japan never forgets that the peace the country enjoys today is built on the sacrifices of those who died in the war. We will commit to our pledge to never repeat the tragedy of the war, he said in his first speech at the event since becoming prime minister. Suga did not offer an apology to the Asian victims of Japanese aggression across the region in the first half of the 20th century a precedent set by the country's previous leader, Shinzo Abe, who was frequently accused of trying to whitewash Japan's brutal past. In a largely domestic-focused speech, Suga listed damage inflicted on Japan and its people, including the U.S. atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the firebombing of Tokyo and other cities and the fierce battle of Okinawa, and mourned for them. Emperor Naruhito, in contrast, expressed deep remorse over his countrys wartime actions in a carefully nuanced speech that followed the footsteps of his father, who devoted his 30-year career to making amends for a war fought in the name of Hirohito, the current emperors grandfather. Naruhito also said he hoped that people can put their hearts together to overcome the difficulty of the pandemic while seeking happiness and peace for all. Amid Tokyos surging coronavirus infections, about 200 participants, reduced from about 6,000 before the pandemic, mourned for the dead with a minute of silence. Masks were required, and there was no singing of the national anthem. Suga vowed to cooperate with the international community in tackling global issues under proactive pacifism, a vision that Abe promoted to allow Japan to play a greater military role in international conflicts. Beginning in 2013, Abe stopped acknowledging Japans wartime hostilities or apologizing in his Aug. 15 speeches, scrapping a nearly 20-year tradition that began with the 1995 apology of Socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama. On Sunday, before attending the ceremony at Tokyos Budokan hall, Suga laid flowers at a nearby national cemetery for unknown soldiers. While Suga stayed away from the controversial Yasukuni shrine, he did send a religious offering to the shrine, Japanese media reported. Victims of Japanese actions during the first half of the 20th century, especially the Koreas and China, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism because it honors convicted war criminals among about 2.5 million war dead. Abe, who stepped down as prime minister last year, prayed at the shrine Sunday, as did three other members of Sugas Cabinet. Two other ministers visited the shrine Friday. The visits sparked criticism from China and South Korea. On Sunday, South Koreas Foreign Ministry in a statement urged Japanese officials to show sincere remorse through action so that the countries could develop future-oriented ties. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said they had lodged stern representations with the Japanese side in Tokyo and in Beijing over the visits to the Yasukuni shrine, noting Suga's religious offering. Spokeswoman Hua Chunying called on Japan to take actions that would win the trust of its neighbors. Also Sunday, the official China Association of Performing Arts ordered the country's entertainment industry to boycott actor Zhang Zhehan after a photo of him visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in 2018 was circulated online. The association said the act by the 30-year-old actor, who stars in the popular TV series Word of Honor, was a bad influence on young viewers. History must not be forgotten or the bottom line relaxed. Violators must be punished, the association said in a statement. The popular microblog service Sina Weibo said it deleted Zhang's account. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi. Kim Tong-hyung at https://www.twitter.com/kimtonghyung A year after a huge influx of federal relief money paid for the mailing of absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in Connecticut, town clerks throughout the state have been reminded they can again send out mass ballot applications for the upcoming municipal elections. Some Republicans opposed the mass mailings of applications in the 2020 elections on the grounds that town voters lists contained many names of people no longer living there raising the risk of fraud, the critics said. But the problem now is that city and town budgets were set months ago and some towns might not have the money for additional printing, postage and office workers. Time is also a factor because absentee ballots are supposed to be ready for the public by October 1 for the Nov. 2 local elections. Town clerks such as Marc Garofalo of Derby are studying the issue. And while the turnout is not likely to come close to the little citys 80 percent turnout for the 2020 presidential vote, the municipal election takes planning. Our budgets all set, Garofalo said in a Friday phone interview, stressing that there is a lot of interest among voters who liked the option to vote by mail. Were a small town, so I am hoping we have a little more flexibility for it. When the weather gets cold and people are inside, our biggest worry is an onslaught of COVID at the end of the election cycle, which could create more problems. In an email sent to town clerks this week, Theodore E. Bromley, director of elections for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, reminded the local officials that a provision in the state budget that took effect July 1 allows for a continuance of COVID-related excuses for voting by mail-in and drop-off ballots this fall. He suggested that towns and cities limit absentee ballot applications to active voters using updated voter lists and correct name information. While Derby officials figure out what to do in the next few days, Garofalo, a member of the board of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, recommends that people who plan to vote by absentee, download an application soon from their local websites or the Secretary of the State, fill it out and send it to City Hall. Were going to have work together with the voter registrars to settle whether were going to do it and how, Garofalo said. When they were sent from the state, there were bar codes and return postage-paid. The bar codes made it significantly easier to put them into the system. The question is, do we send them out to everybody, the people who voted last time and those who have registered since the election? Last year, about 1,800 of the citys 7,000 registered voters cast votes by mail or drop-boxes. The previous high was in the 2016 presidential election, when 300 absentees were recorded. Garofalo expects 40-to-50 percent turnout for the fall election this year. Although our office will not be mailing applications to all active registered voters in the state, it would be allowable for each town clerk to mail out applications to all active voters within their town, Bromley wrote. If you decide to mail applications to all active voters in your town, you will need to keep a list of those active voters that have received an application. He reminded them of the experiences of last years presidential election high turnout and the large percentage of absentee ballots, with 35 percent, or 666,000 of them, cast by mail or dropped off in local boxes. Bromley suggested that local officials send the applications to active voters; and that up-to-date registries are used. Double-checking name spellings is important, as is alerting voters to the reason why they are being sent applications, he said. Berlin Town Clerk Kate Wall, president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association (CTCA) said an important thing to remember is the continued right of voters to cite concern over COVID-19 is a valid reason to request absentee ballots. The CTCA welcomes the opportunity to educate voters on the availability of absentee ballots to successfully cast their vote this November, she said Friday night. With cities and towns finalizing their annual budgets in the spring, town clerks do not have the necessary funds built into their current budget to cover the costs of postage and staff to process the possible increase in applications. She joined Garofalo in suggesting people interested in mail-in ballots download the application from any town or city website, or from the state at CT.gov. Ben Proto, chairman of the Republican State Central Committee, said Friday that town clerks he knows are unhappy with the potential cost. You start talking about mailing out absentee ballot applications, and they have to be sent First Class mail and even with discounts on printing and postage, its 50 cents to a dollar per application, he said. You talking about a substantial cost. I dont see the fiscal reality behind it, Proto said. Its another case of a Democrat not understanding fiscal constraints when it has huge impact. Gabe Rosenberg, general counsel and communications director for Merrill, said Friday that the $15 million in federal support for state elections last year,including cyber-security measures, was a one-time event in the pandemic, including the $5 million for expanded absentee-ballot access and collection boxes. That money does not exist this year. We share in the frustration, but it was Republicans in the legislature who tried to try to strip the power of local elected officials to send out absentee ballots to voters, Rosenberg said. I wish we had the resources to allow everyone to mail out absentee ballot applications, but we dont. It was a once-in-a-century emergency. To politicize it now takes major hubris, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said Saturday morning in response to Rosenberg. Candelora described the absentee ballot procedures of last year as an unmitigated disaster that put undue pressure on local voting officials. I think generally speaking Republican opposition to the mail-in was a response to the sloppy implementation last year, Candelora said, noting instances throughout the state of applications mailed to people who hadnt lived in the state or voted in years. There was also a delay in getting ballots printed, adding added further problems for municipal staffs. Thats why we didnt want to see a repeat performance of that, Candelora said about the 2021 legislative session. Why were ballots mailed to inactive voters? In order to improve a process as sacred as voting, there must be corrections for bad actions. I think any town clerk, Republican or Democrat would agree that the stress the secretary of the state put on local officials was challenging at best. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT TRUMBULL The towns census data mirrored the state and national results, with its population growing and increasing in diversity over the past 10 years. Overall, the population of Trumbull increased from 36,018 in 2010 to 36,827 in 2020. The number of people identifying as white fell from 30,872 to 27,752 in 10 years, a decrease of more than 10 percent. Conversely, the non-Hispanic Black population in Trumbull grew from 1,070 in 2010 to 1,642 in 2020, an increase of 53 percent. The Hispanic population grew from 2,068 in 2010 to 3,505 in 2020, an increase of 69 percent. Non-Hispanic Asians went from 1,559 in 2010 to 2,509 in 2020, an increase of 61 percent. The number of residents reporting they were of a multiracial background also increased. The share of the towns population that identifies as two or more races has increased from 361 in 2010 to 1,219 in 2010, a 238 percent increase. First Selectwoman Vicki Tesoro said the results reinforced her experience that the town is becoming more diverse. I have not seen all the data yet but Im not surprised. The state as a whole is much more diverse than it was a decade ago, Tesoro said. Tara Figueroa, the former chair of the towns Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce, also wasnt surprised at the census results. Having moved to Trumbull in 2017, she said she had a hand in them when she and her family moved from an apartment in the Washington Heights section of New York City. I myself have just moved here and many of my neighbors that are minorities have moved here within the last few years. So Im part of that trend, Figueroa said. Figueroa who is a Filipina-American and is married to a Latino man, are reflective of the larger demographic changes in the United States, which is now more diverse than ever before. Trumbull, while remaining largely white, has seen a decrease in the white population in ways that line up with national trends. But Challa Flemming, a Black Trumbull resident, said that the growth of the non-Hispanic Black share of the population was a surprise. Flemming, too, moved to town after the 2010 census. Over the course of the nine years I have lived in Trumbull, I have noticed an increase in the diversity of the town, (but) I was not aware that the total non-Hispanic Black population has risen 53 percent in the last 10 years, she said. We have had three Black families move into our immediate neighborhood in the last two years. Flemming administrates a social media support group called Black Moms of Trumbull. The group, which was started in June 2020, has grown from 10 members to 52 in the past year. But Flemming said that while the town is more diverse in absolute numbers, that isnt necessarily reflected in her daily life. I cannot definitively say that I see this increase reflected in my day-to-day life. Not seeing many people around town who share the same racial identity markers was part of the reason that I created the Black Moms of Trumbull group, she said. Flemming said she created the group as a safe space for Black women who would otherwise not come into contact with each other. The group exists as a way to build community and cultural ties within a town where three out of every four residents is white. Figueroa said she hoped to see Trumbulls increasing diversity trickle down to its food scene. There are people from other cultures moving in and are traveling quite a distance to find sources of ingredients for meals, she said. Or even the takeout; I get a craving for Thai, theres nothing here in Trumbull. I have to go venture out. File photo HARTFORD Police say a Bristol man was killed after crashing into the center guardrail of Interstate 84 on Saturday. State Police said Jessie Joseph Perez, 32, was traveling on I-84 eastbound about near Exit 46 in Hartford around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when his car traveled from the right lane to the left shoulder and struck the metal guardrail. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Israel on Saturday condemned Polands approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors or their descendants to reclaim property seized by the countrys former communist regime and announced it was recalling its top diplomat in protest. The move ignited a diplomatic crisis between Israels new government and the nationalist conservative government in Poland. After years of close ties under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels new government, which includes top officials who are the children of Holocaust survivors, has taken a far more confrontational approach. Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier in the day signed the law, which addresses appropriations done by the communist government that ruled Poland from the end of World War II until 1989. The law itself says nothing about the Holocaust or World War II. Instead it establishes that any administrative decision issued 30 years ago or more can no longer be challenged, meaning that property owners who had their homes or business seized in the communist era can no longer get compensation. It is expected to cut off for all time the hopes of some families both Jewish and non-Jewish of reclaiming property seized during that era. Both the U.S. and Israeli governments had strongly urged Poland not to pass the law and Israel had warned it would harm ties. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Duda's signing of the law a shameful decision and disgraceful contempt for the memory of the Holocaust and said Poland has chosen to continue harming those who have lost everything. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that he had instructed Israel's charges d'affaires in Warsaw to return home immediately and that the new Israeli ambassador to Poland, who was scheduled to leave for Warsaw, will remain in Israel. The Israel Foreign Ministry also said it was recommending that the Polish ambassador, who is on vacation home, not return to Israel. Poland today approved not for the first time an immoral, anti-Semitic law, said Lapid, whose late father was a Holocaust survivor. Defense Minister Defense Minister Benny Gantz, noting that he was the son of Holocaust survivors, said he was deeply disturbed." Property restitution is a small yet significant part of the process to fulfill the rights of those who have survived and to acknowledge those who have perished in one of the worlds biggest genocides, Gantz said. Duda said Saturday that he had analyzed the matter carefully and decided to sign the law to end legal uncertainty and fraud linked to properties whose ownership remains in doubt decades after their seizure. The law does not distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish claimants, and Duda said he strongly objected to anyone suggesting that the law was directed specifically against Jews who survived the Holocaust. I unequivocally reject this rhetoric and say it with all my strength," Duda said. Linking this act with the Holocaust raises my firm objection. Before World War II, Poland was home to Europes largest Jewish community of nearly 3.5 million people. Most were killed in the Holocaust and their properties confiscated by the Nazis. Some of the small numbers of Polish Jews who survived faced violence and persecution at Polish hands after the war, driving many to emigrate to countries including the United States and Israel, which was founded as a sanctuary for Jews after the Holocaust and which today is home to tens of thousands of aging Holocaust survivors. Polands post-war communist authorities seized many of those properties, along with the property of many non-Jewish owners in Warsaw and other cities. When communism fell in 1989, it opened up the possibility for claimants to try to regain family properties. Some cases have been resolved in courts, but Poland has never passed a comprehensive law that would regulate restituting or compensating seized properties. Complicating the matter, some criminal groups in past years have falsely claimed to represent rightful owners, obtaining valuable properties though fraud, and later evicting tenants from the properties. I am convinced that with my signature the era of legal chaos ends the era of re-privatization mafias, the uncertainty of millions of Poles and the lack of respect for the basic rights of citizens of our country. I believe in a state that protects its citizens against injustice, Duda said. The legislation was widely supported across the political spectrum in Poland. The last major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland erupted in 2018 when Warsaw introduced a law that many in Israel viewed as an attempt to suppress discussion of crimes that Poles committed against Jews during the German occupation of World War II. The law was eventually watered down and has not been applied. ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem. LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off franctic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm. Saturday's earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas were forced to wait out in the open amid oppressive heat for help from overloaded hospitals. The devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, which is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that although Grace had weakened from tropical storm strength Sunday, it still posed a threat to bring heavy rain, flooding and landslides. The earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemispheres poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence. The epicenter was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday. In the badly damaged coastal town of Les Cayes, Jennie Auguste lay on a flimsy foam mattress on the tarmac of the community's tiny airport waiting for anything space at a hospital or a small plane like the ones ferrying the wounded to the capital. She suffered injuries in the chest, abdomen and arm when the roof collapsed at the store where she worked. There has been nothing. No help, nothing from the government, Auguste's sister, Bertrande, said. In scenes widespread across the region hit by the quake, families salvaged their few belongings and spent the night at an open-air football pitch. On Sunday, people lined up to buy what little was available: bananas, avocados and water at a local street market. Some in the town praised God for surviving the earthquake, and many went to the cathedral, which appeared outwardly undamaged even if the priests' residence was destroyed. We only have Jesus now," said Johanne Dorcely, whose house was destroyed. If it wasnt for Jesus, I wouldnt be able to be here today." Workers tore through rubble of collapsed buildings with heavy machinery, shovels and picks. After sundown, Les Cayes was darkened by intermittent blackouts, and many slept people outside again, clutching small transistor radios tuned to news, terrified of a possible repetition of Saturday's strong aftershocks. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals were overwhelmed. The first convoys started following the coordination efforts of several ministers mobilized at the level of the National Emergency Center, Henry told reporters Sunday. We salute the dignity, the resilience effort of the victims and their ability to start over. From my observations, I deduce that Haitians want to live and progress. Let us unite to offer these people a living environment conducive to development. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said Sunday that humanitarian needs are acute, with many Haitians urgently needing health care, clean water and shelter. Children who have been separated from parents need protection, she said. Little more than a decade on, Haiti is reeling once again," Fore said in a statement. And this disaster coincides with political instability, rising gang violence, alarmingly high rates of malnutrition among children, and the COVID-19 pandemic for which Haiti has received just 500,000 vaccine doses, despite requiring far more. The country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines only last month via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Haitis Office of Civil Protection said more than 7,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 5,000 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also affected. Medical workers from across the region were scrambling to help as hospitals in Les Cayes started running out of space to perform surgeries. Basically, they need everything, said Dr. Inobert Pierre, a pediatrician with the nonprofit Health Equity International, which oversees St. Boniface Hospital, about two hours from Les Cayes. Many of the patients have open wounds and they have been exposed to not-so-clean elements, added Pierre, who visited two hospitals in Les Cayes one with some 200 patients, the other with around 90. We anticipate a lot of infections. Pierres medical team was taking some patients to St. Boniface to undergo surgery, but with just two ambulances, they could transport only four at a time. Small planes from a private firm and the Florida-based missionary service Agape Flights landed at the Port-Au-Prince airport Sunday carrying about a half dozen injured from the Les Cayes area. Young men with bandages and a woman were hoisted on stretchers to waiting Haitian Red Cross ambulances. Silvestre Plaza Rico, who was supervising one of the volunteer flights, said rescue planes had made several airlifts of about a half dozen injured victims each on Saturday. There were many, many, many, from different towns, Plaza Rico said. The earthquake struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was shot to death in his home, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, who was seriously wounded in the attack, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: Lets put our shoulders together to bring solidarity. Shortly after the earthquake, Henry said he wanted structured solidarity to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after. U.S. President Joe Biden named USAID Administrator Samantha Power to oversee the U.S effort to help Haiti. She announced Sunday that USAID was sending a search and rescue team from Virginia at the request of Haiti's government. The 65-person team will bring specialized tools and medical supplies, she said on Twitter. Working with USAID, the U.S. Coast Guard said a helicopter was transporting medical personnel from the Haitian capital to the quake zone and evacuating the injured back to Port-au-Prince. Lt. Commander Jason Nieman, a spokesman, said another helicopter was being sent from the Bahamas, along with other aircraft and ships. Already on the scene were several members of Cuba's 253-member health care mission to Haiti, and the socialist nation's state media showed photos of them giving first aid to victims injured by the quake. The North Carolina-based aid group Samaritans Purse announced it would fly 13 disaster response specialists and 31 tons of emergency supplies to Haiti. Those include shelter materials and water filtration units. Humanitarian workers said gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital, was complicating relief efforts. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Haiti's southern peninsula is a hotspot for gang-related violence, where humanitarian workers have been repeatedly attacked. The agency said the area has been virtually unreachable over the past two months because of road blocks and security concerns. But it said late Sunday that local officials negotiated with gangs in the seaside district of Martissant to allow two humanitarian convoys a day to pass through the area. Anna Jefferys, spokeswoman for the U.N. agency, said the first convoy passed through Sunday with government and U.N. personnel. The U.N.s World Food Program plans to send food supplies via trucks to southern Haiti on Tuesday, she added. Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 killed more than a dozen people. The magnitude 7.0 quake of 2010 hit closer to densely populated Port-au-Prince and caused widespread destruction. Haiti's government put the death toll at more than 300,000, while a report commissioned by the U.S. government placed it between 46,000 and 85,000. ___ Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Boston; Trenton Daniel in New York; Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report. BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) As pheasants crowed from the timber and the smell of smoke carried to southern Iowa from wildfires raging in the north and west, Brier Klossing listened to the quiet beep of a nearby transmitter. The beeps, occurring at a rate of about one per second, were coming from a backpack affixed to a turkey hen last winter, indicating she is alive and in motion. Klossing, a Mount Pleasant native and Iowa State University biology and animal ecology major, is spending her summer as a seasonal technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, tracking and monitoring turkey hens and their offspring, or poults, for a pilot study on downward-trending turkey populations. Its not Iowa turkey populations, said Jim Coffey, a forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa DNR. Its Midwestern turkey populations. Its nationwide turkey populations, which means: Is there a bigger overall issue that biologists have to be looking at? With the telemetry study, Iowa joins Missouri and Illinois in trying to solve the puzzle of whats driving the 30-year trend. Weve kind of seen this long-term decline in the number of poults being produced every year, so thats our major concern with this project, DNR wildlife research biologist Dan Kaminski told the Burlington Hawk Eye. If were seeing four poults for every hen, were swimming in turkeys the next year. If we get below 2 poults per hen, were talking about a population decline problem, and our numbers, and everywhere else in the Midwest, are about two poults per hen. Whats causing the decline in poult production? Thats what Kaminski, Coffey, Klossing, and other biologists in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois are trying to determine. Each of the three states has focused its studies on specific factors, though none are ruling out other causes. Illinois is examining the impact of black flies, while Missouri is looking into the possibility of increased predator-related mortality among turkeys. Iowa is looking at whether disease is to blame. With our focus on disease, thats not us saying that we think predation isnt part of the issue, Kaminski said. Turkeys have evolved with raccoons. Theyve evolved with bobcats. Theyve evolved with all of these other critters on the landscape. But beyond that, weve got new things showing up like this LPDV that we dont know exactly what the impact is going to be on wild birds, and thats what were really trying to answer with our piece of the puzzle. LPDV, or Lymphoproliferative Disease virus, is a Middle Eastern poultry disease that can cause cancer and external issues that can impact eating and vision. It does not infect humans. The first cases of LPDV in the United States were detected in New York in 2009. The virus since has made its way to the Midwest, and it has been found in turkeys throughout Iowa, Coffey said. Coffey, with the help of a student at ISU, has been studying LPDV in Iowa for the past couple of years. We were actually hoping when we started the study that we would find no LPDV and then we could rule that out as one of the variables, Coffey said. Theres very little known about it because its been considered a domestic turkey disease, and so theres not much understanding of what it would mean in wild populations. Coffey said the concern with the LPDV is not cancer, as most turkeys dont live long enough to develop cancer, but other possible impacts, such as whether it can cause decreased egg and poult production by preventing infected hens from doing what they need to keep themselves healthy and whether it makes them more vulnerable to predators. In January and February, DNR biologists convened in areas of southern Iowa featuring a mix of farmland, forest and grassland that, despite being an ideal turkey habitat, has seen a decline in turkey populations. Using net rocket launchers, they caught nearly 30 turkeys, taking blood samples and oral and cloacal swabs from each. Those samples were used for genetic sequencing for viral, bacterial and fungal markers. That will tell us a whole suite of diseases they are either carrying or were exposed to, Kaminski said. But the study seeks to go beyond disease detection to determine nesting behavior, poult production and poult success rates, as well as mortality, meaning further observation is needed. Twenty-four hens then were equipped with GPS transmitter backpacks, paid for with grant money from ISU, and released back into the wild. Satellites pinged the locations of each of those turkeys several times a day, with each turkeys location showing up as a different colored dot on Kaminskis screen. If a hen has been stagnant for 16 hours, a mortality alert is sent to Kaminski via email. This does not always mean the hen has died, however. Klossing explained that on rainy days, hens may stay in one spot for an extended period of time to conserve energy. Its up to her to make that call. This is the art of the science, Coffey said. We rely on the technology to reduce our cost, because we can monitor from satellites, but a satellite cant do what Brier can do, which is determine, is that bird actually nesting or is that bird dead? And can I go in and look at it or do I back off a day because its raining? And I make a determination that that birds just sitting tight on that nest, because we dont want to spook that bird off that nest. In early summer, dots of the same color grew closer together, indicating the hen was nesting. Youll see this spread of points around the forest or around the landscape and then one day theyll just lock down and youll start seeing all these points hitting in one spot and you know the bird is starting to incubate, Kaminski said. So from there, we can kind of look and see 26 to 31 days, this birds going to hatch its nest, and then one day after 26 to 31 days, youll see that point move, and thats the indication that well want to come in and try to trap the poults. When the GPS signals indicated the hen moved outside of that cluster within the 26- to 31-day time frame, Klossing would head toward the location of a suspected hatch, navigating the terrain in search of the hen before launching a team to to the nest. From there, you try to be as stealthy as possible and bring the team or at least a few people to try to get up to her close enough so that you could ideally flush her away from the poults and the poults would stay there so that we could collect the data and put on the transmitters, Klossing said. But catching poults can be difficult. Theyre fast and tend to stick close to their mothers. Ultimately, only two were equipped with transmitters. One came from a brood of four poults while the other was the only one in its nest. Turkeys lay an average of 11 or 12 eggs per clutch, Coffey explained, but theres no guarantee that all of them will hatch. From there, mortality occurs in about 70% of the brood due to predators and other factors, such as weather and habitat loss. These species are highly susceptible to major rainfall, Coffey said. Actually, in drought years are when we see turkey production go up. This isnt because turkeys lack the sense to close their beaks when it rains, as one old folk tale suggested. Its because poults put all of their energy into growing. When it rains, the temperature becomes cooler and it requires more energy to stay warm. Kaminski hopes to be able to continue studying the same birds next year. The study will need to continue for several years to collect reliable data and determine the cause of the trend, and Coffey noted changes to Iowas landscape and human disruption cannot be discounted. Humans have an impact on the landscape in the decisions that we make in how we use that landscape, so turkeys have to adapt to that changing landscape, and we know that Iowa has become a more urban state than it has ever been, Coffey said. Other places in the United States have changed their landscape, and we might be seeing that impact 30 years later. FAIRFIELD With the first day of school on the horizon, Mason Yeoh, 16, is fighting to learn from home. His brother, 26-year-old Mitchell Yeoh, is immunocompromised. He has autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, or ARPKD, a rare childhood condition that affects the development of the kidneys and liver. As a result, Mitchell has had two kidney transplants and a liver transplant. He also has recently been diagnosed with cancer. My brother is very sick, said Mason Yeoh, who will be a junior at Fairfield Warde High School. While Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order requires students and staff to wear masks in school until at least Sept. 30, Mason Yeoh knows theres still COVID risks associated with attending classes in person. Last month, the Fairfield Board of Education also sent Lamont a letter, requesting the state lift the schools mask mandate. According to the state Department of Public Healths color-coded map for COVID infection rates, Fairfield is shaded orange the second-highest level with an average of 10.4 daily cases per 100,000 people over a two-week span. And not all Fairfield students have been vaccinated. About 60 percent of children in town between the ages of 12 and 17 have been fully vaccinated, state data shows. Mason Yeoh said he doesnt want to risk bringing home an infection that could potentially kill his older brother. I love my brother so much, Mason Yeoh said. I dont want to lose him because others are making poor decisions on my behalf. The state is no longer requiring school districts to offer a remote learning option like they did during the height of the pandemic. So Mason Yeoh and his girlfriend, Macy Shulman, 17, have organized a rally for 11 a.m. Monday at Town Hall to advocate for a remote learning option in hopes of keeping their families protected. Social distancing will be in place and masks will be required at the rally. Shulmans mother, Elizabeth Vienneau, is also immunocompromised with Type 1 Diabetes. Her doctor has advised her to stay inside because of the growing delta variant cases. (Remote learning) doesnt have to be for everybody, Vienneau said. Some of us dont have a choice ... People who need it, should be able to do it. Marney White, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at Yale Universitys School of Public Health, as well as a professor of psychiatry at the universitys School of Medicine, wrote a petition on Change.org asking the state Department of Education to allow the option of remote learning. A school setting remains a risky situation, White said. White said children can readily transmit the virus even though, thankfully, they are much less likely to become seriously ill themselves. They can easily bring it home to a medically vulnerable family member. White is also immunocompromised. She had to stop chemotherapy because it was too risky for her immune system to be weakened during the pandemic. Without treatment, her doctor said she has a fatality rate of 75 percent. That really illuminates how very dangerous COVID would be for somebody with this type of immunosuppression, White said. White submitted a complaint to the state Department of Education, requesting her school district provide a remote learning program for her 10-year-old son. She is immunocompromised and would, thereby, put her life at risk by sending him to school, said her lawyer, Andrew Feinstein. However, the Department of Education dismissed the complaint last week. Lamonts office and the state Department of Education and Department of Public Health have said access to in-person learning opportunities is a priority, particularly due to the significance of the social-emotional environment provided. School districts are also no longer required to provide voluntary remote learning options. Without remote learning, these parents and students say they have few options. They say their only alternatives are expensive private online schools or homeschooling. To Ian Yeoh, Masons father, the lack of an option is a slap in the face to our family. I guess we dont matter, Ian Yeoh said. Mason Yeoh and Shulmans parents have written to various entities, including the state Department of Education, their school district and state representatives. I was begging for my life, Elizabeth Vienneau said. This is about nothing except staying alive for us. Did you finish celebrating yet? Still a little worn out from the all-night revelry? A national day of recognition for our great state, the third-smallest and fifth to join the United States, is a good opportunity to let loose. You can be forgiven for going a little crazy. Or, maybe, youre one of the (hopefully) few who didnt realize we had a big day this past week. Aug. 10 was National Connecticut Day. Theres a lot to love here, even if we cant help but notice that some people like to complain about a few things. Its OK. Thats part of our local charm. And, we can be honest here, there are some things that could use some fixing. Its very expensive to live here, for one thing. Cost of living is as high in Connecticut as anywhere in the nation, and we pay our share in taxes. Its hot in the summer and cold in the winter. And wed all like to do something about the traffic. But National Connecticut Day is a chance to celebrate everything we love about the state. Yes, its expensive, but all that money pays for some of the highest quality of life you could find anywhere. We have Long Island Sound, we have history that goes back centuries to the very start of our country, and we have it all in a compact setting you can venture across in a day. And despite our reputation as The Land of Steady Habits, this state is also a place thats going through some changes. Recently released census data showed the overall population went up only slightly in the past 10 years, but some of the strongest growth was focused in our often-maligned cities. Bridgeport and New Haven showed growth. Stamford continued rocketing skyward, and will probably take the title of the states most populous city before too long. Waterbury, Norwalk and Danbury did well, too. The news in rural areas was different. Following nationwide trends, population numbers fell in some of the smallest towns in the state, and theres no indication a rebound is in sight. People are going where the jobs are, and thats the cities and close-in suburbs. We can celebrate Connecticut for what its been but also recognize how we need to change. Growth in the cities should be encouraged, since if were ever going to get real economic growth in Connecticut again it will need to be joined by a rising population. We need to give people more of what they want. In many cases, that means density. If we had more of it at affordable prices, we could as a state appeal to an entirely new demographic that is mostly looking elsewhere. We have plenty of sprawled-out suburbs, and the appeal of that style of living may have peaked. We have to adapt with the times. So, if you havent already, take a few minutes to celebrate what we treasure about Connecticut. Theres a lot to love. But dont forget to think about how we can make it even better. Maybe by next years National Connecticut Day we can be on our way down a new path. People from around the world have been sharing their best finds after digging through piles of rubbish looking for treasure. Dumpster divers have revealed the hauls they've come across while searching through piles of trash at supermarkets, apartments, the side of the street and at dedicated tip sites on Reddit. The hawk-eyed 'divers' are advocates for not letting anything go to waste, maintaining that they're helping the environment by re-using items destined for landfill. Along with a range of beautiful inanimate objects, there's often, sadly, abandoned cats and dogs too - with 'divers' occasionally bringing home a new pet with them. Here, FEMAIL picks some of the most impressive finds... People from around the world have been sharing their best finds after digging through piles of rubbish looking for treasure - including this gold ring with a large green glass stone set within rescued by an American dumpster diver Pretty: These floral tea cups caught a diver's eye and they managed to find the saucers at a separate site - without a chip in sight One person, from an unknown location, was left stunned after finding a prosthetic leg while dumpster diving A sweet pup had been 'left to die' by her former owner when a person, from an unknown location, managed to rescue her while dumpster diving One social media user, from the UK, couldn't believe their luck when coming across this rare antique gem in a bin The poster of this Gucci bracelet wasn't sure whether the bangle was authentic or not, but took to the group to find out, with one person suggesting it was from a 2013 collection This bright and unique neon sign was discovered outside an apartment, and the American finder couldn't believe their luck The lucky American 'diver' of this gold ring would later get it appraised and be even happier with their find after discovering it was worth just over $2,000 dollars One British person was left flabberghasted when they discovered a first edition copy of Mary Poppins in the bin outside their work - with users later revealing it would have been worth 40,000 with the dustcover Music to my ears! One American user revealed how she convinced her husband to climb into a bin to fetch a violin case - and discovered the instrument was still tucked inside Another person, from an unknown location, discovered a group of kittens left to perish after someone decided they couldn't take care of them The finder of this jug, from the US, said they first thought it was just a plate before realising it was an ornate jug made from 80 per cent silver Another social media user revealed they found this stunning rug in an alley close to where they lived Real curb appeal! One person, from the US, was happy to take home this stunning wooden cabinet after another threw it away and left it on the street Another user, believed to be from the US, revealed on the subreddit that this stunning wardrobe had been a nightmare to move due to its real marble pillars A blooming good find! One poster, believed to be from the US, shared how their local warehouse had tossed away hundreds of pots of flowers One music lover, whose location is unknown, was left overjoyed after finding an electric guitar in seemingly great condition in a bin It'll be as good as new! One poster, believed to be from the US, revealed they were planning to reupholster this mustard yellow sofa A university dropout is celebrating making $1million in a year after her $25 beauty buy launched in Coles earlier this week. Mia Plecic, 29, from Melbourne, created her mascara-like 'Slick Stick' in December 2019 in a bid to comb down flyaway hairs and give customers a sleek bun or ponytail. The brand quickly blew up on Instagram and TikTok, where millions showed how effective the wand is at giving you a sleek look from home. This week, Mia's $25 wands launched in 840 Coles stores across Australia - and she is currently selling a wand every four minutes around the world. Scroll down for video A university dropout (pictured) is celebrating making $1million in a year after her $25 beauty buy launched in Coles earlier this week Mia Plecic (pictured), from Sydney, created her mascara-like ' Slick Stick' in December 2019 in a bid to comb down flyaway hairs and give customers a sleek bun or ponytail So what makes the 'Slick Stick' so special? Ingredients including jojoba and evening primrose oil work to tame any flyaways without leaving your locks oily or crunchy. Using the wand means you can forgo things like hairspray or bobby pins, while enjoying a natural and cruelty-free product. Ingredients including jojoba and evening primrose oil work to tame any flyaways without leaving your locks oily or crunchy (pictured in use) Using the wand means you can forgo things like hairspray or bobby pins, while enjoying a natural and cruelty-free product (pictured after use) Videos shared on TikTok show just how effective it is in action, while there are more than 1,000 four and five-star reviews that describe the beauty buy as a 'game changer' and 'amazing'. 'I've never found anything for my frizzy and naturally curly hair that controls the fly always without leaving a unpleasant crunchy feeling in my hair. I would definitely recommend this,' one recent review reads. 'I love the Slick Stick so much! The only thing that helps tame my flyaways! I will never use anything else!' another added. Videos shared on TikTok show just how effective it is in action, while there are more than 1,000 four and five-star reviews that describe the beauty buy as a 'game changer' and 'amazing' (pictured after use) When Mia (pictured) launched the budding business, she was working out of her Melbourne one-bedroom apartment, where she also keeps her stock While Mia couldn't have predicted just how successful the 'Slick Stick' would be, the 29-year-old said she woke up one morning to realise one of her TikTok videos using her product gained five million views and $30,000 in sales overnight. At the time she was still running the budding business out of her Melbourne one-bedroom apartment, where she also keeps her stock. 'I think it has been popular as a product in that it's so easily marketed as you can share that instant result on social media and you can see it working before your eyes,' Mia said previously. 'The beauty of this product is you can brush it out at end of the day and it doesnt leave any residue.' For more information about the Slick Stick, please visit the Slick Hair Co website here. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and his wife Princess Sofia have shared candid snap of their family as they celebrated their 'beloved' son Prince Julian's christening yesterday. The glamorous couple, already parents to Prince Alexander, five, and Prince Gabriel, three, added third son Prince Julian to their brood on March 26 at Danderyds hospital in Greater Stockholm. Surrounded by his family, including Carl Philip's sisters heir-to-the-throne Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine, the little one was christened at Drottningholm Palace Chapel, just outside Stockholm yesterday. Posting on Instagram earlier today, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia wrote: 'Yesterday our beloved Julian was baptized. Thank you for all the best wishes!' Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and his wife Princess Sofia have shared candid snap of their family as they celebrated their 'beloved' son Prince Julian's christening yesterday (pictured with Prince Alexander, five, and Prince Gabriel, three) Posting the snap of their family on their official Instagram page, the couple thanked royal fans for their wellwishes Sweden's royal family have stepped out to celebrate the christening of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's baby son Prince Julian today (pictured) Meanwhile the couple also shared a candid snap as they posed with their three children after the ceremony. Prince Julian was dressed in the christening gown worn by his father to his own baptism in 1979, with the family heirloom dating back to Prince Gustaf Adolf's christening in 1906. It's been worn by royal babies ever since, and features elegant lace detailing and ruffled sleeves. Doting mother Princess Sofia, who held her baby during the ceremony, looked the epitome of glamour in a floral V-neck long puff-sleeve maxi dress by Italian fashion house Etro. The glamorous couple, already parents to Prince Alexander, five, and Prince Gabriel, three, added third son Prince Julian (pictured) to their brood on March 26 at Danderyds hospital in Greater Stockholm Surrounded by his family, including Carl Philip's sisters heir-to-the-throne Crown Princess Victoria (pictured with her family) and Princess Madeleine, the little one was christened at Drottningholm Palace Chapel, just outside Stockholm Sweden's Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf (pictured left) leave after the christening ceremony. Pictured right, Princess Madeleine and Princess Adrienne arrive at the event Her husband appeared charming in his military uniform. The parents-of-three were also joined at the christening by their eldest sons Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel. They looked adorable in matching navy shorts, white shirts and cream blazers while sitting at the front of the chapel. Among the guests were Carl Philip's parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and his siblings and their spouses; Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill. The newborn's older cousins were also at the event, including Crown Princess Victoria's children, Princess Estelle, nine, and Prince Oscar, five. Sweden's Princess Sofia holds Prince Julian, next to Prince Gabriel, Prince Alexander and Prince Carl Philip after the christening ceremony Prince Gabriel looks at his little brother Prince Julian, who is held in his mother's arms, during the ceremony Godparents Jacob Hoegfeldt, Frida Vesterberg and Patrick Sommerlath, Sweden's Princess Sofia holding Prince Julian, Prince Gabriel, Prince Alexander and Prince Carl Philip and Stina Andersson and Johan Andersson pose together They were joined by Princess Madeleine's children, Princess Leonore, seven, Prince Nicolas, six, and Princess Adrienne, three. Prince Julian's grandfather King Carl Gustaf revealed his name and dukedom at a cabinet meeting at the Royal Palace in Stockholm days after his birth, both of which are touching tributes to royal family members. Prince Julian is the Duke of Halland, the former duchy of King Carl's beloved uncle Prince Bertil, whose former home Carl and Sofia currently live in with their children. Meanwhile, Folke is one of the Kings middle names and was the name of the grandson of King Oscar II, who negotiated the release of around 31,000 prisoners from German concentration camps during the Second World War. The parents-of-three were also joined at the christening by their eldest sons Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel (pictured) They were joined by Princess Madeleine's (pictured) children, Princess Leonore, seven, Prince Nicolas, six, and Princess Adrienne, three Prince Oscar, Duke of Skane, is pictured next to his mother Princess Victoria and his father Prince Daniel Prince Julian during the lavish ceremony, pictured left, and Princess Leonore arriving at the event, pictured right Unlike his older brothers, Prince Julian will not receive Royal Highness status after King Gustaf revoked the HRH style from the children of Sofia and Carl in October 2019. While the children lost their positions in the Royal House and won't be expected to carry out senior royal duties, they will remain in the line of succession. Prince Julian is the eighth grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Carl Philip is the only son and second child of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. The speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Norlen and Helena Norle pictured at the event Godfather Jacob Hogfeldt reads, while pictured to his right is bishop Johan Dalman during the ceremony Godparents Johan Andersson, Stina Andersson and Frida Vesterberg arriving at the occasion His older sister Princess Victoria, 43, is the heir to the Swedish throne and he is currently fifth in the line of succession. Last month, the members of Sweden's Royal Family were all finally reunited 'after a long time in different places' due to the coronavirus pandemic. King Carl XVI Gustaf, 75, and Queen Silvia, 77, were joined by their three children and their spouses, as well as their eight grandchildren and pet dogs at Solliden Palace on Oland island, off the southeast coast of Sweden. A sweet picture of the reunion, taken that month, was shared to the Swedish Royal Family's Instagram account, alongside the caption: 'Together on Oland again! A long-awaited reunion for the King. 'The family, which after a long time in different places, can now once again gather on the "island of the sun and the winds". A continued happy summer is wished to all.' The Royal Guards before the occasion at the Drottningholm Palace Chapel, near Stockholm Godmother Frida Vesterberg arrives to the christening ceremony of Prince Julian at Drottningholm Palace Chapel First Lady of the Court Anna Hamilton (pictured left) is head of the Swedish Queen's household and is the royal's closest member of staff. The Swedish King's household is led by Marshal of the Court Goran Lithell (pictured right) The godparents dressed in all their finery attend their godchild's christening this morning Dressed in an elegant ruffled white frock, Princess Victoria, 44, beamed as she stood next to her sister-in-law Princess Sofia, who looked equally stylish in a floral maxi dress. The family's newest addition, Prince Julian sat contently in his mother Princess Sofia's arms, while her husband Prince Carl Philip proudly stood behind his wife and next to his second son, Prince Gabriel, three. Prince Gabriel, sporting a purple shirt, sat on a wooden cart opposite his cousins, Princess Victoria's five-year-old son, Prince Oscar, and Princess Madeleine's daughters, Princess Leonore, seven, and Princess Adrienne, three. A Royal Guard receives assistance after fainting before the start of the christening ceremony Doting mother Princess Sofia (pictured), who held her baby during the ceremony, looked the epitome of glamour in a floral V-neck long puff-sleeve maxi dress by Italian fashion house Etro Princess Madeleine and her husband, Christopher O'Neill, who are based in the US, were pictured on the right-hand side of the photograph, alongside their son Prince Nicolas. The family-of-five returned to Sweden last month to spend part of their summer with their relatives. Princess Victoria's husband Prince Daniel was placed behind the King and Queen, while the monarchs' granddaughter Princess Estelle, nine, sat on a bale of hay with her cousin and Princess Sofia's eldest son, five-year-old Prince Alexander. Princess Estelle, who sported a light blue dress and a white bow in her hair, is the eldest daughter of Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. A landlord has been hailed online after selling his home and sharing the profits with his former tenants who helped to pay his mortgage. Chris Robarge, from Massachusetts, revealed on Facebook he had received a note and a $2,500 (1,800) check out-of-the-blue from a former landlord, whose identity he did not share. In the heartfelt letter, the unnamed landlord said he had been 'glad to share' his home with Chris and explained how he had calculated the check's total: 'I calculated the amount of principal you paid each month you lived there, split it by who was living in the house at the time, and added 40 per cent (the increase in value of the home from when I bought it).' Other social media users were left wowed by the post, with many commenting it had left them in floods of tears. Chris Robarge, from Massachusetts, revealed on Facebook he had received a note and a $2,500 (1,800) check out-of-the-blue from a former landlord, whose identity he did not share In the heartfelt letter, the unnamed landlord said he had been 'glad to share' his home with Chris and explained how he had calculated the check's total Sharing a snap of the letter online yesterday, Chris wrote: 'A person I formerly rented from asked me for my current address recently. This person rented me a space in their house that was the first place I had to actually call home when I had to leave my house after I got divorced. 'I paid a completely fair amount of money for my accommodations and really enjoyed my time there, and like all rental situations, I figured that was that.' He said he had received the note in the mail, adding: ' It's a letter from that person, informing me that they sold their house and that they were paying me and every tenant they ever had for what we contributed to the profit they made from selling the house.' The letter read: 'While it's not much, it's yours! It was a great house and I'm glad I was able to share it with you.' After receiving the check, Chris revealed he plans to give away $2,000 of the money to worthy causes and people in need 'I have been sitting with this for more than a day and I am still completely beyond an actual way to describe what this act means to me. 'All that I can say is that there are people who talk about their values and there are people who actually live them, and the reason I wanted to share this is that I want to encourage us all to actually live our values. 'Do it off the clock, do it when no one is watching, do it always.' He said the simple act of kindness had inspired his own, adding he would give away $2,000 to worthy causes and people in need. His post quickly racked up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, as one person said: 'Great to know good people still living in this world' His post quickly racked up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, as one person said: 'WOW that's unheard of! What a beautiful, and real, gesture.' And another wrote: 'This made me cry.' One added: 'Great to know good people still living in this world.' A fourth commented: 'This is so moving. Thank you for sharing. What an incredible value I received from reading this. What a blessing. What good people.' Glammed-up travellers refused to let the threat of violence dampen their excitement as they stepped out in their finest clobber at Appleby horse fair yesterday. Crowds of women donning various designer goods strutted their stuff through the streets of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria for the annual gathering on Saturday afternoon. It comes after police sent in armed officers after receiving officers received information about groups intending to cause 'serious violence' as part of on-going feuds. Trying their best to impress, travellers wore their finest bling and heavy make-up looks paired with vibrant outfit choices at the event yesterday. Glammed-up travellers refused to let the threat of violence dampen their excitement as they stepped out in their finest clobber at Appleby horse fair yesterday Smiling in the sunshine, one traveller opted for an elaborate patterned dress paired with a pair of oversized black sunglasses, featuring a pearl encrusted chain, and a diamante bracelet One guest opted for a Tommy Jeans t-shirt, paired with a matching Louis Vuitton belt and purse, a hat with the word 'icon' written on it- paired with a gem-stoned crucifix necklace and ripped jeans. Another donned pearl encrusted crucifix earrings paired with a tight crop top and animal print trousers, with a full make-up look including very voluptuous eyelashes. Smiling in the sunshine, another traveller opted for an elaborate patterned dress paired with a pair of oversized black sunglasses, featuring a pearl encrusted chain, and a diamante bracelet. Guests appeared to be in high spirits despite Cumbria Police implementing an 'immediate' Section 60 order to avoid violence at the event. One guest donned pearl encrusted crucifix earrings paired with a tight crop top and animal print trousers, with a full make-up look including very voluptuous eyelashes Crowds of women donning various designer goods strutted their stuff through the streets of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria for the annual gathering on Saturday afternoon The order allows officers to search people without needing to suspect that they may be carrying weapons for a certain period of time. The order began at 9.30am on Saturday 14 August and expired at 12.30am last night. Superintendent Matt Kennerley of Cumbria Police said: 'The police have information that there are a number of groups intending to travel to Appleby Horse Fair this weekend intent on causing serious violence as part of on-going feuds between different groups. 'This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. In response to this information and to help keep people safe, a number of measures are to be implemented immediately. The fair is usually held in early June outside the town of Appleby, in Cumbria, and attracts around 1,000 caravans, hundreds of horse-drawn vehicles, and around 30,000 visitors 'Policing resources will be increased in key areas and at key times. In addition, people are likely to see armed police in the Appleby area to allow such officers to respond swiftly and effectively to any potential situation that arises.' The fair is an annual gathering for Gypsy, Romany and travelling communities and is billed as the biggest traditional Gypsy Fair in Europe. Around 10,000 travellers were expected to attend the event who traditionally come to buy and sell horses. It also offers an opportunity for the traveller community to come together to celebrate their heritage and culture. One girl donned a pink and white polkadot playsuit paired with an oversized fuchsia hat while her pal donned a brown skirt and white crop tops The fair is usually held in early June outside the town of Appleby, in Cumbria, and attracts around 1,000 caravans, hundreds of horse-drawn vehicles, and around 30,000 visitors. The festival kicked off this Thursday, with thousands of travellers from across the UK saddling up traditional horse and bow top carts as they headed to the 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. While politicians debate how the country can get out of lockdowns and anti-vaxxers wage fear campaigns about AstraZeneca, young Australians are enthusiastically rolling up their sleeves. When the maligned AstraZeneca vaccine was finally offered to Australians under 40, tens of thousands of those in that age group weighed the risks and benefits and came to the same easy conclusion. In July, more than 114,000 doses of AstraZeneca were administered to under 40s. August figures are likely to be far higher. With more than 90 per cent of cases of the Delta variant of Covid occurring among unvaccinated people, their decision to take whatever jab is available is proving right. In NSW more than 95 per cent of patients being treated for Covid in intensive care units are not vaccinated - and only two deaths have been reported among those who have had two doses of vaccine. Both were in their 90s, so there are likely other contributing factors including their age. What is irrefutable is that Covid is now killing young Australians - not vaccination. Young Daily Mail Australia staff and their families are among those to have looked at the numbers, considered their futures, and made the choice to get AstraZeneca. Some suffered side effects, but nothing like the devastating health consequences of contracting Covid. All feel they are helping themselves and their fellow Australians. None regrets their decision. These are their stories. They may help you make a similar decision and let Australia rejoin the rest of the world that's fast emerging from the pandemic through vaccination. Sarah Fitzmaurice is a healthy 35-year-old who weighed up the minimal risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the benefits of getting the jab and found the decision easy SARAH FITZMAURICE, 35: Why I chose AstraZeneca: I called my GP and booked in as soon as Scott Morrison said it was OK for under 40s. Many of my friends and family in the UK - even those who were pregnant or one who'd had a kidney transplant - had received the AZ vaccine with no complications and I felt confident in the science of the vaccine. I spoke to a GP friend and I weighed up the minimal risks versus the benefits of being vaccinated and given the timelines with the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine for my age group here, and the inability of the state to get ahead of the current Delta outbreak, I knew I wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible and was happy to get the AZ. I know lots of people in the UK who have been ill with Covid and my Grandma had a positive diagnosis when she passed away late last year. After getting my first shot I felt proud to have received a vaccine which was developed in record time and that has been sold on a not-for-profit basis. Whoever has done the PR for the AZ vaccine in Australia has done a terrible job. I did have some chills the night after the vaccine but the side effects were no worse than after a flu jab. I'll now be fully vaccinated before most people my age have even been offered their first jab of Pfizer. As a healthy 35-year-old with no known health issues I feel lucky to have been given the option of a vaccination that is proven in reducing the risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19 and with the Delta strain affecting younger people I don't understand why more people aren't consulting with their GPs to take it. Joe Sassine was sick of waiting for the Pfizer vaccine when he chose to get jabbed with Astra Zeneca. He tested whether the injection made him magnetic. Despite this picture, it didn't JOE SASSINE, 34 Why I choose to get the Astrazeneca: I chose to AstraZeneca over Pfizer because I was tired of waiting. Being a 34-year-old male and watching older generations squander their opportunity to get the jab when they were given so many chances for them to do so, I jumped when it opened up to me. So many of my family members are hesitant to get the jab or just plain refuse to, so I got the AZ as a way of showing them it is safe. We have lost nearly two years of our lives because of this pandemic and many people have lost their lives and livelihoods. If we have any chance of returning to anything that resembles our old life - THIS is the only way forward. I will admit, I was scared too. The 'what ifs' eating away at me. What if the vaccine was developed to quickly? What if it hasn't been tested enough? What if I DID develop a blood clot? Would I be that six in one million to develop a blood clot? What if I got more adverse side effects? I put those 'what ifs' aside because for me, the reward outweighed the risk. For the record, I did develop a few side effects: chills and muscle soreness at the jab site. I even had a bit of fun with it and tested whether it made me magnetic. Despite what the photo above shows, the answer is equivocally and resoundingly no. That's the one thing I was truly disappointed about. I am set for my second dose next week. Cindy Tran did not think twice about rolling up her sleeve to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, comparing it to just like another flu shot CINDY TRAN, 31 Why I chose AstraZeneca: I received my first dose of AZ on July 4, six days after Scott Morrison gave the all clear anyone under the age of 40 could get the vaccine. I didn't think twice about rolling up my sleeves to get AstraZeneca because honestly, I just looked at it like it's another flu shot. I'm a fit and healthy 31-year-old from Sydney with no underlying health conditions, so it was a very easy decision for me to make. That's not to say I wasn't paranoid about the risks of blood clots. I couldn't help but wonder: 'What if I'm one of the extremely unfortunate 1.6 in 100,000 people?' But after talking to my doctor, she reassured me the chances were very slim - and as long as I didn't have a history with blood clots or allergic reactions following previous vaccinations, I would be fine. How I felt after my vaccine: I felt a wave of relief when I walked out of the medical clinic with a Band Aid on my shoulder. My arm was already sore by the time I arrived back home. Assuming it's just like the flu shot, I thought the pain would wear off by the next day. Cindy Tran is candid about the headache and fever which followed her vaccination but says that was far preferable than suffering the consequences of contracting Covid-19 Side effects: I woke up with an excruciating headache, my body was covered in sweat and my arm was tender to touch. However, I started work as usual. But throughout the day, I could feel my condition slowly deteriorating, and my headache was still lingering despite taking four Panadol tablets. By the time I finished work, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I found myself shivering on my sofa with a doona and an electric blanket over me. I was curled up in a ball, I contemplated whether to call in sick the next day. But about 8.30pm, my side effects vanished. As strange as it sounds, it felt like my body had made a full recovery. The following morning, I felt perfectly fine to work. I still had tenderness in my arm but it was nothing compared to what I experienced the previous day. Side effects of the vaccine nothing like Covid: I don't even want to imagine how horrific Covid-19 would be. If this is what it takes to get out of a global pandemic, let alone a lockdown, I'd happily do it all over again. I'd love to go travelling again and see life return to normal. Despite the side effects, I'm already looking forward to my second jab so I can be fully vaccinated. With one shot down, and another to go, I just feel lucky to be protected, safer and more hopeful about our future. Stephen Johnson says the decision to get AstraZeneca was a 'no-brainer' and his only regret was that he could not get it sooner. He is pictured with his niece STEPHEN JOHNSON, 41 Why I chose AstraZeneca: I went to get my first dose of the AstraZeneca jab on June 30, two days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced doctors who administered the vaccine would be legally indemnified should a patient suffer an adverse reaction. Out of sheer frustration at the delays in getting a vaccine, I visited my local walk-in clinic GP after work on June 29, the day after that announcement and three days into Sydneys original Delta strain lockdown. My GP on Sydneys North Shore asked if I had any underlying medical issues, to which I replied no. He then asked if I had considered Pfizer. I told him I had tried to book online but there was nothing available in my area, adding I didn't want to queue up in Homebush. Just two days later, it was confirmed a Covid-positive person was in a long line in western Sydney waiting for a Pfizer jab on the same day I had visited my GP. In NSW more than 95 per cent of patients being treated for Covid in intensive care units are not vaccinated and only one death has been reported among those who have had two doses of vaccine Even when I arrived early for my 1.30 appointment, to get an AstraZeneca dose, the first question another doctor in the room asked, as the nurse rolled up my sleeve, was whether I had tried getting a Pfizer dose. In any case, the needle didn't even hurt and after staying back at the GP clinic for 20 minutes of observation, I felt no side effects as a healthy man who exercises daily with long walks. In fact, I had absolutely no side effects at all from the AstraZeneca jab and I'm 41, well below the 60 age threshold recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. For me, getting vaccinated with AstraZeneca was a prudent decision. I was not prepared to wait until September for Pfizer doses to be available and in the meantime be completely unprotected from the risk of hospitalisation or being contagious. It was a no-brainer. My only regret was I couldn't get my shot much earlier. My second shot is on September 22. Michaela Barklie can't wait for borders to be open. The last time she saw her family in England was in August 2018. She is pictured right on that visit with her sister and niece MICHAELA BARKLIE, 31 Why I chose to get AstraZeneca: I last saw my family when I returned to the UK to surprise my mum for her 60th birthday. Her smile is something that will be etched in my mind for years to come. Today, three years since said goodbye, all I think about is the time we've missed out on. Time, something that can never be replaced. My nephew who was a baby when I left has now started school and my niece is going into her last year of primary school. My first jab was on July 6 and I'm booked in for my second on September 21. For me, getting vaccinated and getting home to visit was a priority and so when I heard I could get AstraZeneca I called my GP, who took me through the minimal health risks. Within a day I had the jab in my arm. It was no fuss, no mess, just one step closer to home. HENRY TAYLOR, 27 Why I chose AstraZeneca: The main reason was because I wanted to be vaccinated sooner rather than later and to also do my part for the rest of NSW and Australia. The sooner we are all vaccinated the sooner life can return to some form of 'normal'. The potential side effects of AZ weren't a deterrent - the chance of me suffering from a blood clot was so low I was happy to take the risk. My mother is a nurse who is administering the vaccination across NSW, so I was able to lean on her for advice that's from the doctors she works alongside. My side effects: The side effects took about 10 hours to set in. I received my vaccination about midday, I started to get a fever about 10pm. This lasted throughout the night, going from hot to cold. I also woke up with a headache, which lingered for about half the day, but after that, I was completely back to normal. The headache was easily dealt with by taking Panadol and the fever was something I just had to ride out. I'm half way there now - I just need my second dose on August 30. Isobel Prince Lawrance has seen the full scale effects of Covid-19 while living in the United States and says the best vaccine is an available vaccine ISOBEL PRINCE LAWRANCE, 38 Why I chose AstraZeneca: I wanted the AstraZeneca shot for several reasons. I'd heard a rumour the Pfizer vaccine would be available to people younger than 40 around September. But as far as I can tell this is only a rumour. I'd not heard any official statement from the Australian government confirming September availability of the Pfizer vaccine. And frankly, if I had heard an official statement saying this, I would not have believed it, because of the government's terrible track record with this vaccine. I feel like this government has made a few promises that it has not delivered on. I wanted to be proactive in the protection of my health and my family's health. I have two children under three years old and want to eliminate the risk of passing this virus to them. In 2020 I lived in the USA where I saw coronavirus's effects at full scale. I have seen how bad things can get, and how quickly it happens, despite very tight restrictions. In the city we lived in, one in five people were either sick with Covid or had been in the past. While my family and I thankfully never got sick, we knew several people who did. If there had been a vaccine available while I lived there, I would have jumped at the chance to receive it. I think the best vaccine is an available vaccine. Organising my appointment to get the shot was not simple. I had to make a few phone calls before I found somewhere it was being done. They were inundated with calls, I had to persist until I got through. When I met with the doctor prior to my shot being given, he actually talked me out of getting it. He said the risk of getting complications from Covid was smaller than the risk of complications from the AZ shot, and that it was a better defence to stay home, wear a mask, social distance, and wait for the government to release more Pfizer. He also said that anyone under 40 needed a really good reason to get the vaccine, and that my reason wasn't good enough, that the government is imploring people to get the AZ shot but they don't really want people under 40 getting it, and that if I really wanted the shot he couldn't stop me. I was really disappointed and decided to wait. The following week we saw cases increasing in Sydney and decided it was a small risk I was happy to take. So I went back the following week and got my first shot. I had no negative after effects. I got my first shot on July 22 and am due to get my second on October 21. Police in the former USSR running the murder investigation into the brutal murder of Australian teacher Shanae Brooke Edwards are under fire for keeping worried locals in the dark. The body of the 31-year-old Melbourne woman was reportedly found with stab wounds near the ferris wheel attraction in Mtatsminda Park, in a ravine near a narrow pedestrian trail on July 31. Weeks later, Georgia's 'Ministry of Internal Affairs', which is leading the investigation into Ms Brooke Edwards' murder, has released scant information on its investigation. Tributes for the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her brutal murder Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, was hiking Mount Mtatsminda alone above Tbiilsi, Georgia, when she was ambushed on Friday and her body found the next day Police in Georgia search for Shanae Brooke Edwards in Mtatsminda Park. Her body was found a day after she went missing WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE MURDER The body of Shanae Brooke Edwards had been deliberately covered with tree branches and leaves. Police sources have told local media that contrary to earlier reports, no signs of sexual assault were found on her body. The source claimed Ms Brooke Edwards had been stabbed to death with a 'plastic handled knife' at a different location and later dumped where she was found. Local media had earlier reported a potential suspect with blonde hair, aged in his 30s, was believed to be a person of interest, but no further word has emerged in the weeks since. Ms Brooke Edwards had phoned a friend across the ocean in California in a desperate cry for help on the day she died. 'Please let me go, ok just let me go,' she cried, before the phone went dead. Police have been told Ms Brooke Edwards had been earlier approached by two male passers-by, one of whom approached to ask her a question while the other stood by. Advertisement Daily Mail Australia has contacted Georgia's 'Ministry of Internal Affairs', but has received no response. The silence from Georgian detectives has led to fears in the Georgian capital of Tbilsi of misinformation being spread. In the weeks since the horrific murder, reports Ms Brooke Edwards had been raped have been revealed to be unfounded. As have reports of a supposed photofit of a young blonde male being passed around by detectives in the days following the crime. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs - which does not have an embassy in Georgia - also refused to reveal what, if anything, it is doing to assist in the case. On Thursday night, a spokesman claimed it 'continued to provide consular assistance' to Ms Brooke Edwards' family, but would not reveal what due to 'privacy obligations'. Ms Brooke Edwards' body was found discarded under bushes in the shadow of a popular amusement park in what is now believed to be a robbery-gone-wrong. Daily Mail Australia can reveal locals in the area long held concerns over the behaviour of men in the area. So concerned are female residents, many are now seeking to arm themselves with weapons, including pepper spray and stun guns, which are legal to carry by citizens in the country. A social media page set up in the wake of the tragedy is awash with horror stories by women describing terrifying encounters with local men. Many claim random men have touched them inappropriately as they go about their ordinary business, with some men stalking them down busy streets. Others claim men openly perform lewd acts in full view of the public. People living in the capital of Georgia where Shanae Brooke Edwards was murdered are calling on the government to intervene The ferris wheel attraction in Mtatsminda Park would have been in view of Shanae Brooke Edwards when she was brutally murdered Ms Brooke Edwards' final Instagram post, of her on a motorbike on July 29, was captioned 'Joy' The area where Ms Brooke Edwards was murdered in known to be feared by women in the region, who know it to be an area 'you would not go to alone'. 'There was also an incident, happened to me at Mtatsminda less than a year ago, when a man offered me sex aggressively; I tried to freak him out, I succeed - so I'm alive,' one woman wrote following the attack. 'That time I had hundreds of therapy hours, so I can't say I was a person who didn't understand anything, but I literally didn't know what to do, should I report it somehow, where to go, what do.' The Facebook group is made-up predominantly of English-speaking professionals living in the Georgian capital. While victim blaming is reportedly rampant among Georgian men in the region, it is concern over the effectiveness of local police that is causing those living in the area most concern. Some women claim police are little better than the vile men on the street, with allegations officers have later harassed women who came forward to report crimes. '(An officer ) ask for her documents ( expat ) then ask her number. She was afraid and give him her number then 15 min later he started to text her,' one person claimed. Emerging reports of previous attacks in the area Ms Brooke Edwards was killed have since emerged. 'Some of them write they have reported these incidents to police and spent time in police departments,' a woman claimed. Timeframes quoted range from several years to several months to one day before last month's murder. 'So the police did zero to prevent it ... I have personally been to that trail but it gave me goosebumps even though I have never went there alone. If a woman had asked me for advice, I would definitely not recommend going there alone,' the post continued. Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, (left) was murdered in what could have been a robbery gone wrong Searchers found this old and rusty shovel in the bushes in the area where Ms Brooke Edwards went missing. A man was also seen having 'aggressive' sex with a woman about 50m away - the day before her disappearance One woman who claimed to have been in Mtatsminda Park at the same time as Ms Brooke Edwards told the group she had seen a suspicious man there. 'I think it maybe not helping, because it was on the pass far right from the wheel, but I feel I need to go and say it to police,' she posted a day after Ms Brooke Edwards' body was found. Foreigners living in the region claim police are loathe to help them due to the language barrier. 'We expats definitely want to wait for 3 hours at a police station "for a translator" and be treated like complete trash, being told to come back the next day and have to wait 3 hours again, etc, to report suspicious activity,' one woman claimed. 'It's the same crap every time, they just don't want you to come or file a report.' Others claim local police are just 'three bribes away' from the kind of police corruption that plagued Georgia in the 90s and early 2000s. Mtatsminda Park, where Ms Brooke Edwards went missing, is a booming tourist park with several adventure rides on top of Mount Mtatsminda. It is also a known hang out for drug users, with discarded syringes littering the landscape. Ms Brooke Edwards' friends reported finding black leggings and winter boots discarded along her likely route. 'There's also a tent and some weird s**t. Worth searching properly,' one searcher reported seeing. An old, rusty shovel was found, as were strange signs of life living among the trees. 'Signs of activity, firepits, used needles, lots of bottles in some spots,' one man reported. 'This spot below was freshly used and had some linens or clothes inside a plastic bag nearby. Bad smell in the area but more like human waste.' The much-loved 'free spirit' was on a call to a friend in the US while trekking when she was heard shouting 'take your hands off me' - before the call cut out Final hike to death: A map of where Ms Brooke Edwards was expected to go hiking was shared with her friends, who rallied to find the Melbourne woman a world from home Searchers found strange signs of life living among the trees including 'needles and lots of bottles in some spots.' As the days and weeks roll on, frightened women are calling on the Georgian government to do something to stop the violence against them. 'If government wont take serious measures after recent incident, more mentally ill people and potential culprits come to the area and it will get worse,' a woman wrote. 'Overall, Ive noticed general ignorance from local police on crime prevention and lack of readiness to react fast.' Some fear police hope the matter will simply fade from the public eye altogether. 'It was strange that government did nothing to warn local neighborhoods about the culprit wandering in the area or close Mtatsminda Park that day,' another wrote. 'It looks like local government and police try to calm down this situation and focus on safe country image to attract more tourists, digital nomads, foreign investments and grants. If this is usual communication strategy, it will hard to believe in safety that we all were looking for and promised here.' Advertisement Firefighters in the West are being stretched to the limit by the blazes ravaging the state, the US Forest Service said on Friday - adding that it is operating in crisis mode. The roughly 21,000 federal firefighters working on the ground is more than double the number of firefighters sent to contain forest fires at this time a year ago. Anthony Scardina, a deputy forester for the agency's Pacific Southwest region, said the agency is facing 'critical resources limitations.' An estimated 6,170 firefighters alone are battling the Dixie Fire in Northern California, the largest of 100 large fires burning in 14 states, with dozens more burning in western Canada. The federal firefighters are deployed in addition to state forces. According to Cal Fire, 9,831 firefighters were battling 11 major wildfires and many smaller blazes throughout the state. Federal firefighters are paid significantly less than their state colleagues - leading to a significant shortage, according to Dianne Feinstein, senator for California, in an op ed for the LA Times. The starting salary for many federal US Forest Service firefighters in California is $28,078, versus the $66,336 entry-level salary Cal Fire pays. Inmates in California have, since 1946, been used to fight fires and were deployed on Friday. Service is voluntary and any inmate can apply to the program - but not every inmate qualifies, as those with more than five years left of their sentence are barred, as are those serving time for serious violent crimes. An inmates crew walks toward the burn of the Dixie Fire near Chester, California on Friday Prison inmates in California are seen heading towards the fire. Inmates have been used to combat wildfires since 1946, according to the Bureau of Prisons A controlled burn site is readied by inmates trying to stop the Dixie Fire near Chester on Friday Firefighters manage the burn of the Dixie Fire near Chester, California on Friday A red tractor is left behind as a home burns outside of Taylorsville in Plumas County on Friday A firefighter grimaces as he walks back to his crew on Thursday at the Bedrock Fire, north of Lenore, Idaho. Firefighters are working at full stretch throughout the West A sign for The Rock on the Ridge Church is seen in Greenville, California, after the Dixie Fire devastated the gold rush town last week A metal bench stands in front of a burned structure in Greenville after the Dixie Fire - California's largest single wildfire in recorded history - devastated the area. The fire is still running through forestlands as fire crews try to protect rural communities from flames The fire began a month ago and has destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, much of it in the small town of Greenville in the northern Sierra Nevada. The fire had ravaged more than 800 square miles - an area larger than the city of London - and continued to threaten more than a dozen rural and forest communities. Containment lines for the fire held overnight, but it was just 31 per cent surrounded. Gusty and erratic winds were threatening to spread the fire to Westwood, a lumber town of 1,700. Lightning could spark new blazes even as crews try to surround a number of other forest fires ignited by lightning last month. 'Mother nature just kind of keeps throwing us obstacles our way,' said Edwin Zuniga, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, working together with the Forest Service to tamp out the blaze. Burnt vehicles are seen in Greenville, California on Thursday. The town of 800 people has been devastated by this year's wildfires A church sign is seen partially melted in Greenville - still smoldering from the Dixie Fire Meanwhile, firefighters and residents were scrambling to save hundreds of homes as flames advance across the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. The blaze was still burning near the tribal headquarters town of Lame Deer, where a mandatory evacuation remained in place and a second fire was threatening from the opposite direction. Smoke from the blazes grew so thick Friday morning that the health clinic in Lame Deer was shut down after its air filters could not keep up with the pollution, Northern Cheyenne Tribe spokesperson Angel Becker said. Smoke drove air pollution levels to unhealthy or very unhealthy levels in portions of Montana, Idaho, Oregon Washington and Northern California, according to Environmental Protection Agency air quality monitoring. An air quality alert covering seven Montana counties warned of extremely high levels of small pollution particles found in smoke, which can cause lung issues and other health problems if inhaled. The fires near Lame Deer combined have burned 275 square miles this week, so far sparing homes but causing extensive damage to pasture lands that ranchers depend on to feed their cows and horses. Gusts and low humidity were creating extremely dangerous conditions as flames devoured brush, short grass and timber, fire officials said. Smoke from a wildfire obscure the empty streets of Greenville on Thursday The remains of a burned postal truck is seen in Greenville on Thursday Hot, dry weather with strong afternoon winds also propelled several fires in Washington state, and similar weather was expected into the weekend, fire officials said. In southeastern Oregon, two new wildfires started by lightning on Thursday near the California border were spreading through juniper trees, sagebrush and evergreen trees. Gov. Kate Brown declared an emergency for one of the fires to mobilize crews and other resources to the area of ranches, rural subdivisions and RV parks about 14 miles from the small town of Lakeview. The blaze grew from a lightning strike to 11 square miles in less than 24 hours, said Tamara Schmidt, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman. Authorities on Thursday evening ordered the evacuation of an RV park that stood in the path of the Oregon's Patton Meadow Fire. The fires are near the area torched Oregon's Bootleg Fire which started July 6 and burned an area more than half the size of Rhode Island before crews gained the upper hand. The fire is not yet fully contained and was the nation's largest until being eclipsed by the Dixie Fire. This satellite image provided courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows the natural color overview of the Lame Deer and Richard Spring wildfire in Montana on Friday Firefighters watch a hillside burn on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation on Wednesday Smoke from a wildfire obscures trees on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana A plume of smoke rises from the Richard Spring wildfire on Wednesday, north of Lame Deer, Montana. The fire spread quickly on Wednesday as strong winds pushed the flames across rough, forested terrain This satellite image shows a shortwave infrared (SWIR) satellite imagery overview of the Lame Deer and Richard Spring wildfire in Montana on Friday. Burned trees and vegetation appears in shades of orange/rust, healthy (not burned) vegetation appears in shades of blue Triple-digit temperatures and bone-dry conditions in Oregon, enduring a third day of extreme heat, could increase fire risks through the weekend. Climate change has made the U.S. West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists. More than 6,000 square miles have been burned in the U.S. so far this year. The figure is well ahead of the amount burned by this point last year, but below the 10-year average, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Parts of Europe also are burning, including in Greece, where where a massive wildfire has decimated forests and torched homes, and was still smoldering 10 days after it started. Advertisement Digital renderings of centuries old sketches have revealed what the White House might have looked like. George Washington held a competition in 1792 to design a house for the president, eventually selecting Irish-American architect James Hoban's neoclassical mansion which is now known around the world. But most people have never seen the alternative designs for the presidential palace - including a losing entry from future president Thomas Jefferson himself. The almost-White House designs were submitted by architects from around the world, with one coming from then- Secretary of State Jefferson, who would go on to live in a competitors design a decade later when he became the nation's third president. But now sketches of the losing designs accompanied by computer- generated renderings show us what these alternate Presidential Palaces would have looked like today. The renderings are a result of a collaboration between HouseFresh.com and the Maryland Center for History and Culture that bring to life alternate versions of the Executive Mansion. The Maryland Center for History and Culture have carefully preserved the designs, which were each sketched with a single sheet of creme paper with pricked guide points, pen and iron gall ink, with pencil shading. Aerial view of the White House, designed by Irish-American James Hoban who won a design competition ran by George Washington A scenic summer view of the South Lawn with the iconic portico of the White House in the nation's capital Below are the sketches and digital renderings of the available unchosen designs for the White House: Thomas Jefferson's Plan Frontal view of Thomas Jefferson's plan for the White House, he would end up expanding the property, adding colonnades and other adjustments during his tenure Slide me Aerial view of a digital rendering of Thomas Jefferson's losing entry labelled 'Abraham Faws' due to a clerical error. It features a huge dome and a more classical European front Thomas Jefferson, who was also an architect and enthusiast of classical European design, submission for the White House design competition You would think that Jefferson, who was serving as Secretary of State at the time of his submission and worked closely with the administration of the competition, would have a clear advantage but his design ultimately was not selected. Jefferson was also an architect and enthusiast of classical European design. Experts attribute a losing entry labelled 'Abraham Faws' to Jefferson, HouseFresh.com reported Faws himself had submitted his own entry, described as 'amateurish,' but due to a clerical error, Jefferson's anonymous design was mislabeled. Jefferson would ultimately move into the residence when he took the oval office in 1801 and said it was 'big enough for two emperors, one Pope and the grand Lama' but would end up expanding the property, adding colonnades and other adjustments during his tenure. Philip Hart's Plan An amateur architect, professional builder Phillip Hart submitted proposals for both the president's house and the Capitol Slide me The rejected design features a foreshortened top floor and faux-Renaissance style that reportedly 'lacked the style and sophistication' that Washington desired for the residence Phillip Hart's 'faux-Renaissance style' design for the White House featured three levels and two front balconies An amateur architect, professional builder Phillip Hart submitted proposals for both the president's house and the Capitol. The rejected design features a foreshortened top floor and faux-Renaissance style that housefresh.com reports 'lacked the style and sophistication' that Washington desired for the residence. Andrew Mayfield's Plan Andrew Mayfield Carshore, a linguist and former British soldier and teacher, submitted a relatively simple design for the White House Slide me Carshore's design reflects pre-Revolutionary War architecture, characterized by America's colonial period of Georgian, English-style buildings Carshore's rejected entry to the 1792 architectural competition may have been the only building he ever designed Andrew Mayfield Carshore, a linguist and former British soldier and teacher, submitted a simple design that reflects pre-Revolutionary War architecture, characterized by America's colonial period of Georgian, English-style buildings, according to housefresh.com Judges felt his work lacked a 'vital spark' and according to architectural historian Hugh Howard, Carshore's rejected entry may be the only building he ever designed. Jacob Small's Plan Frontal view of a digital rendering of Jacob Small's submission for the presidential residence, which would have been just two stories Slide me Aerial view of Jacob Small's would-be White House. In total, Small submitted four entries to the design contest Small's designs are believed to be inspired by Mount Vernon, George Washington's plantation estate house, and the Maryland State House in Annapolis Jacob Small submitted four entries to the design contest. Author Patrick Phillips-Shrock says Small's designs are believed to be inspired by Mount Vernon, George Washington's plantation estate house, and the Maryland State House in Annapolis, housefresh.com reported. James Diamond's Plan Front View of a digital rendering James Diamond's intricate White House design, which includes two arched corridors Slide me Aerial view of Irish-born architect James Diamond's White House design, in his notes he pointed out 'the open court may be changed to a picture gallery and lighted from the top, which would have a grand effect' Irish-born James Diamond was an architect and builder whose design for the White House was set around a rectangular court Irish-born James Diamond was an architect and builder whose design for the White House was set around a rectangular court. In his sketch, Diamond noted that his design was subject to change: 'the open court may be changed to a picture gallery and lighted from the top, which would have a grand effect.' Slowly but surely, the narrative on the origins of the pandemic has shifted, despite the best efforts of China and its allies in the scientific establishment to dismiss any idea it might have been due to a leak from a lab. In a startling development last week, the head of the World Health Organisations controversial inquiry that had insisted this cause was extremely unlikely, admitted Patient Zero could have been linked to research by Wuhan scientists. Peter Ben Embarek, a Danish food scientist who led the probe earlier this year, said there might have been human error, and that a researcher infected while collecting samples in a bat cave was also a likely hypothesis. His disclosure comes as US President Joe Biden is set to be given a report that he demanded from US intelligence agencies, which seeks to determine the most likely source of the deadly coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan in late 2019. At the centre of this mystery is Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli nicknamed Batwoman because of her virus-hunting trips to the bat caves of southern China, hundreds of miles from Wuhan. Her team has collected more than 10,000 bat samples. At the centre of this mystery is Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli (left) - nicknamed Batwoman because of her virus-hunting trips to the bat caves of southern China, hundreds of miles from Wuhan She is director of the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a secretive, maximum-security lab where she oversees research into bat coronaviruses. Shi admitted fearing a leak when first learning of the novel coronavirus, yet has since told people spreading such rumours to shut your dirty mouths, while guaranteeing with my life the pandemic had nothing to do with her laboratory or research. Given the nature of the Chinese dictatorship, and its determination to fend off inquiries into the pandemics origins, Shi is almost certainly under ruthless shackles. One science magazine noted she took two months to answer questions. China has been tightly controlling information since the outbreak began, said Lianchao Han, a prominent dissident and former Beijing official. Her remarks should be seen through a carefully crafted global campaign to evade responsibility for mishandling this crisis. But Shi has made a handful of public interventions, ranging from interviews through to scientific papers, since the pandemic erupted and as this Mail on Sunday dossier shows, her denials do little to dampen growing concerns over the origins World health chiefs (pictured, Director General of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus) have revealed they suspect a Wuhan lab worker could have been patient zero Peter Ben Embarek, a Danish food scientist who led the probe earlier this year, said there might have been human error, and that a researcher infected while collecting samples in a bat cave was also a likely hypothesis RESEARCHERS WIFE WHO WAS KILLED BY COVID Embareks admission about the possibility of a human error is significant since it follows US State Department claims that WIV researchers fell ill with Covid-like symptoms in autumn 2019 several weeks before the first identified cases. David Asher, who led the State Department inquiries, told the MoS that three scientists probably fell ill with the virus in the second week of November 2019 with the wife of one researcher dying. Links with the Chinese military Washington claimed WIV collaborated on secret projects and classified research with the Chinese military. This is denied by Shi, who insists it is only a civilian institution whose work is open and transparent, and rumours of military collaboration are not correct. Yet she has published papers on coronavirus research with military-linked Chinese scientists. The MoS also revealed she was a team leader alongside a senior army officer in a major state-run project to investigate animal viruses. An Italian journalist found two senior military scientists on the institutes oversight committees, fuelling suspicions the lab was used by the army before the pandemic. Shi denied claims WIV was taken over by Major General Chen Wei, a top biological weapons expert, in the early days of the outbreak. Yet the news was posted and left on a heavily censored website. The South China Morning Post newspaper also said Chen was leading efforts to understand the new virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology after arriving in the city with military experts in early January 2020. Advertisement Shi has responded strongly to such allegations, telling the journal Science last July that to date, there is zero infection of all staff and students in our institute. She denied such cases again two months ago. There are 590 staff, students and researchers at the institutes two Wuhan sites, which makes Shis claim statistically unlikely. One official study into antibodies suggested 487,000 people caught the virus in Wuhan almost one in 20 in a city of 11 million. That equates to 29 cases at the institute. BAT SAMPLES PICKED UP WITH BARE HANDS According to the WHO origins study, Shi gave an extensive report on her teams work on coronaviruses and insisted all fieldwork was done with full personal protection equipment. This is contradicted by photos in magazines, video footage of her team and a lecture she gave in 2018 illustrated by slides showing unmasked researchers catching bats or taking samples with their bare hands. In most cases, wed wear simpler protection, and its OK, said Shi, adding that most bat-borne diseases could not infect humans directly. Under what situation would we increase our protection? For instance, when there are too many bats in the cave and lots of dust even as youre entering. RIDDLE OF THE DATABASE THAT DISAPPEARED The Wuhan Institute of Virology is Asias biggest repository of bat coronaviruses. Yet it has taken offline an important database containing 22,000 virus sequences and samples, ensuring they could not be seen by independent scientists. Shi said this was done since her institutes web server during the Covid pandemic had been fiercely attacked. Two months later, British scientist Peter Daszak her friend, research partner and member of the WHO investigatory team said Shi told them there had been about 3,000 hacking attempts so they removed the database. Yet it was taken down on September 12, 2019 weeks before the first infections began emerging in the city and well before global attention on her lab. Shi Zhengli is director of the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a secretive, maximum-security lab where she oversees research into bat coronaviruses THE VITAL RESEARCH SEALED FOR 20 YEARS When asked by the BBC about the missing virus database, Shi claimed their work was freely shared. All our research results are published in English journals. Virus sequences are saved in the [US-run] GenBank database. Its completely transparent. We have nothing to hide. Yet the Washington Post, going through public records and guidelines, found the existence of unspecified classified projects and discussion of WIVs responsibilities under Chinas state secrets law. Some research was sealed for up to two decades, while there were protocols for sharing information with foreigners. The institute was also involved in a major research project into viral pathogens that came under rules insisting that secret-related scientific data will not be transferred. Emails recently obtained under freedom of information rules from Shan-Lu Liu, an Ohio-based virologist who used to work for a key Chinese disease control centre, show he told a fellow scientist the Wuhan lab has many bat samples not yet worked out or results published. The Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) is Asias biggest repository of bat coronaviruses. Yet it has taken offline an important database containing 22,000 virus sequences and samples, ensuring they could not be seen by independent scientists SAFETY FEARS OVER LACK OF TRAINED EXPERTS Shi insists the high-level biosafety laboratories at our institute have been operated safely and stably although she admitted their coronavirus research was not conducted in their maximum security lab. I revealed last May that the head of WIVs biosafety committee admitted to serious deficiencies in security and maintenance at such labs months before the pandemic. Mystery of deadly mine virus Shi's team investigated the deaths of three miners who suffered from a respiratory disease after clearing out an abandoned copper mine in southern China in 2012. She told Scientific American magazine that fungus-covered bat droppings littered the cave and the fungus turned out to be the pathogen that had sickened the miners. This line was repeated in the WHO report. The miners may have died of secondary infection by fungus but it seems they first developed a pneumonia that could have been caused by a virus. Nature journal reported that efforts to find a cause of their respiratory disease included a test for antibodies to a Sars-like coronavirus that was negative. But a post-graduate thesis on the miner fatalities which has disappeared from the internet and George F Gao, Chinas top infectious diseases expert, both reported antibodies being found. We cant rule out that they had a new virus in the mine at that time, Prof Gao said. Advertisement Yuan Zhiming wrote in a journal that part-timers filled the work of skilled staff, making it difficult to identify and mitigate potential safety hazards in facility and equipment operation early enough. His concerns echoed fears from US diplomats who warned after a visit to WIV that a shortage of highly trained technicians and clear protocols was a threat to safe operations. WHEN DID THEY REALLY FIND THE FIRST CASE? Shi says her team first received the sample of an unidentified pneumonia on December 30, 2019, which led her to rush back from a conference in Shanghai to ensure there had been no lab leak. Before that, we had never been in contact with or studied this virus, nor did we know of its existence, she told state TV. Zhang Dingyu, dean of Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, gave a different story. He said they sent a sample from a patient with the unknown new disease to WIV and two other centres on December 27. There was high agreement that Wuhan was dealing with a bat-derived, Sars-like coronavirus, by 10pm that day, he said. The virus institute also told us this on the phone. DID THEY HIDE CRUCIAL GENOME SEQUENCE? A Chinese journalist locked down in Wuhan said he learned that Shis institute finished gene-sequencing and related tests as early as January 2 [2020] but was muzzled. Such data is critical for tests and vaccines. Other local reports indicate private firms in China had completed similar work before the WHO was tipped off about the unknown new disease on December 31, 2019. Shi later admitted they had determined the full genome sequence on January 2 but needed to ensure it was accurate. The sequence was published eight days later by a brave Shanghai scientist acting without official consent then his lab was shut down for rectification. SMOKING GUN LEFT OUT OF PANDEMIC PAPER On February 3 last year, Shi published the pandemics most influential paper on the virus origins, which traced the disease almost certainly back to bats. It was submitted to Nature on the same day that China belatedly admitted to human transmission. Curiously, they made no mention of the strangest aspect of the new virus: the furin cleavage site, a feature that is not found on similar types of coronavirus and allows it to enter efficiently into human cells. Experts wonder why Shi failed to detail such key information in the influential journal, despite coy mention of a cleavage site in another short paper earlier. The importance was signalled by Nobel-winning virologist David Baltimore who said: When I first saw the furin cleavage site I said to my wife it was the smoking gun for the origin of the virus. These features make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin. A Chinese journalist locked down in Wuhan said he learned that Shis institute finished gene-sequencing and related tests as early as January 2 [2020] but was muzzled NAME CHANGE HID LINK TO MINERS DEATHS The Nature paper explained how Sars-Cov-2 the strain of coronavirus that causes Covid was 96 per cent identical to a bat virus called RaTG13 that Shi had found previously in southern China. This finding underlined how such diseases can crop up in nature. Yet at the same time, it would have taken RaTG13 perhaps half a century to evolve in the wild into Sars-Cov-2 and seemed too distant to be manipulated in a laboratory. Shi failed to mention the virus name had been changed from a mention in an earlier paper, which masked its connection to three miners who died in 2012 from a strange respiratory disease while clearing out an abandoned copper mine in southern China. It was confirmed by Shi only after complaints led to Nature demanding an addendum several months later. This disclosed eight more viruses were found in the mine, although their details were not shared at the time. WERE THEY MAKING PATHOGENS DEADLIER? The debate on Covids origins has focused attention on high-risk gain of function (GOF) research, which makes pathogens more powerful and was briefly banned in the US. Shi told the New York Times: My lab has never conducted or co-operated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses. But Richard Ebright, a professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University, says that in 2017, Shi published research that constructed new viruses by combining genetic information from different Sars-related coronaviruses. Each resulting chimeric virus was a roll of the dice with possible outcomes of lower, unchanged, or higher pandemic potential, he said. Two of the resulting chimeric viruses were able to infect human cells. This work was then expanded with US funding until stopped after being revealed by this newspaper and the results remain undisclosed. Ebright argues that both the published work and grant details met the definition for potential pandemic pathogen enhancement under US policies on gain of function work. Recently, Shi said: I dont know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist. Perhaps it would help if Batwoman cleaned up these mysteries swirling around her lab, rather than spinning a strange web of deceit. So, its official: roughly one in ten Covid patients hospitalised during the first wave of the pandemic picked up the virus on a ward where they were being treated for something else. This was the conclusion of a major study, published on Friday in medical journal The Lancet, which looked at cases between March and August last year. Horrible, yes. But surprising? It seems astonishing that, more than a year on, this is news. As regular readers might be aware, The Mail on Sunday first raised the alarm last year. In November, our own investigations revealed hospital-acquired infections accounted for one in ten Covid deaths thousands of patients between March and August 2020. Some hospitals fared very badly, with up to 40 per cent of those dying of Covid on their premises having acquired the virus there too. In November, our own investigations revealed hospital-acquired infections accounted for one in ten Covid deaths thousands of patients between March and August 2020 It was also obvious that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals were at high risk. In the first wave, dozens of them, many younger and with no pre-existing conditions, died We were alerted to these problems in June last year by a group of worried doctors. They knew, from first-hand experience, that patients would be admitted for something non-Covid-related, catch the virus, then, in some cases, die. They had turned whistleblower because they could see not enough was being done to stop it happening. I knew we had to get figures, in order to really know the scale of the problem. But at the time this information wasnt easy to access. The public were being bombarded, daily, with various Covid statistics cases, deaths and numbers of tests. But nothing on this. We were able to get the data only by submitting requests to every NHS Trust in the UK under the Freedom of Information Act. And they did have it, tucked safely away in their vaults, where no one could see it. The warning signs were there, as far back as April. We knew that NHS bosses were telling medical directors and chief nurses in private phone briefings they already suspected that between ten and 20 per cent of people in hospital with the virus caught it as inpatients. It was also obvious that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals were at high risk. In the first wave, dozens of them, many younger and with no pre-existing conditions, died. It was common practice to separate out Covid-positive patients, creating hot wards where they were treated, and kept away from everyone else. There had been a few reports of outbreaks in hospitals, but these seemed to focus on the idea that patients might be giving it to one another when they were wheeled around and came close to one another. But a huge part of the problem was that there was transmission between staff and, inadvertently, from staff to patients. We discovered that more than 20,000 hospital workers were diagnosed with Covid in the first wave and were signed off work. But testing was still incredibly patchy, and we now know many more carried it without symptoms. They travelled to and from work on public transport, crowded round computer terminals and shared cramped loos and changing rooms. They huddled together in communal areas, sharing food or a cigarette during breaks. Hospitals, by their nature, contain high numbers of extremely vulnerable people, so stringent infection control is incredibly important. I didnt think wed be thanked for pointing this out particularly at a time when supporting the morale of NHS was equally important. We did not intend to proportion blame. No one intends to give anyone the virus. But facts are facts. It was vital people knew that it was easy to look up a hospital and see what its hospital-acquired Covid rate was. We discovered that more than 20,000 hospital workers were diagnosed with Covid in the first wave and were signed off work That was the approach taken to tackle the problem of hospital-acquired superbug MRSA. Doing so forced failing Trusts to shape up and implement better infection control. Sunlight makes the best disinfectant, and once things are out in the open things can begin to change. It was clear something similar needed to happen again. But the denials and obfuscation from health chiefs were on a different level. Somehow, NHS England officials got wind of what we were up to, prior to publication. Wed been in talks with officials from Trusts where the hospital-acquired infection rates were remarkably low, in a bid to find out what theyd been doing right. We even had an interview lined up with the head of infection control at The Royal Free, in London, but this was cancelled at the last minute. Were going to have to direct you to NHS England for comment, we were told. When we called them, they asked to see the figures we had obtained. Surely they had access to the same numbers? We requested they share what they knew, to see if it married up with our findings and they refused. On the Saturday morning before publication, one of them called to brief me. Bizarrely, she claimed that many of these people were already very poorly and just happened to have Covid when they died of other causes. Of course, this probably did happen. But not thousands and thousands of times. As a health journalist, I know how deaths are certified, so I knew she was talking rubbish. But it concerns me that this sort of misleading claptrap is being relayed to reporters. And then, after we did publish, there was the barrage of abuse from doctors and other healthcare workers on social media. Today, hospital-acquired Covid is not such a problem accounting for between two and five per cent of all cases We were accused of disgraceful, dog-whistle tactics and slagging off the NHS for the sake of popularity. We illustrated the piece with an image of nurses breaking social-distancing rules, hugging outside a hospital during the Clap For Carers evenings. As uncomfortable as this might be to admit, it was a case in point. But it was vile finger-pointing, according to some. Our reporter, Ethan Ennals, was personally targeted. One person, claiming to be a nurse, messaged him privately on Twitter: Your [sic] a c***. Seriously hope those nurses dont ever have to treat you in hospital, you dont deserve their care. Today, hospital-acquired Covid is not such a problem accounting for between two and five per cent of all cases. Its mainly down to our high vaccination rates and better testing. But its still not a contractual obligation for hospital staff to be jabbed, when it should be. I hope those whistleblowers feel vindicated. Given the resistance we faced, Im not surprised they chose to come to us first, rather than raise the issue with their colleagues. And The Lancets findings wont come as a surprise to them: hospital-acquired Covid really was a thing. Perhaps the report will also offer some comfort to the thousands of patients who have never doubted for a second they caught Covid while in hospital the ones who survived, at least. A mother charged over the deaths of her young son and daughter in a horror crash on the M1 has been pictured for the first time. Mary McCann is charged with two counts of death by dangerous driving after her son, Smaller, 10, and daughter, Lilly, four, were killed in a crash with a lorry near Milton Keynes on Monday night. The children's aunt, Margaret McCann, 26, said the family were on the way back from a party in London when the horror crash occurred. Margaret said Mary, 35, of Bamford Avenue, Derby, is a mother of four. Her other daughter Marina McCann, 13, was not in the car as she stayed in London with her relatives while Elegance, two, was strapped in a car seat in the car and survived the crash. She added: 'We are absolutely broken. The kids were like our own children, we raised them together with Mary and we were all so close. 'My son Jimmy is so upset, the cousins were all the best of friends, how am I ever going to explain it to him?' Mary McCann has been remanded in custody to appear at Crown Court on September 6. Mary McCann is charged with two counts of death by dangerous driving after her son, Smaller, 10, and daughter, Lilly, four, were killed in a crash with a lorry near Milton Keynes on Monday night 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. The HGV driver was not injured in the incident, which happened at about 11.10pm on Monday. 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.' The BBC hopes to make amends for the Martin Bashir scandal by paying about 1.5 million guilt money to a charity chosen by the Royal Family, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The unprecedented donation includes 1.15 million the amount the Corporation made from selling the global rights to Bashirs explosive Princess Diana interview plus reparations. An inquiry by Lord Dyson in May found Bashir had lied to obtain the 1995 interview, using deceitful methods later covered up by a woefully ineffective internal investigation by Tony Hall, who later became BBC director-general. While the exact terms have yet to be finalised, and there is no date set for the money to paid, it is understood it will come from BBC Studios, the Corporations trading arm a commercial operation not funded by the licence fee. The BBC hopes to make amends for the Martin Bashir scandal by paying about 1.5 million guilt money to a charity chosen by the Royal Family An inquiry by Lord Dyson in May found Bashir had lied to obtain the 1995 interview, using deceitful methods later covered up by a woefully ineffective internal investigation by Tony Hall, who later became BBC director-general Royal sources say Princes William and Harry are likely to be involved in deciding how it should be used Royal sources say Princes William and Harry are likely to be involved in deciding how it should be used. Last night Dianas close friend Rosa Monckton said: This is an admirable decision, though obviously it cannot undo the damage that has been done or erase the BBCs guilt. Although the scandal was uncovered by this newspaper 25 years ago, it took the BBC until earlier this year to acknowledge Bashirs wrongdoing, having previously exonerated him. Following publication of Lord Dysons report, William condemned the Corporation for deceiving his mother, ruining her life and helping to hasten her divorce. He said the BBCs failures had contributed to Dianas fear, paranoia and isolation in her final years, and that the interview made a major contribution to making my parents relationship worse. It is understood that the donation idea was first suggested by Dianas brother, Earl Spencer, who said some of the money made by the BBC should go to Dianas charities. It is also understood that Palace officials did not ask the BBC for a donation and are yet to be informed about the details. The move comes against a background of ongoing discussions, initiated by William, between the broadcaster and Palace courtiers. The Corporation humiliating confessed that Martin Bashir employed lies and fake documents to gain access to the princess and that he made a series of lurid and untrue claims' It is understood that the donation idea was first suggested by Dianas brother, Earl Spencer, who said some of the money made by the BBC should go to Dianas charities Following publication of Lord Dysons report, William condemned the Corporation (right) for deceiving his mother, ruining her life and helping to hasten her divorce William is said to believe there is further evidence to uncover, and expressed interest in continuing private conversations with the BBC to see what comes out. However, the current director-general, Tim Davie, is now likely to view the reparations as a way of drawing a line under the affair. He has already sent letters of unconditional apology to the Queen, Charles, William, Harry and Earl Spencer. They reportedly included the humiliating confessions that Martin Bashir employed lies and fake documents to gain access to the princess and that he made a series of lurid and untrue claims. Mr Davie also apologised to Matt Wiessler, the whistleblower who revealed Bashirs deceit, and who is now set to receive between 750,00 and 1 million compensation. The award-winning graphic artist came forward a quarter of a century ago to expose the Panorama reporter for instructing him to produce phoney bank statements said to be instrumental in securing the Diana interview. Mr Wiessler believed they were faithful reproductions of genuine documents, but when he later revealed what Bashir had done he was blacklisted by the BBC. He was finally vindicated by Lord Dysons inquiry. Two months ago it was reported that Mr Davie had agreed not to air the 1995 interview in full again but said the use of shorter clips in context should be open to further discussion. It was claimed that the refusal to give a broader pledge never to show excerpts angered the Palace courtiers demanded a commitment from the BBC to put stronger limits on its use. Prince Charles was said to be furious about lurid lies in the interview, including the claim that he was not suited to be monarch. He is believed to be deeply concerned this clip is never replayed because of the impact it could have on public perception of his enthusiasm about inheriting the throne. Bashir was rehired by the BBC as religion editor in 2016 but abruptly stepped down on May 14, citing poor health. The BBC and Kensington Palace declined to respond. Advertisement New York governor Andrew Cuomo's daughter was seen early Saturday afternoon moving her things out of the Executive Mansion in Albany, days after her father announced his resignation. Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo wore floral overalls and a tank top as she carried cardboard boxes, tote bags, a backpack and a ukulele case from the home into a black SUV. She then got into the car and drove off. Michaela's move out of the governor's official home comes ahead of her father's exit as governor. The 23-year-old had stood by her father and accompanied him to Manhattan on Tuesday for the 20-minute speech announcing his resignation. He finally quit after a report from the state attorney general found that he had sexually harassed 11 women, and democrat colleagues in the legislature turned on him. Cuomo said he wouldn't leave the Executive Mansion for 14 days - which expires on August 24 - and has no other home. New York governor Andrew Cuomo's daughter Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo was seen early Saturday afternoon moving her things out of the Executive Mansion The 23-year-old wore floral overalls and a tank top as she carried cardboard boxes, tote bags, a backpack and a ukulele case from the home into a black SUV. She then got into the car and took off The 23-year-old had stood by her father and accompanied him to Manhattan on Tuesday for the 20-minute speech announcing his resignation It's unknown where Cuomo will move to after his last day calling the Executive Mansion home. His last private residence was a four-bedroom, 4,129-square-foot colonial in Mount Kisco, which he shared with ex Sandra Lee from 2008 until they split in 2019. But the property, called Lily Pond, was in her name and she sold it on December 23, 2020, for $1.85 million. In his first interview since resigning, Cuomo told New York Magazine: 'Um, I don't know what I'm going to do. 'I'm not disappearing. I have a voice, I have perspective and that's not gonna change.' 'And the details aren't really that important to me to tell you the truth,' he added. Cuomo said he wouldn't leave the Executive Mansion for 14 days - which expires on August 24 - and has no other home It's unknown where Andrew Cuomo will move to after his last day calling the Executive Mansion home One possible destination for the governor might be his brother and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo's $2.9million home in the Hamptons, where Chris famously quarantined in his basement during the early stretch of the pandemic. Another possible destination would be with his 89-year-old mother, who owns a co-op in Manhattan on Sutton Place South, which she and her late husband purchased for $595,000 in 1995. Cuomo's sister, Maria Cuomo-Cole along with her husband and fashion designer Kenneth Cole, have a number of holdings as well, with homes in Westchester County and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Post also reported. And in 2002, economist Jeffery Sachs, reportedly let Cuomo stay at financial district rental at 1 West Street after his divorce from Kerry Kennedy. It's unknown where Cuomo will move to after his last day calling the Executive Mansion (pictured) home Cuomo will have to be gone from the mansion by August 24 - 14 days after he announced his resignation In Cuomo's 20-minute resignation speech, he addressed his three daughters, calling them his 'jewels' and saying he had 'made mistakes and learned from them', but insisting he was not the serial abuser the state Attorney General's report made him out to be. He said: '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. I have lived this experience with and through them. 'I have sat on the couch with them hearing the ugly accusations for weeks. I've seen the look in their eyes and expression in 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 man's world. It always has been. We have sexism that is culturized 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, stereotypes or limitations. 'I want them to know from the bottom of my heart that I never did or would intentionally disrespect a woman or treat any woman differently than I would want them treated. And that is the god's honest truth. 'Your dad made mistakes and he apologized and he learned from it. That's what life is all about.' A former Royal Marine commando who runs a charity in Kabul has vowed to stay on until he can secure British visas for his Afghan staff. Paul Pen Farthing said he refuses to leave his local workers, who fear they will be killed by the Taliban for working with Westerners. Mr Farthing, 52, served in Helmand and saw two of his comrades killed fighting the group who are now perilously close to the capital. Paul Pen Farthing said he refuses to leave his local workers, who fear they will be killed by the Taliban for working with Westerners The former Royal Marine Commando, pictured, runs an animal welfare charity in Kabul employing local workers, who are now facing torture and death for assisting a westerner Speaking as panic-stricken Westerners fled, the veteran spoke of his anger towards Britain and America for abandoning the Afghan people to the medieval regime. This should never have happened, he said. The West should hang its head in shame. Boris Johnson should be absolutely ashamed of what we have done. He should have pressured the Americans to do an orderly withdrawal. I have a British passport and I can leave. But none of my Afghan team or the ordinary Afghan people can do that. Mr Farthing, originally from Essex, has spent the past decade running Nowzad, Afghanistans first official animal sanctuary that looks after more than 140 dogs, 60 cats, 24 donkeys and some horses. He works alongside his Norwegian wife Kaisa and their 23 local staff, who are terrified they will be targeted by the Taliban, who in the past have executed locals who have worked for Western companies. He added: There is no way Im just going to walk out on my staff and say, there you go, get on with it. Mr Farthing, originally from Essex, has spent the past decade running Nowzad, Afghanistans first official animal sanctuary that looks after more than 140 dogs, 60 cats, 24 donkeys and some horses Were trying desperately now with different means to see if we can help them get visas and help them get out. Mr Farthing was deployed in 2006 as part of 42 Commando Royal Marines and said the 454 British soldier deaths were now in vain. His wife is leaving Afghanistan as the situation deteriorates and is particularly fearful for the couples female staff members, who have never had to live under Taliban control. Mrs Farthing told The Mail on Sunday: The girls have heard stories from their relatives in other cities of Taliban fighters knocking on doors and asking if families have unmarried girls. One girl said she will kill herself rather than marry a Taliban fighter. She has a knife ready. A 21-year-old female veterinary assistant at Nowzad added: I cant find words to express my feeling, Ive never experienced anything like this in all my life. My hands and legs are shaking. She added: I dont know what will happen to us. The Taliban will find us and kill us. Rishi Sunak is being urged to deliver a Budget just days before the COP26 summit to stop Boris Johnson making outlandish spending pledges at the huge climate change event. Government insiders revealed that the Chancellor is being privately advised to tie the Prime Ministers hands by making a financial statement on the eve of the environmental summit in Glasgow this November. It would be his second Budget in just seven months after the pandemic forced Mr Sunak to postpone the planned 2020 Autumn Statement to March this year. But a Government source said last night: Rishi is being advised strongly that a second Budget [this year] would be the best thing to do. 'He needs to lock down everything for COP. We cant have any outlandish, stupid spending commitments at the summit. Rishi Sunak is being urged to deliver a Budget just days before the COP26 summit to stop Boris Johnson making outlandish spending pledges at the huge climate change event The revelation comes amid repeated reports of tensions between the PM and his Chancellor over the affordability of Mr Johnsons plans to spend billions on net zero green policies, including persuading people to switch to electric cars and to swap domestic gas boilers for greener heat pumps. But it also comes after Mr Johnson accused Mr Sunak of a failure of political judgement in writing to him to complain about the UKs chaotic Covid-related travel restrictions in a letter which was then leaked to the fury of No 10. And last night, suggestions of a Budget to stymie Mr Johnson sparked a fresh round of infighting between rival camps within the Government. One staunch Johnson ally pointedly reminded Mr Sunak that it was the PM, not the Chancellor, who was ultimately in charge of the Treasury. The senior MP said: The Chancellor would be well advised to fix his eyes on the front door of No 10 and read where it says clearly: First Lord of the Treasury. And the resident of No 10 less than two years ago delivered a Conservative Government with a majority of 80. But an MP close to Mr Sunak dismissed talk of tension between the pair, saying it was just rubbish to suggest the Chancellor now had his eyes on replacing the PM. The ally said: It is just rubbish to say Rishi is focused on getting rid of Boris. Hes not he likes doing the job of Chancellor. It would be the Chancellor's second Budget in just seven months after the pandemic forced Mr Sunak to postpone the planned 2020 Autumn Statement to March this year Government insiders revealed that the Chancellor is being privately advised to tie the Prime Ministers hands by making a financial statement on the eve of the environmental summit in Glasgow this November. Above: Boris Johnson speaking in Camberley in August The two-week COP26 summit billed as the most important climate change summit since the Paris Agreement of 2015 is set to be one of the highlights of Mr Johnsons premiership. He has laid out plans to put the world on a pathway to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and make the UK a world leader in green policies. The gathering will take place against the backdrop of dire warnings that global warming is quickening with a stark United Nations report last week warning that the planet was likely to warm by a critical 1.5C within the next 20 years, a decade earlier than previously expected. The two-week COP26 summit - billed as the most important climate change summit since the Paris Agreement of 2015 - is set to be one of the highlights of Mr Johnsons premiership. Pictured: Boris Johnson at a windfarm in Aberdeenshire But The Mail on Sunday revealed last month that Mr Sunak had raised objections to the eye-watering cost of Mr Johnsons environmental ambitions. The Treasury was already looking for ways to pay back the 400 billion cost of the Covid crisis and a 10 billion annual bill to reform long-term care for the elderly. Ministers have admitted that tackling climate change will cost families more, but insist that not acting will cost more in the long term. Since 2017, Budgets were expected to be delivered in November or December each year to give businesses time to implement tax rule changes before the next financial year in April. However, the last two in 2019 and 2020 were postponed until the following spring because of the General Election and the pandemic respectively. Mr Sunak is also expected to unveil a three-year spending review in the autumn with October 27 understood to be pencilled in, although the Treasury last night said no date for that had yet been fixed. Last night, a source close to the Chancellor said the Treasury had not yet taken a decision on whether we will hold a Budget in the autumn, due to the uncertainty of autumn. But a Treasury spokesman said: We will set out plans for the spending review in the usual way. A Southwest Airlines flight attendant has died from COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, according to his mother and best friend. Maurice 'Reggie' Shepperson, 36, died at Henderson Hospital in Las Vegas on Tuesday, nearly two months after he tested positive for the virus following a work trip to Hawaii. He had reportedly checked himself into the hospital due to difficulty breathing on July 7, and was put on a ventilator weeks after testing positive. Shepperson's mother, Dawn, told USA Today her son was fully vaccinated, and his friend, Marcia Hildreth, another Southwest flight attendant, said he took every precaution against the virus including wearing a mask, constantly washing his hands, sanitizing surfaces and wiping everything down in hotel rooms. He is among a very small fraction of Americans who have died after suffering 'breakthrough' coronavirus infections after vaccination. Fully vaccinated Southwest Airlines flight attendant Maurice 'Reggie' Shepperson, 36, (pictured) died from COVID-19 on Tuesday at a hospital in Las Vegas - nearly two months after he tested positive following a work trip to Hawaii Shepperson had checked into the hospital on July 7, weeks after testing positive following his trip to Hawaii in early June Shepperson had been a flight attendant since 2007 and has worked for Southwest for nine years. Dubbed 'high flyer' by his co-workers, Shepperson was known to pick up more work trips than any other flight attendant, both for the money and the ability to travel to new places. A flight attendant from his training class Kiki Lee told USA Today: 'He was hitting the skies right way, using his benefits. He loved working, and he loved the perks.' One of Shepperson's first trips was to China, shortly after graduating from flight school. The flight attendant, who was fully vaccinated, came down with the virus after returning home and drove himself to Henderson Hospital in Las Vegas on July 7 He took his mother Dawn on one of his last work trips to Hawaii before contracting the virus. Both were repeatedly tested before leaving for the sunny island. He wrote in a Facebook post from the trip: 'Took mommy on my work trip to Hawaii Ill be back to get her tomorrow lol love this woman with all my heart.' Her son fell ill after returning home and immediately began to quarantine. On June 17, he posted on Facebook: 'Nevada is the only place I've lived where you call to make doctor's appointments and they give you three to four months out. People b e dead by then smh.' He would later test positive for COVID-19. His mother did not contract the virus. His co-workers called Shepperson a 'high flyer' and he was known for taking advantage of his perks and went on many works trips, including the Hawaii trip he took his mother (pictured) on Dawn, who left food on her son's doorstep, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that her son was in a lot of pain and couldn't get up. On July 7, Shepperson drove himself to the emergency room with breathing problems. He would spend the following weeks in the hospital on a ventilator before passing away from the virus. Southwest spokesman Brandy King confirmed Shepperon's death, but the company declined to say anything further in respect to the family. Dawn said Southwest Airlines reached out to her after the death of her son, as well as to his best friend and fellow flight attendant Marcia Hildreth to fly her to Vegas from a work trip. Hildreth has also started a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of funeral expenses. It has raised $9,386 so far. Clark County currently has over 11,000 COVID-19 cases and over 300,000 cases in the state. Although COVID-19 vaccines do not offer 100 percent protection from the virus, they are still highly effective. There are breakout cases with the Delta variant, however, the fully vaccinated are less likely to get severely ill or die from the virus, according to the CDC. A decrepit Sydney home without a kitchen has sold for $2.71million as desperate buyers compete to snap up what's left in the city's shrinking property supply. The three-bedroom Waverton home, on the Lower North Shore, went under the hammer for close to $900,000 above its reserve price on Saturday after a fierce battle among 45 bidders. The ramshackle property, built in 1902, was vacant for 10 years, with the last resident forced to use a camp stove to cook due to the inoperable kitchen. A run-down home in Sydney's Lower North Shore (pictured) has gone under the hammer for a staggering $2.71million - almost $900,000 over the reserve price The Waverton property has no kitchen, only a broken gas stove, with the last resident resorting to using camp equipment to cook meals The Tunks Street house is also devoid of a working bathroom or shower and needs urgent repairs on its crumbling ceiling. But its uninhabitable condition and Sydney's crushing lockdown did little to deter buyers. Lisa Novak of Novak Properties said a family placed the winning bid, in what she described 'fast and furious' auction. 'It was a phenomenal result, everyone was just blown away,' the selling agent told the Daily Telegraph. Ms Novak said the new owners missed out on numerous sales within the area and were determined to secure the home. The Tunk St home's ceiling is in need of repair and paint is peeling off the interior and exterior walls She said they plan to renovate before moving in. 'Its dilapidated, there is paint peeling everywhere, and no one could live there at the moment but it was seen as a rare opportunity to get into the area. Tunks Street is an amazing location,' she said. The sale came amid a weekend of strong bidding at auctions across the city as frustrated buyers scramble to land a foot on the property ladder. Although demand remains high, Covid restrictions slashed the number of listings as sellers wait for better conditions to claim bigger returns on their homes. Less than 350 auctions were scheduled across Sydney this week, with only another 100 in regional NSW - down 22 per cent compared to this time last year. A 15-year-old boy is dying in hospital from meningitis exacerbated by Covid he caught in Sydney's virus-riddled south-west. Osama Subuh is in intensive care and his family are faced with the heartbreaking decision of whether to turn off his life support this week. His distraught siblings begged the Islamic community to pray for a miraculous recovery before it is too late. 'I'm urging you all to make sincere dua for our young brother Osama, 15 years old, who's currently on life support due to Covid,' they wrote online. 'Doctors have told us that his life support will be turned off. Our only hope is for a miracle.' Osama (pictured) is 15 and on life support in a Sydney hospital. His family says his life support will be turned off is he does not improve In a press conference on Sunday morning, NSW Chief Health officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed a 15-year-old boy with Covid-19 was in hospital. Even though has has tested positive to coronavirus, the cause of his admission was pneumococcal meningitis - a life-threatening infectious disease that causes inflammation of the layers that surround the brain and spinal cord. Osama's cousin confirmed the teenager's identity to Daily Mail Australia. The family asked people to pray for the teenager, who attends Kingsgrove North High School in southwest Sydney and was ineligible for a Covid vaccine. 'Please ask Allah the all Powerful, the Most Merciful to make the impossible possible for our young brother Osama to remove the illness from his body that leaves no trace of existence behind,' they said. 'This is every parent's worst nightmare Ya Allah help this family and all who know and love Osama. Remove this anguish and pain with calmness and ease. 'May we see you again with your big smile.' Hundreds of people answered the call with with prayers and messages of support. 'Please don't let them turn off the life support,' one person wrote. Another wrote: 'Ya rab [Oh lord] he recovers and leave no trace of illness in his body and bring this beautiful boy back to his family.' 'I ask the almighty Allah to cure you! And return you healthy to your family,' said someone else. Osama's family has urged people to pray for the teenager (pictured) as he fights for life in hospital Dr Chant said Osama's family had given their permission for details about his case to be shared with the public. 'This has been cleared by his family. I can confirm that there is someone admitted to hospital that is 15 and that the cause of their admission, while they are Covid positive, is related to another health condition,' she told reporters on Sunday. 'The family has agreed that we can indicate that he has pneumococcal meningitis.' There were 415 new cases of Covid-19 in NSW on Sunday - 345 were under investigation, while 87 people were in the community for all or part of the time they were infectious. Four people died in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, including an unvaccinated woman in her 50s, another in her 70s who had one jab, a man in his 80s and a vaccinated woman in her 80s who had an underlying health condition. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the new infections are concentrated around western Sydney, specifically in Blacktown, Mount Druitt, Merion, Maryland, Orban and Guildford - near where Osama Subuh lives in the city's south-west. There are 62 people in NSW in ICU with Covid. Victoria has recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases with 13 infectious in the community as Daniel Andrews admits numbers are still too high to ease the state's sixth lockdown by next week. The Premier said it was too soon to decide whether restrictions would be lifted in Melbourne as planned on Thursday. 'I have always tried to be as frank as possible, whether from this podium or in the work that I do, I am not here to do anything other than to be frank,' he said. 'I do think these numbers are too high. I am not going to make an announcement today. Today is Sunday. I do not know what our position will be on Thursday.' Mr Andrews said he was also concerned by the number of residents flouting stay-at-home orders and pointed his finger at a 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event hosted in Richmond on Saturday. Scores of unmasked residents were caught gathering outside hospitality venues as part of a 'pub crawl', according to the premier. Host Richmond 3121 took to Instagram to share a map of the walk, showing six venues dotted along the 5.5km track. Victoria's testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the spread of the virus was also being accelerated by parents hosting sleepovers for their children - with almost half of all Covid-19 cases aged under 19. Victoria has recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases in a worrying sign that the state's sixth lockdown could be extended beyond next week The figure comes as a leading epidemiologist warned it was 'most unlikely' Melbourne's sixth lockdown would end as planned on Thursday A photograph uploaded to the host's Instagram page showed a map of the walk with six venues marked along the 5.5km track 'Children who are visiting each other's houses, people who are having sleepovers, people doing their school work together, it is an incredibly dangerous thing to do,' he said. 'We have essentially 83 people under the age of 19 testing positive to Covid, that is almost half of the outbreak. Is not happening by accident, it is happening because people are getting together.' Mr Andrews urged residents to limit their contact with other people as much as possible. 'None of us should be doing anything that potentially spreads this virus because this virus is not something anyone wants to get,' he said. The host of the 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event took to Instagram on Sunday to claim they never intended to 'create an event'. 'We wanted to clear up a couple of things,' the post read. 'What was a simple idea based on what we've enjoyed ourselves throughout lockdown has turned into something we never could have imagined. 'On Tuesday we messaged six businesses that were already offering takeaway drink and food with the idea to create and share a little walking map, giving you a chance to support struggling business while getting your walk in.' Mr Andrews said he preferred if residents only left their homes for essential reasons and visited as few venues as possible. 'Venues advertising they would operate as a chain of venues: I'd rather not see that,' he said. 'I don't do the enforcement, I don't issue the fines, but I would prefer if people were not out buying drinks from multiple venues and travelling between multiple venues.' The Premier said that health authorities and the Delta variant were racing side by side at the moment. 'I think we are running alongside this virus at the moment, but we have to get out in front,' he said. 'We're better than the challenge we face, we are stronger than the challenge we face, we have demonstrated that like no other Australian, and we can do it again.' Scores of unmasked residents were caught gathering outside hospitality venues as part of a 'pub crawl', according to the premier Mr Andrews said he preferred if residents only left their homes for essential reasons and visited as few venues as possible The host of the 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event took to Instagram on Sunday to claim they never intended to 'create an event' Residents stopping by Brogan's Way Distillery as part of the 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event on Saturday Mr Andrews said he wanted to avoid months of lockdown like New South Wales and encouraged residents to get the jab and reach the 80 per cent vaccination target. 'What I'm trying to achieve is that we can be open for some of the time between now and getting to 80 per cent, not locked down like New South Wales are going to be for months and months,' he said. 'I know it's very difficult, I know it's hard, I know no one's enjoying this. But we can't pretend this is over because we desperately want it to be.' Sunday's figure of 13 cases infectious in the community adds to the growing number of Covid-19 positive residents who were not isolated over the weekend. Ten were announced on Saturday. There were 32,286 Covid-19 tests conducted and 23,076 vaccines distributed in the last 24 hours. An additional 84,000 new COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be made available from today in a bid to boost vaccination rates. Premier Daniel Andrews said he was concerned some residents were disregarding restrictions The premier said he wanted to avoid months of lockdown like New South Wales and encouraged residents to get vaccinated and reach the 80 per cent target An additional 84,000 new COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be made available from today in a bid to boost vaccination rates 'If you book at a state clinic, you will come along, you'll speak to an experienced health professional, they'll have a conversation with you about whether AstraZeneca works for you, whether it's safe for you and you can then make informed consent,' Mr Andrews said. 'The Chief Health Officer is not here today, but if I can quote him: the best vaccine is the one you can get today. Do not delay on the basis that there's more coming.' Mr Andrews said he would not quibble over vaccine supplies after it was revealed that New South Wales would receive half of the one million doses being sent to Australia from Poland. 'They have to be given more vaccine in New South Wales because nothing else they're doing is working,' he said. 'They're gonna have to vaccinate their way out of this, and we wish them well in doing that. 'I'm not for a moment quibbling or in any way being difficult about them getting more than us, they needed more than us, frankly. That's not to say we don't have need, but their need is far greater at the moment and the only thing that's going to work for them.' An additional 84,000 new COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be made available from today in a bid to boost vaccination rates Ten of the new cases are linked to the Al-Taqwa College and includes two entire families - one of six and one of three. The other is a household contact of a Covid-19 positive student. Seven new cases are connected to Glenroy West Primary School, and three to the Caroline Springs shopping centre. Five mystery cases have been identified and include a West Footscray construction worker and Dandenong commercial cleaner. Dr Weimar said some residents were spreading the virus by leaving their homes to go to work. 'We've seen people who are not abiding by the work from home directive who are picking up coronavirus and spreading it into their community,' he said. 'Household gatherings, household visits where you're popping over just to see something to make sure they're okay, they're all understandable, but also dangerous because we're seeing the virus hitch along and move from one cluster to another.' Covid-19 fragments were also detected in wastewater, prompting health officials to issue an alert for several Melbourne suburbs. Carlton, Glenroy, Broadmeadows, Camberwell, Truganina, Williams Landing, and Sunshine West residents were told to get tested if they show flu-like symptoms. Residents have been told to only leave their homes for essential reasons and limit the number of venues they visit (pictured, 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event on Saturday) Melbourne resident walks with two drinks in his hands after visiting one of the six venues in the 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event on Saturday There are now more than 500 exposure sites spread across multiple Melbourne suburbs, including the Royal Melbourne Women's Hospital and Chadstone Shopping Centre. Eight mystery cases are yet to be linked from the City of Melbourne, Glenroy, Melton South, Middle Park, Brunswick West and Wyndham Vale, as well as cases in Newport and West Footscray that were identified earlier this month. 'We are very concerned about what we're seeing across Melbourne,' Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson said on Saturday. 'We won't have unlinked cases if people come forward to get testing as soon as they possibly can, at the earliest sign of symptoms.' The 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event was labelled a 'pub crawl' by state premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday The city's stay-at-home orders are due to end at midnight on Thursday, but with another 15 cases reported on Friday - including four mystery infections - Professor Tony Blakely says the restrictions will likely remain A swimming pool, hospital and spice store are among the new venues added to the state's growing exposure list. The Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre was visited by a positive case between 5:45pm and 7:15pm on August 5. The VicRoads, in Melton, between 12:30pm and 1:30pm on August 5 and the Royal Women's Hospital's main entrance, in Parkville, between 7:25am and 8:00am and 10:00am to 10:35am on August 6. The SK Asian Spices store, in Glenroy, was also visited by a case between 5:50pm to to 7:00pm on August 12. A leading epidemiologist has warned it was 'most unlikely' Melbourne's sixth lockdown would end as planned on Thursday. Victoria's five-day moving case average is up to 17.4 and the effective reproduction rate is at 1.4, meaning currently every Covid-19 case is infecting almost one and a half people. Covid-19 fragments have also been detected in wastewater prompting health officials to issue a high alert across several Melbourne suburbs Prof Blakely urged Victorians to get vaccinated, adding that by Christmas around 80 per cent of the population should have received the jab and therefore restrictions can ease The city's stay-at-home orders are due to end at midnight on Thursday, but with another 15 cases reported on Friday - including four mystery infections - Professor Tony Blakely says the restrictions will likely remain. 'Given that we tried a short, sharp lockdown I was hoping now that all arising cases would be occurring amongst quarantining people,' he told 7 News. 'That's not what we see, so I fear we've got quite a way to go with this outbreak yet.' He said mystery cases were of most concern because they showed there were other chains of transmission undetected in the community. Prof Blakely urged Victorians to get vaccinated, adding that by Christmas around 80 per cent of the population should have received the jab and therefore restrictions can ease. 'Hopefully we'll have a nice Christmas before we open up next year and deal with incoming people,' he said. 'That's what I'm focusing on is getting to that 80 per cent vaccination coverage and hopefully a good Christmas and New Year.' There were 32,286 Covid-19 tests conducted and 23,076 vaccines distributed in the last 24 hours Victoria's five-day moving case average is up to 17.4 and the effective reproduction rate is at 1.4, meaning currently every COVID-19 case is infecting almost one and a half people Victorians need to restrict their movements as much as possible, the epidemiologist said, and live as if they are already infected with the virus. 'I've got a bad feeling about this one because of the fact there's those mystery cases out there,' he said. 'I think it's most unlikely we'll be out of lockdown by next Thursday.' Professor Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist and biostatistician at the University of South Australia, agreed. He said Melbourne will get on top of its Delta variant outbreaks, but not by August 19 when the lockdown is due to end. 'I would say it's highly unlikely,' he said on Friday. Health authorities are urging Victorians not to delay getting tested, as concern grows about the number of cases in the community while infectious The state recorded 21 new locally acquired cases on Saturday, with 10 of those active in the community while infectious, as Melbourne's lockdown continues 'There is a couple of reasons. The effective reproduction number is still quite high - you want to see that get towards one to feel a bit more comfortable - and the moving average is still going up. 'I don't think that lockdown will finish, if I was the Victorian government, until you're in single digits and no mystery cases.' NEW VICTORIAN EXPOSURE SITES Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of test results: Hoppers Crossing, Hotts Cafe - August 4 from 1:02pm - 2:27pm Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed must get tested and isolate until given a negative result: Richmond, Little Frenchie & Co - August 7 from 10:19am - 10:55am North Melbourne, Liberty Petrol Station North Melbourne - August 12 from 7:30am - 7:55am St Kilda, Ritz Mansions - August 6 from 8:45am - 2:00pm, August 9 from 8:45am - 6:30pm, August 10 from 8:45am - 6:30pm and August 11 from 8:45am - 3:00pm Abbotsford, Woolworths Abbotsford - The Hive Shopping Centre - August 9 from 4:31pm - 5:11pm Richmond, Anchovy - August 8 from 12:17pm - 12:52pm Richmond, Jemimas Tasty Place - August 8 from 12:05pm - 12:45pm Malvern East (Chadstone), Coles - Chadstone Shopping Centre - August 7 from 4:28pm - 5:33pm Malvern East (Chadstone), Chadstone Shopping Centre - August 7 from 4:26pm - 5:40pm Advertisement The Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne was exposed to the virus on August 7 from 4:26pm to 5:40pm SOUTH MELBOURNE MARKET STALLS ON COVID-19 ALERT Rita's Coffee & Nuts: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm The Fish Shoppe: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Small Town Pie Company: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Emerald Hill Nursery: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Vangelis Deli: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Fruits on Coventry: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Haqen's Organics: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne, August 7 from 1.30pm to 2.20pm Advertisement Jeffrey Epstein's telecoms specialist will swear on oath that he saw Prince Andrew groping Virginia Giuffre on the billionaire's 'Paedo Island', it was claimed last night. Steve Scully claims to have witnessed the Duke of York kissing and grinding against a blonde woman wearing a bikini - whom he insists was Andrew's sex accuser - by a swimming pool on Little Saint James between 2001 and 2004. It comes after sources close to Ms Giuffre suggested the 'arrogant' prince has woefully underestimated the severity of the case against him. Mr Scully, 71, told the Sun on Sunday: 'I was working on the phone and he (Andrew) was by the pool with Virginia. As soon as I saw him, I recognised him. 'I thought, 'If I had a camera in my bag right now, I'd have a $50,000 picture'.' He added that he saw them lying on lounge chairs after 'bumping and grinding' for several minutes. Meanwhile, royal aides are said to have highlighted 'inconsistencies' with the Duke's account of his relationship with Ms Giuffre. Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts taken in 2001. Virginia claims that the Prince had sex with her, knowing she had been 'trafficked'. Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing and claims not to remember even meeting her Steve Scully (pictured) claims to have witnessed the Duke of York kissing and grinding against a blonde woman wearing a bikini - whom he insists was Andrew's sex accuser - by a swimming pool between 2001 and 2004 Prince Andrew's lawyers are frantically trying to avoid the case going to trial in the United States over fears jurors may side with an alleged victim of sexual abuse over him. While the 61-year-old has firmly denied the claims, those inside the palace believe there could be 'credibility' problems with his version of events, according to the Times. A source said: 'If it goes to trial in the MeToo era, it's going to be challenging to swing a jury behind the duke.' In the legal claim, lawyers said Epstein, Maxwell and the prince had all forced Miss Roberts to have sex with Andrew against her will after she was trafficked to London in 2001. They alleged two other such incidents also took place 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 Miss Roberts, now 38 and a married mother-of-three known by her married name Virginia Giuffre, had suffered 'severe and lasting' damage. In a car-crash Newsnight interview in 2019, the prince denied any untoward activity and claimed he was in a Pizza Express in Woking - not in the capital - at the time. He claims to have no recollection of ever meeting Ms Giuffre, despite a widely-shared photo of them posing together that same year. Friends have questioned the picture's authenticity, but no evidence has emerged proving that it is a fake. Another source added: 'No one at the palace knows what to believe about what Prince Andrew is telling them. Some of it doesn't stack up. 'The basic problem is that he's a massive embarrassment, but you can't sack him. There are also questions over some of the legal advice he has been getting.' It follows claims from American that Ms Giuffre's legal team had been astonished by the naivety of Andrew's tactics and warned his evasive approach was certain to backfire. There is mounting concern at the Palace too, where the Queen's courtiers are piling pressure on the Prince to change tack and speak out publicly. The Queen has met with Andrew in the past few days at Balmoral and aides close to the Monarch now fear the silence will damage the Royal Family itself. Ms Giuffre, whose maiden name was Roberts, also claims that Andrew 'stonewalled' communications from her lawyer and rejected a request to explore alternative dispute resolution Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew was facing renewed sex claims in a New York court. The civil lawsuit alleges that Andrew sexually abused Ms Giuffre at the Manhattan home of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and at other locations in 2001, when she was a 17-year-old minor. Ms Giuffre, whose maiden name was Roberts, also claims that Andrew 'stonewalled' communications from her lawyer and rejected a request to explore alternative dispute resolution. If Andrew was hoping the allegations would fade and that he could resume a place in public life the fresh legal case has placed him back at the centre of controversy. Now the Palace fears it will be dragged in too, unless the Queen's second son makes some attempt to diffuse the mounting tension. The Prince has not spoken publicly in the past week, but in an interview with BBC Two's Newsnight in 2019, he said he could not remember meeting Ms Giuffre and categorically denied that they had sex. One well-placed palace insider said: 'There's a growing sense that his legal team need to say something, even if it is just to acknowledge that they are working on it. The Duke's legal team is not doing him or the rest of the family any favours by being so taciturn.' One source said: 'The Queen met with Andrew and no doubt asked him, 'What are your lawyers saying? What's the advice?' ' The source said there was 'bafflement' about the strategy of Andrew's legal team, which includes Gary Bloxsome of the firm Blackfords and advice from Blair Berk, a female lawyer who previously represented Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. So far they have refused even to reiterate Andrew's previous claim that he has no recollection of meeting Ms Giuffre. Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with The Duke of York when she was a teenager, which the duke categorically denies One insider said the paranoia within Andrew's team was such that the lawyers had 'hunkered down' and were even 'blanking' requests for information from other aides. The source close to Ms Giuffre's advisers headed by heavyweight US litigator David Boies said of Andrew's legal team: 'If I was to give you one word which sums up the attitude from Prince Andrew and his side, it is 'arrogance'. No one out-bluffs David Boies. 'We gave them multiple times to respond, to come to the table to discuss this, and they ignored our letters, ignored our calls. 'They were given multiple opportunities to get together, to start a discussion and avoid any of this becoming public. There was nothing but a wall of silence.' A preliminary hearing has been set for September 13 in Manhattan. Advertisement COVID-19 hospitalization rates for adults in their 30s have hit record highs amid the surge of the Delta variant as experts worry it has become a 'pandemic of the young.' Dr. James Lawler, co-director of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, addressed the alarming hospitalization rate in a weekly update on Tuesday. 'All of these younger age groups that we previously thought were relatively spared from severe outcomes from COVID up to 50 years, those hospital admission rates are all moving upwards at a dizzying pace unfortunately,' Dr. Lawler said. 'So this is not only the pandemic of the unvaccinated in the U.S., it's a pandemic of the young now.' He added: 'It is not just a huge proportion of patients admitted to the ICU with COVID, it is also a much younger demographic than we've seen previously.' 'And again, I think this is another myth that young people don't get very sick. And that is clearly not the case, particularly with Delta wave.' COVID-19 hospitalization rates for adults in their 30s have hit record highs amid the surge of the Delta variant as experts worry it has become a 'pandemic of the young'. Pictured: CDC data on hospitalization rates for adults aged 30-39 New COVID-19 hospital admissions for patients in their 30s reached an average of 1,113 per day for the week that ended Wednesday, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. That average daily hospitalization rate had jumped 22.6 percent from 908 in the previous seven days, according to the CDC. Dr. James Lawler, co-director of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, addressed the alarming hospitalization rate The data shows that thirtysomethings made up 170,852 out of more than 2.5 million new hospital admissions for COVID-19 since August 2020. The data shows that seven-day average for new hospitalizations among those aged 18 to 29 reached 694 on Wednesday, up 20.7 percent from 575 average the week prior. There have been 124,633 people aged 18 to 29 hospitalized since August. The average daily hospitalization rate for children under 17 also shot up a shocking 31.2 percent, from 201 to 263, the CDC data shows. There have been 47,172 hospitalizations of minor children from COVID-19 since last August. Children under age 12 remain ineligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, while vaccination rates for young adults under 40 continue to lag. CDC vaccination data trends show that only 49.6 percent of adults aged 25 to 39 are considered fully vaccinated - while 45.1 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 are fully vaccinated. The United States has fully vaccinated 61.6 percent of all adults over the age of 18, or about 159,026,262 people. The demographic driving vaccination rates are seniors 65 and older, of which 80.7 percent are vaccinated after receiving first access. Data from the CDC shows the number of hospitalizations for children under 17 years old Data from the CDC shows the number of hospitalizations for adults aged 18-29 A map shows the total number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the United States A graph shows the number of new coronavirus deaths per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the number of new coronavirus infections per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the total number of coronavirus infections compared to the number of deaths Experts have noted that older demographics are at higher risk of death and developing severe COVID-19 infections, but the new numbers compared to vaccination rates are a stark warning on the rise of the Delta variant. The Delta variant - which can be transmitted more easily than the Alpha variant - has proven that it can cause hospitalization rates to increase among the young and healthy, even as vaccination rates rise. Dr. James Fiorica, chief medical officer of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System in Florida, told the Wall Street Journal that the Delta variant 'loves social mobility.' 'An unvaccinated 30-year-old can be a perfect carrier,' Fiorica said. He told the outlet that thirtysomethings are typically socially active at work and out of the office - with young families, making them more prone to the exposure and spreading of the virus. He added: 'They are people that shouldn't be dying.' A three-year-old girl has died after she was shot by a five-year-old boy at a home in Minnesota on Friday. The Cass County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call about the shooting in Bena shortly before 4am. Sheriff Tom Burch called the shooting 'accidental' in a press statement. It is unclear what took place in the home or how the children had access to a gun. Neither of the children have been named and their relationship has not been disclosed. The Cass Country Sheriff's Office released a statement that reported a three-year-old girl was 'accidentally' shot and killed by a five-year-old boy in Bena, Minnesota The family took the girl to the hospital and was intercepted by an ambulance on the way there. Lifesaving attempts were made, but the girl was pronounced dead at Deer River Hospital. An autopsy is pending and the police are investigating. There are currently no criminal charges being pressed. The girl was taken to Deer River Hospital (pictured). The family was intercepted on the way to the hospital by an ambulance who performed lifesaving attempts. The girl was pronounced dead when she arrived at the hospital According to a 2019 study, gun violence is the second-leading cause of death in children and teens, and it is the highest leading cause of death in high school-aged kids. In 2018, an average of 13 people ages 10-24 were killed via homicide. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said 1.7million children are currently living in a house with unlocked and loaded guns. People that die from 'accidental shootings' are three times as likely to live in a house with a gun, and children 12 and under who are killed by a firearm are typically killed in their own homes. Many parents believe their children do not know where the gun is located in the house, but research by the Center for Injury Research and Policy reported that 75 per cent of children do know. It is also reported that those who live in homes with firearms are twice the risk of homicide and three times the risk of suicide compared to those who do not live with a firearm. There are many ways to store a gun, but keeping guns and ammunition locked and unloaded in separate storage is recommended by the United States Concealed Carry Association. In addition to keeping the gun out of sight and out of reach of children. Minnesota Child Access Prevention laws, or CAP law, states: 'Minnesota prohibits any person from negligently storing or leaving a loaded firearm in a location where the person knows, or reasonably should know, that a child under age 18 is likely to gain access to the firearm, unless reasonable action is taken to secure the firearm against access by the child. 'This prohibition does not apply if the child obtained access as a result of any unlawful entry,' according to Giffords Law Center. It is not known how the five-year-old boy accessed the gun. New South Wales' spiralling Covid crisis has sparked a sharp divide within Byron Bay as the tourist town's anti-vaxxers torment fellow locals for getting the vaccine. Residents of the popular coastal destination have reported being abused and losing friends after answering the State Government's calls to arm themselves against the virus through inoculation. In recent years, vocal social media influencers have made the area synonymous with misinformation by spouting a cocktail of conspiracies online, from anti-science sentiments to ill-informed beliefs the 5G network poses health hazards. While they form the minority, fears are growing the opposition to Covid restrictions and health measures could be a disaster for vulnerable residents unable to receive the jab. A division has emerged among Byron Bay locals over residents' stances on receiving the Covid vaccine. Pictured: Two women head out in Byron on August 9 - hours before the town was plunged into lockdown Benny Zable, 75, who has lived in Nimbin since 1973, was the first man in his town to roll up his sleeve for the Covid vaccination. But when he shared the news online, he lost friends overnight who 'think the pandemic is some sort of conspiracy'. 'When I posted the picture on social media I got a lot of flak, I got all kinds of people reacting to me like I was a traitor. They said I was one of "them", whoever "them" are. They are no longer my friends. I dont want to have anything to do with people abusing me over my right to get vaccinated,' he told the Daily Telegraph. Nicqui Yadzi created Mullumbimby Flattening The Curve group on Facebook at the start of the pandemic to offer evidence-based science about Covid. She said there was a huge demand for genuine information due to an overdrive of conspiracy theories circulating online. 'There is so much misinformation here, there is this loud, minority group who are very bloody vocal, the anti-vaxxers, the conspiracy ones that mix it all together, 5G, microchips in Covid vaccines and chemtrails and lizard people. I mean, it's like a mental illness here,' she said. Benny Zable (pictured) said he has lost friends after sharing this photo of himself getting vaccinated Ms Yadzi said the conspiracy theorists follow the advice of medically-untrained bloggers and YouTubers and accuse pro-science advocates of being 'sheep'. 'I cant tell you how many times Ive been abused in the street for wearing a mask, or having a view that isnt theirs. Its not peace, love and lentils.' The worrying falsehoods come after Byron Bay was plunged into a seven-day lockdown on Monday after a Covid-infected Sydney man allegedly travelled to the area in breach of regulations. As new restrictions were cast across businesses in the region, some venues have pushed back by placing signs in store fronts reading 'no masks, we don't asks'. Others have barred vaccinated patrons under the baseless claim they 'shed virus particles'. Earlier this week, one anti-vaccine activist proudly boasted online about only buying from venues that did not force shoppers to wear masks. 'Every place that didn't ask for a mask, we bought something even if we really didn't need it,' he wrote. Mullumbimby resident Kirra Pendergast, who teaches classes on how to differentiate authentic information online, said there are a lot of social media influencers in the region who exert influence over many people. While the majority of her community are following the rules, Ms Pendergrast said anti-vaxxers are very active on social media and give the area a bad wrap. The social media educator said she is scared the dissemination of misinformation and rule-flouters will impact the vulnerable who cannot protect themselves against the virus. Kirra Pendergast (pictured) said she fears vulnerable people will bear the brunt of conspiracy theorists failing to follow health orders It comes as all of NSW entered a seven-day lockdown on early Saturday evening, after the Sydney's highly infectious Delta outbreak seeped into regional areas. Under the measure, everyone must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave. They also cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends. The state reported 415 new locally acquired Covid cases on Sunday and four more deaths as the contagion shows no signs of slowing down. Greater Sydney residents, who are entering their eighth week of lockdown, are not permitted to visit regional NSW unless for essential activity and cannot freely enter any other Australian state or territory. Hunter, Byron Bay, Tamworth, Armidale, Dubbo and northwest NSW residents are also barred from visiting other parts of regional NSW unless essential. Both federal and state governments have touted high vaccinations as the key to ending lockdowns. Gladys Berejiklian has previously stated her goal is to reach six million jab by month's end, with more than five million vaccines administered in NSW to date. 'Someone posted on Insta': The Aussie 'influencer' hall of shame responsible for spreading Covid conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxer nonsense on social media - and WHY their claims are so dangerous By MONIQUE FRIEDLANDER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything about social media, it's that having a 'blue tick' on Instagram doesn't give someone a medical degree. While many Australian influencers have been doing the right thing by following official health orders about lockdowns, testing and even encouraging followers to get vaccinated, a select few have been using their platforms to peddle idiotic conspiracy theories. Despite none of them being doctors, scientists or epidemiologists, these influencers use their online popularity to add legitimacy to whacko theories that are not only factually bankrupt, but potentially dangerous. Dr Karen Price, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, told Daily Mail Australia that when you go down the social media rabbit hole, there's plenty of information about that's 'just plain wrong'. 'What a lot of these influencers spreading ridiculous conspiracy theories don't realise is that while everyone has a right to their own opinion - they don't have a right to their own facts,' Dr Price explained. 'So when it comes to social media platforms, just remember that some influencers are doing all they can to draw attention to themselves, but they have no medical qualifications.' Dr Price urged those who use social media to trust the advice of doctors, not influencers, adding: 'We have your best interests at heart and know what we are talking about.' Sally Mustang Sally Mustang (pictured) has been a vocal advocate against lockdowns and attended anti-vax rallies Byron Bay influencer Sally Mustang lost thousands of followers last month after she uploaded an Instagram essay criticising the recent spate of Covid lockdowns. Supporting the recent anti-lockdown rallies, Sally bizarrely wrote that science is just a 'theory' and encouraged fans to flout the lockdown restrictions that have been put in place for our safety. 'Our freedom is not a joke. To anyone that is handing it over blindly, please stop,' she wrote. Educate yourself, come home to your intuition. Make up your own beliefs and options and do not falter,' she wrote. 'Be ready to admit you may have been wrong or made mistakes. Be kind. Don't judge one another. Remember science is a THEORY just like magic.' Sally, who has attended anti-vaxxer protests in the past, also encouraged her followers to 'optimise their immune system' with herbs, breathing exercises, organic foods. Isabel Lucas Home And Away star Isabel Lucas' acting career has been marred over the years by her belief in conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxer views. Most recently, she came under fire for supporting the recent anti-lockdown protests, sharing a number of photos of the rallies in Sydney alongside the caption, 'Freedom over fear', on her Instagram Stories. Further posts labelled the crowd as undertaking a 'peaceful protest', despite footage from the event showing frenzied protesters screaming and crash-tackling police officers. Last year, Isabel hit the headlines when she shared dangerous anti-vaccination views on Instagram, while commenting on a post by fellow conspiracy theorist Pete Evans. Home And Away star Isabel Lucas' (pictured) has made headlines in recent years over her controversial beliefs Throwing her support behind the disgraced former MKR judge, she wrote: 'Freedom of choice is every human's right. I don't trust the path of vaccination.' Isabel later clarified her remarks on Instagram, saying she has 'concerns around 'mandatory' vaccination, not vaccination itself'. The outspoken soap star is also known for sharing bizarre posts about the so-called 'dangers' of 5G, having recently encouraged fans to join her at an anti-5G protest in Byron Bay last month. Isabel, who has an entire subcategory on her Instagram account dedicated to the theories, also wrote to Instagram in April last year: 'Just two weeks ago the second top trending question on Google was 'Is 5G safe'' 'And now Google have announced they are censoring discussions on 5G health effects. Apparently violent pornography has not been censored for our 'protection' though. Would it not be wise to ask why?' Isabel clarified that she would 'never suggest COVID-19 is 5G related', but wanted to 'support cohesive, clear, calm communication that welcomes healthy questioning'. In September, Isabel controversially revealed she had 'opted out' of receiving a COVID-19 test while filming the movie Bosch & Rockit in Byron Bay. 'I gave my duty of care of what I could offer to respect everyone's health and maintain my own health, and I shared that, and I opted out of doing the COVID test,' she told alternative health podcast Alfa Vedic. 'My immune system has just become so solid from my way of life, how I live and eat and think,' she explained. Sydney could be locked down and isolated from the rest of Australia well after it vaccinates 70 per cent of its population, hardline academics warn. University of NSW School of Population Health researcher Nic Rebuli said NSW should not even consider lifting restrictions until there were less than 100 cases. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to begin easing, but not ending, lockdown once 50 per cent of the state is vaccinated by August 28. She expects to end the lockdown after the state reaches 70 per cent vaccination rates in October, and before it gets to 80 per cent by mid-November. But the outbreak is showing no signs of slowing down as the state recorded its worst day with 466 new cases on Saturday and 415 on Sunday. A Covid-zero approach is the only way to end lockdown in Greater Sydney and reopen the rest of the country, a top expert has warned University of NSW School of Population Health researcher Nic Rebuli claimed he would not even consider lifting restrictions until there were less than 100 cases Professor Rebuli claimed even if NSW achieved a 70 per cent vaccination rate, border closures and lockdowns should remain in place until case numbers were drastically reduced. His advice was despite warnings that a Covid-zero approach could mean Sydney will remain in lockdown until November or December. Professor Rebuli agreed, however, that bringing down cases partly depended on increasing vaccination rates. 'NSW's hope is if they can get vaccines to more at-risk areas such as essential workers, they can bring transmission down while also increasing vaccination rates,' he told The Age. Ms Berejiklian previously said she is less focused on a Covid-zero policy and more determined to meet the 70 per cent vaccination target. Her strategy differs from other states - particularly Victoria and Western Australia - that have maintained a Covid-zero stance. Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said it was the only way to end lockdown after his state reported 21 new cases on Saturday and 25 cases on Sunday. 'Victoria has to do its bit. Queensland has to do its bit. Every state and territory has to do its bit. The biggest challenge is clearly NSW,' he said. 'I would encourage NSW to take all the measures it needs to, to drive those numbers down... we can't have that level of confidence until all of us have achieved the preconditions that the Doherty modelling is predicated on.' Monash University infectious-diseases modeller Michael Lydeamore said reopening with high case numbers would worsen the outbreak. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to begin easing restrictions sooner once 60 per cent of the state is vaccinated Professor Rebuli claimed that even if NSW achieved a 70 per cent vaccination rate, border closures and lockdowns should remain in place until case numbers were drastically reduced 'If you open up at 70 per cent vaccination with 30 cases, by the time you get to 80 per cent vaccination you may have 100 infections per day, for example,' he said. 'If you open up with 400 cases, you're well over the 1,000 mark after the same period.' Modelling used to come up with the Doherty Institute's report that is the basis for the no lockdowns at 70 per cent plan predicts almost 400,000 cases in six months if there were many active cases when restrictions ended. There would be 1,457 deaths in that time, compared to just 13 if there were zero or low cases when lockdowns were abolished. Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely warned that even with a Covid-zero policy NSW was likely to remain in lockdown until as late as December. 'From there, there is a question over whether they might just choose to live with it,' he said. 'When vaccination coverage is higher it is easier, we believe, to achieve elimination then, as it tips the balance your way.' Melbourne University's School of Population and Global Health head Professor Nancy Baxter admitted NSW may never get to zero cases, but it hard to do everything to try. 'Can NSW get to zero cases? I don't know. It will take longer than two months. They have to impose all the things they've resisted until now because it maybe won't make a difference they need to impose them now, try them,' she said. A father-of-two wearing an electronic ankle tag has refused police demands to go into hotel quarantine fearing he would be jailed for breaching his parole. Bizarre footage shows police and healthcare workers in full PPE on the Sydney man's doorstep, apparently trying to take him away. But the man said he had already been warned for breaking his parole restrictions by breaching his ankle tag perimeter to go to Granville and be tested for Covid. However, the video suggests the test came back positive and authorities wanted to isolate the man in a hotel to protect his household. A father of two wearing an electronic ankle tag refused police demands by police and NSW Health workers (pictured) to go into hotel quarantine for fear it will see him jailed for breaching his parole conditions The furious man raged: 'See how stupid this system is? I don't want to hear about it anymore. 'I have two little girls here and you want to drag me out to a f**king hotel room?' The video cuts to the man's left foot where an electronic tag is seen attached to his ankle. 'You know I have an anklet on. You know that if I breach and leave they can lock me up. Well, I'm not leaving,' he said. One male police officer insisted he had no idea about the ankle tag, but a female officer off-screen said the public health order for Covid 'trumps' the ankle tag. But the man hit back: 'Much bigger police than both of you told me I'm not allowed to leave here. 'The officer on my case is dying to put me back in jail, so I'm sorry. Come back with a warrant, do what you have to do, I'm not trying to be hard on you. 'But I'm not going to jail for you.' The man says he's already been warned for breaking his parole restrictions by breaching his ankle tag (pictured) perimeter to go to Granville to be tested for Covid The male police officer clutching a clipboard warned him the situation would only end with him either coming with them peacefully or under arrest. The man insisted he would be arrested and jailed if he complied with the public health order. 'My [parole] office came here the other day and told me I had breached because I'd gone to Granville when I went to get a swab test because one of these guys told me to go. 'He came to arrest me. If I didn't tell him I had Covid, I was going to get arrested. 'Just so you know who we deal with - I'll be sitting in this hotel room and he'll come and arrest me.' The video clip ends before the stand-off is resolved. NSW Police confirmed they attended the home but said they were there to assist NSW Health. The man insisted though he would be arrested and jailed if he complied with the public health order. Seen here is a stock image of NSW Police on Covid patrol in Sydney on Sunday On Sunday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian insisted the incident was not an example of the authorities over-reaching their powers. 'Unfortunately it's not always the rules that are the challenge is the fact that people choose to break them,' she said. 'We also need to make sure that we take every measure we can to ensure people are doing the right thing.' NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant added: 'I'm not going to prosecute the specifics of a case in public. 'There will be a variety of reasons whether people are in a safe enough environment, or whether there's other reasons we don't think they can be fully self contained.' Advertisement A man was stabbed and a radio reporter was attacked on Saturday when a massive brawl erupted outside Los Angeles City Hall between suspected Antifa activists and protesters decrying vaccine mandates. At about 2pm, a group of people holding American flags and signs calling for 'medical freedom' arrived at City Hall for the rally, the Los Angeles Police Department and local media said. Counterprotesters quickly gathered nearby. About half an hour later, a fight broke out between the groups of protesters and counterprotesters. Counterprotesters were seen dressed in all black while anti-vaccine demonstrators were seen draped in American flag clothing and various Trump memorabilia. The opposing groups soon came to blows with punches and objects flying in every direction. Los Angeles Police officer Gutierrez, left, puts pressure on the open wound of a demonstrator, who was stabbed during clashes between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter-protesters during an anti-vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles Los Angeles Fire department paramedics care for an injured demonstrator, who was stabbed in the chest during clashes between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter-protesters Los Angeles Fire department paramedics removed an injured demonstrator, who was stabbed in the chest An anti-vaccination demonstrator lays on the ground and is taken care of by police officers and fire department first responders following clashes between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter protesters An anti-vaccination demonstrator lays on the ground and is taken care be fire department first responders An anti-vaccination demonstrator lays on the ground and is taken care of by a police officer Los Angeles police officers intervene as anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter protesters clash during an anti-vaccination protest organized in front of the City Hall A demonstrator looks at a banner reading 'Trump 2024 F*** your feelings' during an anti vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles, California on Saturday A demonstrator holds a poster reading 'F*** You in the Vax OMDB (Over My Dead Body)' during an anti-vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles, California Anti-vaccination protesters hold signs as they pray and rally near City Hall Anti-vaccination protesters pray and rally near City Hall following the Los Angeles City Council vote earlier this week to draw up an ordinance to require proof of vaccination to enter many public indoor spaces in the city A woman holds a sign associating mandatory vaccinations with Nazism I was just attacked with others pic.twitter.com/LVrtWFWFng Lefty-Desiree McLefty Face, Antifa Paparazzi (@TinaDesireeBerg) August 14, 2021 The LAPD said on its Twitter account that it is 'aware of 1 male that was stabbed & is being treated by LAFD,' referring to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is in serious condition, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said. Police on the scene said the person had been stabbed, and paramedics took him to hospital. 'No arrests have been made but investigation is on going,' the department tweeted. Demonstrators billed the rally as taking a stand against rules requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and so-called vaccine passports. The demonstrators also said they also opposed wearing masks. Anti-vaccination protesters pray and rallied near City Hall together with various signs A crowd of several hundred people, many holding American flags and signs calling for 'medical freedom,' descended on City Hall A woman holds an American flag and prays 'in tongues,' or in an unknown language, according to the Pentecostal Christian belief, as anti-vaccination protesters gathered A woman holds a sign quoting the Bible as anti-vaccination protesters prayed An anti-vaccination protester holds a sign reading 'Stop the Needle Rape' during a rally near City Hall A protester dressed as a scary nurse holds a misspelled sign that reads 'Submitt' at an anti-vaccination protest A woman looks to the sky as she recites the Pledge of Allegiance An anti-vaccination protester, right, clashes with a counter protester during an anti-vaccination rally near City Hall Anti-vaccination demonstrators and a counter protester (on the ground) clash Anti-vaccination demonstrators and a counter protester (C) clash during an anti vaccination protest organized in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles The demonstrators had billed the rally as a stand against rules requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and so-called vaccine passports and said they also opposed wearing masks Anti-vaccination demonstrators (L) and counter protesters (on the ground) clash during an anti vaccination protest organized in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles, California Counterprotesters, mostly dressed in all black, remained near LAPD headquarters A demonstrator holds a Donald Trump MAGA Lion Flag during an anti-vaccination protest The counterprotesters appeared to be a mixture of people who have shown up to oppose anti-vaccine and anti-mask rallies in recent months Police officers assist a man who was injured during fights between anti-vaccination protesters and counter protesters Demonstrators gather holding posters during an anti-vaccination protest in Los Angeles Demonstrators hold posters reading 'No to Vax Pass' and 'Medical Freedom for All' A demonstrator holds a poster reading 'Freedom not Force' during an anti vaccination protest A demonstrator holds a poster reading 'No Vax Passport' during an anti vaccination protest A demonstrator holds a poster reading 'Jesus is my vaccine' during an anti vaccination protest Demonstrators gather during an anti vaccination protest in front of City Hall in Los Angeles Anti-vaccination demonstrators left, clash with counter-protesters during an anti-vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday A man was stabbed and a reporter was attacked Saturday at a protest against vaccine mandates on the south lawn of Los Angeles' City Hall A fight broke out between the protesters and counter-protesters, the Los Angeles Police Department and local media said Anti-vaccination protesters and counter protesters fight during an anti-vaccination rally near City Hall Counterprotesters could be seen spraying mace while members of the anti-vaccine rally screamed death threats Counterprotesters could be seen spraying mace while members of the anti-vaccine rally screamed death threats, the Times reported. One man could be heard screaming 'unmask them all' while others lunged at the cameras of journalist. Although there is no blanket rule mandating people get vaccinated in California, some cities are now requiring proof of vaccination to enter certain businesses, including New York City. KPCC radio reporter Frank Stolze was seen walking out of the park near City Hall being screamed at by anti-mask protesters, the Los Angeles Times reported. One man was seen kicking him. Stolze told a police officer he had been assaulted while trying to conduct an interview. Stolze later tweeted: 'Something happened to me today thats never happened in 30 yrs of reporting. In LA. @LAist. I was shoved, kicked and my eyeglasses were ripped off of my face by a group of guys at a protest - outside City Hall during an anti-vax Recall @GavinNewsom Pro Trump rally.' Stolze added that he is in good condition. Young demonstrators hold a US flag and a poster reading 'No more Masks' during an anti vaccination protest A man bleeds from the head as anti-vaccination protesters and counter protesters fight during an anti-vaccination rally A fight erupted on the corner of 1st and Spring streets shortly after 2:30pm It was not immediately clear how the fight started, though each side quickly blamed the other A demonstrator wears a t-shirt reading 'Unmasked, Unmuzzled, Unvaccinated, Unafraid' during an anti vaccination protest A demonstrator holds a poster reading 'Unmasked, Unmuzzled, Unvaccinated, 100% Unafraid, Jesus has me' during an anti vaccination A demonstrator wears a cap reading 'Make Politicians Afraid Again' during an anti vaccination protest in front of City Hall A sticker reads 'Trumpinator - I'll be Back' during an anti vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles, California An anti-vaccine rally at Los Angeles City Hall turned violent Saturday, with one person stabbed and a reporter saying he was assaulted, according to police and protesters on the scene Advertisement Another massive wildfire erupted in Utah on Saturday and torched more than 3,000 acres in the span of a few hours as 6,000 people were placed under evacuation orders. The Parleys Canyon Fire broke out at around 2pm on the south side of Parleys Canyon near Highway I-80. All residents of Summit Park, Pinebrook, Mill Creek Canyon, Timberline, and Lambs Canyon are being asked to evacuate. Some residents are refusing to evacuate, causing stress to first responders as it is interfering with their efforts to extinguish the fire and 'putting first responders in danger.' Six-thousand to 8,000 homes are at risk of being affected as the fire has grown to be 2,500 to 3,000 acres as of 4.45pm. Utah Fire Info estimates 2,000 structures are in danger, as well as, powerlines, leaving 2,500 homes without power as of 6pm. As of 10.30pm local time the fire was still zero percent contained. Whoa! A birds eye view from @KSLChopper5 of the fire up Parleys Canyon. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/4se4GeoeZW Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) August 14, 2021 Parleys Canyon Fire is very hot and is endanger several counties, homes, businesses, and power lines. Residents have been asked to reduce their usage of mobile phones to keep the network available for emergency personnel An aerial shot of the fire that is burning across Utah. The fire is moving rapidly and causing visibility to be low due to smoke Parleys Canyon Fire started around 2pm today and the sheriff's department is urging residents from Summit Park, Pinebrook, Mill Creek Canyon, Timberline, and Lambs Canyon to evacuate immediately The fire started after faulty catalytic converter that ejected hot particles onto the roadside and set three bushes on fire Both sides of Highway 180 were shut down right before 3.30pm and federal and state agencies sent in six air tankers, six engine tankers, and a collection of helicopters and ground resources to help. A Fox News reporter reported live from the scene at around 6pm that the fire was heavy hot. He said: '[The smoke plumes] are a very important indicator when you're looking at fires of how hot the fire is burning, how much the fire is really taking off. It is really going straight up, that means the smoke is very hot, which means the fire is very hot and has the potential to spread much, much faster.' Utah Fire Info has determined the cause to be a faulty catalytic converter that ejected hot particles onto the roadside. There were three bushfires spotted on the side of I-80 near mile marker post 137 between Lambs Canyon and Summit on Saturday around 2pm. The smoke plumes from the fire are going straight up, indicating that the fire is very hot and has potential to spread much faster There are helicopters dropping water over the the hotspots of the fire by using water buckets that they refill in large water sources nearby I-80 was shut down on both sides by 3.20pm. Westbound has since reopened completely, but Eastbound is down to one lane. Residents are being asked not to use the road to allow emergency vehicles in The fire is currently zero per cent contained and is estimated to be burning across 3,000 acres A Type 2 team, who deals with large fires, has been ordered to assist, as well as, other ground and air support. A Type 3 team was requested earlier. Although Mill Creek has not been asked to evacuate yet, the upper part of Mill Creek Canyon has been closed to hikers. An evacuation center has been set up at Park City High School for Summit Park evacuees. Lambs Canyon residents were sent an emergency notice asking for them to leave now and make sure all the doors and windows of their homes were closed. They were also asked to minimize phone usages to leave the network for emergencies. Utah Fire Info reported the fire has started to slow as of 10pm. This comes in the wake of the Dixie Fire in California that has been burning for over a month. As of 10.30pm, the Dixie Fire has been 31 percent contained by fire teams, according to Cal Fire. The smoke is making it hard for ground teams to control the fire. There are a dozen air teams helping contain it as well The fire has started to slow as of 10pm. 2,000 structures are in danger and 2,500 homes are without power There is currently four fires blazing in Utah. The Parleys Canyon Fire is located in the northern part of the state and still growing The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Park City High School. They remind residents to bring a mask and check in with a volunteer when they arrive Dixie is currently burning over 537,776 acres of land without an expected containment date. More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed with nearly 15,000 threatened. Lassen County is under a mandatory evacuation, while Butte county is advised to. There are several road closures due to Dixie as well. There are also 10 wildfires currently burning through California, covering over a million acres in the state. Premier Dan Andrews has warned he won't open the Victorian border until NSW beats its Covid outbreak, even if 80 per cent of its population is vaccinated. NSW recorded 415 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths overnight, just 24 hours after a record 466 cases and four more deaths on Saturday. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged the start of a return to normality in the state when vaccination rates hit 70-80 per cent. As of Sunday, 26.54 per cent of the population over 16 is fully vaccinated and it's expected to take another 88 days to reach 80 per cent at the current rate. Premier Dan Andrews has warned New South Wales he won't be opening the Victorian border to even double-jabbed Sydneysiders until NSW case numbers fall. But Mr Andrews said that alone would not be enough for him to allow visitors from NSW into Victoria if case numbers remain high. 'They'll be locked out of here. They won't be getting in here,' he said. 'If you open at 80 per cent with thousands of cases, you're going to have more people in hospital than if you open at 80 percent - as I hope to - with hopefully a very small number of cases. 'There are agreed steps. Once you get to 70 per cent... once you get to 80 per cent. That's that national plan. Everyone is signed up to that national plan.' NSW recorded 415 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths overnight, just 24 hours after a record 466 cases and four more deaths on Saturday. Seen here are Sydneysiders at Bondi on Sunday Mr Andrews said he was sick of going back and forth on the topic, as in National Cabinet the NSW premier was in agreement with everyone. 'People go out and do press conferences and say things and maybe lead people to believe they're walking away from the plan when in fact they're not,' he said. 'I don't know why we keep doing this dance. Premier Dan Andrews has vowed to keep even double-vaccinated Sydneysiders out of victoria until the state's case numbers fall dramatically. Seen here are police enforcing NSW-Victoria border controls at Mallacoota 'I hope I've never said anything that gives anybody an impression that I'm going to go it alone. I'm not.' Mr Andrews clarified, as did Ms Berejiklian at her own press conference, that NSW's plan was to ease the lockdown in September, but not remove it entirely. That would come after at least 70 per cent were vaccinated. Where the two differ, however, is whether cases also need to be low for lockdown to end at that point. On Saturday it was announced that the whole of NSW, including regional areas, will be plunged into a seven-day lockdown at 5pm as case numbers spiral out of control. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged the start of a return to normality in the state when vaccination rates hit 70-80 per cent Victoria is in the midst of its sixth lockdown which looks like it will be extended on Thursday after the state recorded new 25 cases on Sunday. Mr Andrews said he wanted to avoid months of lockdown like New South Wales and encouraged residents to get the jab and reach the 80 per cent vaccination target. 'What I'm trying to achieve is that we can be open for some of the time between now and getting to 80 per cent, not locked down like NSW are going to be for months and months,' he said. 'I know it's very difficult, I know it's hard, I know no one's enjoying this. But we can't pretend this is over because we desperately want it to be.' Rubino, 29, was pronounced dead after being discovered unconscious in his barracks room at Fort Bragg on Friday US Army officials are investigating the death of a 29-year-old paratrooper whose body was discovered in his barracks at the Fort Bragg base in North Carolina on Friday. Pfc. Mikel Rubino, of Oroville, California, was declared deceased after being found unconscious his barracks room by emergency medical services. 'This is a tough loss for his command and fellow Paratroopers,' wrote Rubino's Col. Phillip J. Kinniery III, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. 'The loss of Mikel to his family, friends, and fellow Paratroopers is a tragedy,' he added. 'We mourn Mikel's passing alongside his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.' Rubino joined the Army in 2020 and moved into Fort Bragg earlier this year. Pictured: a sign for at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Rubino was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team Rubino joined the Army in 2020 and arrived at Fort Bragg earlier this year Kinniery III stated Rubino's decorations and awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Parachutist Badge. He had served as an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. On Thursday, thousands of troopers with Rubino's army contingent from Fort Braggs 82nd Airborne Division were sent to evacuate the US Embassy in Kabul amidst ongoing violence in the region at the hands of the Taliban. The terrorist cell has captured large swaths of Afghanistan ever since President Joe Biden formally announced in April the removal of American troops out of the country by September 11. Rubino is survived by his wife, Alyssa, and daughter Legacy, and his mother Sheila On the day Rubino's death was announced, Biden sent 1,000 US troops to the war torn country in an effort to secure an 'orderly and safe drawdown' of American diplomats and non-military personnel in Kabul, according to WITN. Military strategists have predicted the fall of the Afghani capital to occur within the next day or so, with Taliban insurgents only 40 miles away from Kabul as of yesterday. Meanwhile, Rubino's sudden and mysterious death is currently under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department, according to army officials. He is survived by his wife, Alyssa, and daughter Legacy, and his mother Sheila. Queensland has recorded zero new Covid-19 cases and tightened its border closure with New South Wales over fears of its regional outbreak spreading interstate. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was 'very concerned' about the detection of Covid-19 cases in regional NSW including in the state's north and Byron Bay. NSW responded on Saturday afternoon by locking down all of its regional areas for at least the next seven days. 'Because all of NSW is in a lockdown position, there should be very minimal movement over that border,' Ms Palaszczuk said during a press conference on Sunday. Queensland has recorded zero new Covid-19 cases and tightened its border closure with New South Wales over fears of its regional outbreak spreading interstate Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was 'very concerned' about the detection of Covid-19 cases in regional NSW including in the state's north and Byron Bay 'This is probably the tightest our border controls have been put in place, they are very strict... we are checking people and of course there's very minimal reason for that movement. 'It's only if you're an essential worker and we'll be checking freight.' New South Wales recorded 415 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths with additional cases recorded in regional cities. The number of confirmed cases in Dubbo now sits at 59, while western NSW has 63 - four of which are in Walgett. Ms Palaszczuk has warned that the 143-strong Indooroopilly cluster, in Brisbane's west, is unlikely to have fully exhausted itself. 'We are not out of the woods yet - if you have any symptoms, please go and get a test, that's critical,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Sunday. One Covid-19 case was uncovered in hotel quarantine. Deputy Chief Health Officer James Smith advised all people in southeast Queensland, especially the Gold Coast, to wear a mask. Queensland recorded six new locally acquired cases on Saturday, including a one-year-old child who is currently in hospital. Authorities said the infant case, the youngest in the current cluster, showed how easily the Delta strain infected children. Advertisement The harsh divide of Sydney's lockdown was on full display on Sunday, as those in the east flocked to the beach to make the best of the final day of the 10km travel limit, while thousands living in the hotspot LGAs continued to suffer under tighter restrictions which has left once bustling streets deserted. For those on the well-heeled coast, lockdown still gives them chance to go to the beach, swim in the sea and stroll through the lush parklands on their doorstep for their daily exercise. But for those in the city's south-west and west, it's a very different story. Sydney in lockdown is a grim tale of two cities. Pictured here are beachgoers exercising at Sydney's Bondi on Sunday Police horses patrol the beaches as sunbather soak up the winter sun on Bondi Beach on Sunday despite the lockdown restrictions In Sydney's west, it is the worst of times with empty streets and abandoned shops. Seen here is Guildford on Sunday Bleak empty streets lined with shuttered businesses offer little to anyone. Seen here are youths walking through Fairfield in Sydney's south-west. Bleak empty streets lined with shuttered businesses offer little to anyone. Police helicopters circle overhead and members of the ADF patrol the street. Families are banned from Sunday gatherings and no-one can travel more than 5km from home without a special exemption or risking a $5,000 fine under the new stay-at-home orders from midnight on Monday. The geographical constraints can mean families with children have nowhere for the youngsters to play and let off steam - and give their beleaguered parents a breather. In the beachside suburbs of the east, they can at least make the best of it. Crowds flocked to the seaside to enjoy the sea air. in Bondi on Sunday There was a high police presence at Bondi Beach, pictured, ahead of strict new restrictions coming in overnight on Sunday In Sydney's south-west restrictions are already some of the harshest the country has seen since the pandemic began last year. Seen here is a shopper in Guildford on Sunday Lockdown laws in 12 local government areas in Sydney's south-west and west will become even stricter overnight on Sunday and fines for breaches go up from $1000 to $5000. Seen here is a woman shopping in Guildford in Sydney NEW STAY AT HOME FINES IN NSW The increased fines for Public Health Order breaches are: $5,000 on the spot fine for breaching self-isolation rules (up from $1,000) $5,000 on the spot fine for lying on a permit $5,000 on the spot fine for lying to a contact tracer $3,000 on the spot fine for breaching the two-person outdoor exercise/recreation rule (up from $1,000) $3,000 on the spot fine for breaching rules around entry into regional NSW, which restrict travel except for authorised work, inspecting real estate or travelling to your second home Advertisement The sight of police and ADF personnel patrolling the streets, like this pair in Bankstown, has now become commonplace in Sydney's west Under new Stay At Home restrictions, streets in Sydney's west and south-west like this one in Fairfield, now lie empty Pictured: Surfers congregate together as they catch waves at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, August 15, 2021 Pictured: Despite lockdown beachgoers sit and walk at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Sunday, August 15, 2021 Pictured: Police enforcing lockdown are seen speaking with beachgoers sitting on the sands at Sydney's Coogee on August 15, 2021 Instead they may have only the limited comforts of their own homes to see them through this relentlessly growing outbreak. Meanwhile for those with water views, Sunday was a perfect opportunity to soak up an unseasonably warm winter's day, swimming in the ocean before drying off on the sand - albeit watched over by police. Since the latest outbreak began in Bondi on June 16 - and the current lockdown was gradually phased in from June 26 - 7,745 have been infected in NSW and 48 have died. The latest NSW outbreak began in Bondi on June 16 but cases in the city's east have dwindled since then. Beachgoers are seen being talked to by police on horseback on Bondi Beach on Sunday Since the current outbreak began, 7,745 have been infected in NSW and 48 have died, mainly in the west. Seen here is a woman being spoken to by police in Bondi on Sunday NSW recorded another 415 new cases and four deaths on top of the four deaths and record 466 cases announced on Saturday. Police horses are seen here patrolling Bondi Beach on Sunday Police helicopters have been seen circling overhead ordering locals off the street in the west. Seen ere are the quiet streets of Penrith, lying empty on a normally busy weekend On Sunday, the state recorded another 415 new cases and four deaths on top of the four deaths and record 466 cases announced on Saturday. All hope of lockdown restrictions being lifted on August 28 now look to have been abandoned. The state is now chasing double-dose vaccination rates of 70 to 80 per cent while also tackling the rising case numbers as its way out of the Covid crisis. As of Sunday, 26.54 per cent of the population over 16 is fully vaccinated and it's expected to take another 88 days to reach 80 per cent at the current rate. The whole state is now in lockdown after a snap decision on Saturday afternoon to include the rest of regional NSW from 5pm for a week. Locals in Sydney's poorer suburbs in the west may have only the limited comforts of their own often small and cramped homes. Pictured here an empty street in Penrith Despite the lockdown, those in the well-heeled east can still go to the beaches on their doorstep without breaching stay at home restrictions. Seen here are the crowds at Bondi on Sunday The whole of NSW is now in lockdown after a snap decision on Saturday afternoon to include the rest of regional NSW from 5pm for a week. Seen here are mounted police patrolling Bondi Beach on Sunday But it is Sydney's west and south-west which has so far borne the brunt of the outbreak and the lockdown. Strict restrictions for 12 local government areas in those areas have seen them under some of the harshest lockdown laws seen in Australia since the pandemic began. Workers needing to travel outside their LGA have had to be tested every three days and a previous 10km limit on shopping and exercise has now been drawn even tighter to a strict 5km. In the east though, it is like a different world. Families enjoy the winter sunshine on the beach and exercise in the sprawling parks. Dogs frolic in the seas alongside beachgoers in their swimsuits while police watch on benignly, occasionally telling people to move on with a warning of a possible fine. Sydney's west and south-west which has so far borne the brunt of the outbreak and the lockdown. Streets like this one lie empty as families obey stay at home orders In the east, locals throng to coastal walks and parents stop and talk while their children run and play nearby. Mounted police, seen here, patrolled Bondi Beach as many baked in the sun Locals throng to coastal walks and parents stop and talk while their children run and play nearby. Despite the move to outlaw crowds flocking to the sunshine, NSW Health has previously acknowledged there had been no known cases of outdoor transmission and that while it is technically possible, the chances are miniscule compared to the chance of infecting another person indoors with little ventilation. A case in Newcastle which was traced back to a beach party is still under investigation but contact tracers are looking at the possibility the infection was passed on through carpooling on the way to or from the gathering. Despite the move to outlaw crowds flocking to the sunshine, NSW Health has previously acknowledged there had been no known cases of outdoor transmission. Seen here are the ghostly streets of Penrith in Sydney's west Blacktown, seen here, is in one of the 12 local government areas under NSW's strictest lockdown restrictions Despite the stay at home orders, Sydneysiders in the east still flocked to the beach. Seen here are beachgoers at Maroubra on Saturday Questions remain about the need for the latest clampdown on people being outdoors. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has conceded there is still 'no strong evidence about outdoor transmission'. The new laws were in response to police requests to curtail the mobility of Sydneysiders, she said. The new NSW stay at home laws were in response to police requests to curtail the mobility of Sydneysiders, said Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Seen here are the near empty streets in the centre of Blacktown on Friday She added: 'Not only will the police commissioner receive what he wants in terms of additional powers or additional resources, but more than what he needs and wants.' Although the current outbreak began in Bondi when a flight crew limo driver became infected and spread it through the eastern suburbs before he tested positive, case numbers there have now dwindled. NSW HEALTH-APPROVED REASONS TO LEAVE HOME A reasonable excuse is if you need to: - obtain food or other goods and services locally - leave home to go to work if - you cannot reasonably work from home and - the business is allowed to be open - leave home for education if it is not possible to do it at home - exercise and take outdoor recreation in the local government area you live in or 5km from your home - go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination. Advertisement Of Sunday's 415 cases, just 37 were from Sydney's eastern suburbs, south-east, North Shore and Northern Beaches. Mounted police patrolling Bindo Beach on Sunday are pictured here Of Sunday's 415 cases, just 37 were from Sydney's eastern suburbs, south-east, North Shore and Northern Beaches. However 307 were from Sydney's west, south-west and inner west as the disease tightens its grip on the densely populated, sprawling suburbs. Ms Bereiklian paid tribute to those who were helping the state fight the virus - but said the new restrictions were needed to actual turn around the numbers and start to bing them down. 'That's why we're asking people to take notice,' she said. 'We are so grateful to the vast, vast majority of people who are doing the right thing. More than 300 of the 415 new cases in NSW on Sunday were from Sydney's west, south-west and inner west. Seen here are the deathly quiet streets of Blacktown on Friday 'But Delta doesn't leave any room for error. Even a handful of people doing the wrong thing creates absolute havoc. 'One or two people who've moved around in particular ways have caused havoc across a number of local government areas. 'It only takes a handful of people doing the wrong thing and that's why the role of police is so critical.' A seven-year-old boy has died after contracting a rare, brain-eating waterborne parasite from a lake in California late last month. David Pruitt, died from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, otherwise known as PAM, on July 30 after being hospitalized the same day in his native Tehama County, his aunt Crystal Hayley told CBS News. Pruitt's family confirmed the boy's death on August 7. 'We are sad and broken-hearted to report that our sweet little David has passed on,' the family wrote on GoFundMe. 'He is now in the loving arms of our Lord and family members who have passed before him. We are rejoicing in knowing he is no longer in pain and in the best of care.' The parasite in question, called Naegleria fowleri, is typically contracted once contaminated water enters the body via the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. David Pruitt (pictured) died after being hospitalized on July 30 for a rare brain-eating parasite Naegleria fowleri (pictured) is typically contracted once contaminated water enters the body via the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventio The deadly amoeba is often found in warm fresh bodied of water such as rivers or lakes, however several cases have been reported while swimming in poorly-treated pools. 'Once the amoeba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal,' it said. The CDC reports that those who contract the parasite initially suffer from severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. Those who have contracted it have also reported a stiff neck and even hallucinations and seizures as the infection worsens. Hayley added that the family 'wants people to be aware of this amoeba and the illness signs.' David's death came almost a year after a six-year-old Texas boy, Josiah McIntyre, died in September 2020 after contracting the same strain of parasite at either the Lake Jackson splashpad or a hose at his family's home, CBS News reported at the time. Josiah McIntyre (pictured) was just six when he contracted the same deadly parasite as David Pruitt in September 2020 Three samples of contaminated water taken from the Lake Jackson splashpad were tested by the CDC two weeks after McIntyre's death, and all three ultimately tested positive for the deadly bacteria. At a benefit days after McIntyre's tragic passing, his mother recounted the life her boy lived. 'He was an active little boy,' Maria Castillo told CNN at the time. 'He was a really good big brother. He just loved and cared about a lot of people.' Naegleria fowleri infections are rare, according to the CDC, with only 34 infections reported in the US from 2010 to 2019. And in California, there have only been 10 reported cases since 1971, according to an August 4 press release by Tehama County Health Services Agency. A man and a woman are fighting for life after a horrific head-on collision between a bus carrying 20 passengers and a car. Emergency services rushed to Logan, about 10.20am on Sunday after the vehicles crashed on Mundoolun Road, Mundoolun, in southeast Queensland. Queensland Ambulance Service said 19 people were rushed to different hospitals with varying injuries. The woman, aged in her 20s, was cut from the wreckage by fire crews and treated by paramedics, then airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital. A man was later airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition. A man and a woman have been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition after a horror head-on collision between a bus and car in Queensland's southeast. Pictured: A helicopter arrives at the scene Paramedics treat he young woman at the site of the Mundoolun crash, which has injured 19 people 'A further nine patients, one a female with a chest injury, were transported via road stable to Princess Alexandra Hospital and eight stable patients were transported to Logan Hospital,' Queensland Ambulance said. 'Three patients were assessed at the scene however declined further transport.' Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said five fire crews were dispatched to the scene at 10.15am to free two people from the wreckage. Firefighters used hydraulic tools to rescue the two badly injured passengers with one freed by 11.26am and the second at 11.39am. The crash crash occurred close to the Mundoolun Estate on John Collins Drive. Queensland Police said the two critical patients were the drivers of the bus and the car, but it was not yet clear who was driving which vehicle. Police are yet to determine where the bus had come from and where it was heading when it crashed on Sunday morning. Pictured: A map shows the region where the vehicles collided It said the same two people were believed to be those cut from the vehicles. Police said it was a 22 seater bus, which is believed to have been at full capacity. Police are yet to determine which company owned the bus, where it came from, or where it was headed. Emergency services remain on the scene and the forensic crash unit is investigating. Traffic diversions are in place and motorists are urged to avoid the area. A former neonatal ICU nurse has revealed how she quit her hospital job to start an OnlyFans account where she is now earning up to $75,000 per month. Allie Rae - the pseudonym she adopted upon taking up sex work - was working at one of the top hospitals in Massachusetts when her co-workers discovered her sexy Instagram account and later subscribed to OnlyFans, she told the Daily Beast this week. In December 2020, Rae faced her first 'Mean Girls' moment after six nurses in her unit stumbled across her Instagram account and reported it to her boss. She got off with a warning, as she didn't use her real name, nor stated where she worked. Allie Rae, who uses a pseudonym, quit her job as a NICU nurse after her co-workers subscribed to her OnlyFans account and reported it to her boss She now makes between $65,000 and $75,000 a month on the platform selling videos and pictures Three months later, her co-workers subscribed to her OnlyFans account, which she set up in September 2020 after getting many requests from her Instagram followers. After consulting her husband many months ago, they decided to try it out. They now post pay-per-view sex videos and subscriptions. Rae said her co-workers only subscribed to her channel to screenshot it and send it to her boss. 'They subscribed and paid to my OnlyFans account to screenshot it and bring it to my manager,' Rae recalled to the Daily Beast. 'It was like Mean Girls for adults.' She offers pay-per-view videos for $7-$30 that include her masturbating and performing sex acts with her husband Rae joined the platform in September 2020 after her Instagram fans suggest she do. Her co-workers discovered her account in March 2021 Her manager told her to 'delete or leave' and Rae left. 'I didnt even need the money I was making more money on OnlyFans than I was as a nurse and was only doing it because I loved it,' she said. By the end of Rae's first day on Instagram, she had 20 subscribers, so she started posting every other day. She rounded out her first month making $8,000, surpassing her monthly nursing income. She realized it was easy money and she could escape the horrific environment of COVID-19 in hospitals. Instead of taking care of babies in the NICU, Rae is now selling pay-per-view videos - that cost anywhere between $7 to $30 - of her masturbating and performing sex acts with her husband, as well as $12.99 subscriptions. Rae now makes $65,000-$75,000 a month on the platform, as verified by documents the Daily Beast received and is considering moving to Florida with her family. She and her husband moved their family to Florida after she quit her job at the hospital in March, narrowly missing her doctorate in nursing. They are considering by a house down there with all the money they've received from her OnlyFans account. As to her children knowing her line of work, she just recently brought it up with her two oldest children, who are 17 and 18. Their 12-year-old is still in the dark. Recalling the moment she told them, she told the Daily Beast: 'We took the two older kids out to dinner and I told them I was doing some influencer-type work, and they were like, "We got it. Were good."' She has since blocked them and their friends on all platforms. Rae, who started out in the Navy before finding her passion for nursing, said 'the wound is still fresh' and she missing nursing. One thing she doesn't miss is the 14-hour shifts. Nowadays, she enjoys spending more time with her family and getting to make her kids breakfast every day. NSW Police have busted 49 people shamelessly breaching lockdown to hold parties, barbeques, and clifftop gatherings. The state recorded 415 new cases on Sunday and four more deaths as it battles to contain the highly infectious Delta strain. Some 529 fines were handed out across NSW for breaches of the public health order on Saturday, with 29 people charged. Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said 31 of the notices were handed to a group of young people caught mingling on a clifftop in Sydney's eastern suburbs. 'Unbelievably, 31 infringement notices were issued to a group of young people who thought it was a good idea to have a public gathering on the cliffs at Clovelly,' Deputy Commissioner Willing said. Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said 31 of the notices were handed to a group of young people caught mingling on a clifftop in Sydney's eastern suburbs (pictured) Deputy Commissioner Willing said 'significant police resources were used to break up the gathering'. Another 10 fines were given to a group of people who went to a barbeque lunch at Blacktown, in Sydney's Covid hit western suburbs, on Saturday. 'I would love to go to a barbecue lunch with my friends and family, but now is simply not the time,' Deputy Commissioner Willing said. 'We are faced with a situation with the Delta variant that spreads across young people, so it is particularly disappointing to see young people involved in breaches of the public health order.' Eight infringements were also issued 'to people who thought they could gather in a residence at Jesmond near Newcastle', Deputy Commissioner Willing said. Attendees closed the garage door upon seeing officers and fled the property. Deputy Commissioner Willing said 'significant police resources were used to break up the gathering'. Several youths are spoken too by police after officers broke up the illegal gathering Police spoke to the occupants of the house and three revellers were tracked down nearby by police dogs. The 529 people fined narrowly escaped far bigger fines with police handed stronger powers to enforce regulations. NSW Police indicated it would be out in full force from Monday in affected local government areas, with officers able to impose fines of up to $5,000 for breaching health orders. Some 800 ADF personnel will also be out on the streets. Deputy Commissioner Willing urged residents to follow stay at home orders, warning officers across the state would crack down on rule-breakers. 'We need 100 per cent of people to stay at home and comply with the orders. Not 90 per cent,' he said. 'Unbelievably, 31 infringement notices were issued to a group of young people who thought it was a good idea to have a public gathering on the cliffs at Clovelly,' Deputy Commissioner Willing said Youths are spoken to by police near the Clovelly cliffs where they held the illegal gathering 'Police don't want to enforce these additional powers but we will and make no excuse for that. 'Please stay at home, protect your loved ones and your family. Do it for them and New South Wales and we can reverse directory of the current variant. ' Deputy Commissioner Willing said police were enacting plans that were developed some time ago which hoped never to use. 'Those plans have been designed for specific at-risk communities and we need everybody to abide by the public health orders,' he said. 'Police don't want to enforce these additional powers but we will and make no excuse for that. 'Please stay at home, protect your loved ones and your family.' A young man speaks to police after the event, and appears to have been given a mask to wear by police Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing (pictured) said 529 fines were handed out across NSW for breaches of the public health order on Saturday, with 29 people charged Sunday was NSW's second highest number of daily Covid cases, after 466 infections were recorded the day before. The four deaths additional deaths included an unvaccinated woman in her 50s, another in her 70s who had one jab, a man in his 80s and a vaccinated woman in her 80s who had an underlying health condition. Meanwhile, there are 381 Covid patients in hospital across the state, with 62 fighting for life in ICU, including a 15-year-old who also has meningitis. NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said she had 'grave concerns' about Sydney's Covid crisis as she warned case numbers were likely to continue soaring if residents ignore pleas to stay at home. 'These case numbers are too high,' a visibly emotional Dr Chant said during a press conference on Sunday. 'We need to see these case numbers go down, and we all have a part to play. I cannot stress enough the seriousness of the current situation, and I have grave concerns these case numbers will continue to escalate.' Dr Chant said it would take more than vaccinations to defeat the Delta variant. 'There is no silver bullet and vaccination is not a silver bullet. It is a tool,' Dr Chant said. 'Vaccination alone will not get us out of this situation. We need to follow the public health orders.' NSW entered a state-wide lockdown on Saturday night after Sydney's outbreak spilled into regional areas. Pictured: People walk along Bondi Beach on Sunday Police have been handed additional powers to penalise those caught breaching the public health orders. Pictured: Mounted police patrol Bondi Beach on Sunday She continued: 'While we have put in additional controls, everybody needs to have a great sense of responsibility to follow the rules. 'I understand how hard it is that we have been entered this lockdown for such a prolonged period. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian described Sunday's numbers as 'a welcome drop' with much more work to be done. She said the new cases are concentrated around western Sydney, specifically in Blacktown, Mount Druitt, Merion, Maryland, Orban and Guildford. On Monday, Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast will enter their eighth week of lockdown, which is unlikely to end on August 28 as infections surge. The statewide lockdown was announced after rising numbers in regional areas and virus fragments were found in sewage systems in places with no known cases. The enhanced police measures were implemented not for public health reasons but to help officers police lockdown measures, Ms Berejiklian said on Saturday. Police Minister David Elliott said every officer in NSW was compelled to ensure lockdown compliance. 'From Tweed Heads to Albury,' he told the Nine Network. The Australian Medical Association had implored NSW to lock down the whole state, saying the health system could no longer manage the increase in COVID-19 case numbers. 'Our already fragile rural and regional health system will be unable to cope with increases in cases,' AMA NSW President Danielle McMullen said in a statement. NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant begged New South Wales residents to follow the public health orders and stay at home after the state recorded 415 new cases on Sunday Restrictions also tighten in Sydney from next week, with exercise cut to 5km from home, down from 10km for some parts. Ms Berejiklian also announced that people in Sydney will need a permit to travel to regional NSW and single people will need to register their 'singles buddies'. In newly-locked down regional areas, people must only leave their residence for an essential reason. Everyone must carry masks at all times, no visitors are allowed in the home unless for carers' responsibilities or for compassionate reasons, and those in a relationship. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said he hoped the regional NSW lockdown would not persist for longer than seven days. Meanwhile, the federal government has announced rapid antigen testing will be progressively rolled out in residential aged care facilities across Greater Sydney. This would ensure more regular resident and visitor testing. 'Given the rate at which we know the Delta variant can be spread between people, the very fast turnaround of RAT - around 15 minutes - makes these tests useful in preventing asymptomatic transmission and outbreaks as they can be used on a daily basis,' Health Minister Greg Hunt said. Ms Berejiklian has previously stated a goal of six million vaccinations by month's end. More than five million jabs have been administered in NSW to date. A nurse who lost her husband and daughter during Jake Davison's mass shooting posted a family photograph just hours before they died. Becky Martyn, 42, who works in intensive care in Plymouth, shared the picture of her children including Sophie, three, at 2.30pm on Thursday. Her friend and fellow nurse Laura Newall, 36, who went to a vigil for the five victims of the attack yesterday, said the image was 'heartbreaking'. Just hours after the picture was uploaded, Davison gunned down Lee Martyn, his daughter Sophie and three others before he killed himself. But two other people he shot - a mother and son - are expected to make a full recovery. Ben Parsonage, 33, has already left hospital following the vicious attack while Michelle, 53, will have an operation to fix her arm before she is also discharged. As special prayers are to be said in Plymouth today for the victims: The Independent Review of Terrorism Legislation said the Government could start treating 'incel' shootings as terrorism incidents; It was warned that there are 10,000 people in Britain with 'incel' views; Priti Patel laid flowers at the scene of the massacre and described the killings as 'tragic beyond words' but declined to answer questions about gun control; Mourners also left hundreds of bouquets; A former leading prosecutor said Davison was 'exactly the type of person' the authorities should have had on a watchlist. Becky Martyn, 42, who works in intensive care in Plymouth, shared the picture of her children including Sophie, three, at 2.30pm on Thursday. Pictured: The family in May Just hours after the picture was uploaded, Davison gunned down Mr Martyn and Sophie (pictured) and three others before he killed himself Mrs Martyn uploaded the picture of her children to her Facebook account about three and a half hours before the shooting. Ms Newall told the Sun: 'Becky posted a photo on Facebook at about 2.30pm on Thursday of the children on a day out. 'They looked so happy. It is heartbreaking, it was just hours before it happened. 'I worked on the children's ward upstairs in the hospital and she was downstairs. We are a close unit and we are all in shock.' Mr Martyn has been hailed a hero for his brave attempts to shield his daughter when the Davison struck. The terrified pair were running from the 22-year-old shooter as tiny Sophie was pushing a toy pram. They were said to be 'silent' as they fled the gunman, before the father was shot in the back from 15ft away. Mr Martyn has been hailed a hero for his brave attempts to shield his daughter when the Davison struck Sophie and Lee were rushed to nearby Derriford hospital, where Lee's wife Becky works, but both passed away despite the medics' best efforts He then fell on his daughter and spent the last moments of his life trying to protect her. The witness said: 'A man was running with his little girl who was pushing a toy pram as she ran. There was no noise or screaming, they were just running. 'This bloke with the gun stopped about 15ft from them, raised his gun to his shoulder, and shot the man in the back.' They added: 'He fell on to his daughter, protecting her even though he may have been dying.' Davison shot the innocent pair at least two more times at close range to 'finish them off'. He is said to have 'hovered' over their bodies for a moment before carrying on down the road to hunt more victims. The witness added: 'He walked up and stood over them and fired from inches away to finish them off. 'It looked like first he shot the man in the head, then through the body, and I think that shot went through and killed the child.' Davison had targeted the man and child moments after killing his own cancer survivor mother Maxine at her home nearby, before randomly selecting victims. They were rushed to nearby Derriford hospital, where Mrs Martyn works, but both passed away despite the medics' best efforts. Mr Martyn's family friend paid tribute to the father who made the 'ultimate sacrifice' as he tried to save his daughter. In rambling and unsettling films made in the weeks before his rampage, he described an obsession with The Terminator and repeatedly mentions to 'incel' movement linked to mass shootings in the US Jake Davison's shooting spree in a quiet suburb of Plymouth on a summer's evening is Britain's worst for more than a decade Dan Sobey, who runs a fitness business, said Mrs Martyn had brought Sophie to his class when she was just six months old. The 40-year-old told the Mirror: 'Lee made the ultimate sacrifice. It brings a lump to my throat talking about it. 'As a friend and neighbour, we have real sympathy for them. You can see from photos how much of a strong, lovely family they were.' Mr Sobey added: 'She was a very cute little girl, with floppy red hair, and turned into a lovely little toddler. 'Someone else who used to train at the same gym as Becky told me they would see Sophie toddling around there too.' It emerged last night two others who Davison shot - a mother and son - are expected to make a full recovery. Mr Parsonage has already left hospital following the vicious attack while Michelle will have an operation to fix her arm before she is also discharged. Ben's brother Jordan revealed through Facebook his mother was 'expected to make a full recovery'. He said: 'Just a little update on my mum and brother, Ben is now home and going to make a full recovery. 'My mum has to have an operation on her arm and is expected to make a full recovery. 'Also want to say a massive thankyou to everyone who's messaged and called about there concerns about my family it really means a lot. 'And lastly what I don't appreciate is the stupid and pathetic rumours that have been made up about this horrific situation! 'Other than the people who were involved only know the truth that has happened. If you could all just show your respect for the people who lost their lives and to the people who were involved and effected by this and just keep your opinions and speculations to yourself. 'This is a very difficult situation at the moment and we need to stand together to keep the peace.' Ben's brother Jordan revealed through Facebook his mother was 'expected to make a full recovery' Special prayers are set to be said in Plymouth today as the city mourns the five killed - which has left the local community shocked and saddened. Concerns have been raised over how gunman Davison got a firearms licence and carried out his rampage before turning the gun on himself. Tributes poured in for those shot dead, including his mother and a three-year-old girl, with flowers, cuddly toys and candles left nearby to the scene in Keyham. Churches across Devon, including St Thomas' Church in Keyham, are expected to use their Sunday services to remember the victims, with a special prayer written by the Bishop of Exeter, Robert Atwell. Father David Way said: 'I really thought long and hard about that, I really thought it through. Should I say a prayer for Jake or not? 'But he was a Christian, so I felt I had to. Our gospel teaches of forgiveness, and I thought it was important. We should also remember that he is a product of the world we live in. 'This is a generation now where the majority of people are on social media, and are subjected to extremist views and hatred. We are becoming increasingly aware of the influence of that.' Father David added: 'I just want to say to people over the next weeks and months to really come together, as we are seeing already. 'And to anybody who is suffering from hatred or mental health problems, please seek help. If there's anything we can do in the church, we are here.' Parishioner Stuart Atkinson, 49, visited St Thomas' Church this morning to sign a condolence book set up there for the victims. He said: 'I didn't know them personally, I just felt I had to come down to do my little bit and sign the book. 'I only live a couple of streets over from here. It's just really sad that it's so close to home. 'I'm still going out and about as normal, but it's different now, there's just the constant reminder of it. But there's been a lot of support from local people.' Parish Priest David Way during a service at St Thomas Church in Plymouth, Devon, on Sunday Churches across Devon, including St Thomas' Church in Keyham, are expected to use their Sunday services to remember the victims. Pictured: St Thomas Church in Plymouth A worshipper bows her head during the Sunday service at St Thomas Church in Plymouth today Special prayers are set to be said in Plymouth today as the city mourns the five killed - which has left the local community shocked and saddened. Pictured: Dad Ricky Fenn and daughter Mazie Shalders have painted five green hearts on their house in memory of those who died It comes as a former Metropolitan Police chief said officers should trawl through social media accounts of people applying for firearms licences to ensure 'guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people'. Former commissioner Lord Stevens told The Sunday Telegraph Davison was 'clearly a dangerous man'. He added: 'The videos he made should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence. 'There needs to be a trawling of online content for an in-depth assessment of who these people are and what they think.' Social media posts and interactions offered insight into the mind of a man who was interested in guns and America, while his social media usage suggests an obsession with the 'incel' culture, meaning 'involuntary celibate'. Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats accused Home Secretary Priti Patel of dragging her feet over advice to tighten the rules on issuing firearms and shotgun licences. The party said Ms Patel had so far failed to act on recommendations in a Home Office consultation document calling for new suitability checks before a licence is awarded - despite warnings of 'fundamental gaps' in the system. A Tory source hit back accusing the Liberal Democrats of 'playing politics' just days after the killings. Luke Pollard (pictured with priti Patel yesterday), Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said there was a 'sense of anger' among local residents at how the events of the atrocity unfolded Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said there was a 'sense of anger' among local residents at how the events of the atrocity unfolded. He told BBC Breakfast: 'I think people's emotions have changed from shock and disbelief into now feeling that profound loss of the five people who were killed. 'But also a sense of anger. Wanting to know the questions as to how was this allowed to happen, why did this happen, and were there opportunities to stop this happening that were not taken? 'We need to get to the answers of those and that will take some time, and police need to be able to have the space to do it. But we need to make sure the community gets those proper answers because they deserve them.' An investigation is already under way into Davison's possession of a shotgun and a firearms licence, which were returned to him after being removed at the end of last year. The police watchdog launched an investigation following a mandatory referral from Devon and Cornwall Police, which contains preliminary information that Davison's firearm and licence were returned to him in early July this year. The certificate and shotgun had been removed by police in December 2020 following an allegation of assault in September 2020, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. However, Davison's firearms licence was returned after he attended an anger management course, according to reports. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the launch of the investigation by the IOPC, but asked: 'How on earth did he get a gun licence in the first place?' Davison shot his 51-year-old mother Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, at a house in Biddick Drive before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father Lee Martyn, aged 43. In the 12-minute attack witnessed by horrified onlookers, Davison then killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Derriford Hospital. Davison also shot two local residents who are known to each other, a 33-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, in Biddick Drive, who suffered significant injuries but which are not believed to be life-threatening. Devon and Cornwall Police said they received multiple calls about the incident at 6.11pm on Thursday, with armed and unarmed officers arriving at the scene within six minutes and Davison found dead by 6.23pm. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the issue of how the shooter came to legally own a gun to be 'properly investigated' and described the shooting as an 'absolutely appalling' incident. Devon and Cornwall Police said on Saturday that an online page has been launched for those who may have information to assist with the investigation into the mass shooting. The force added that post-mortem examinations are taking place and due to continue into early next week. It is believed the mass shooting, which police are yet to establish a motive for, began with a 'domestic-related incident' between Davison and his mother. Plymouth killer's school teacher tells how he was obsessed with guns and had a history of compulsive disorder and anger issues - so how is it possible he was allowed to have a shotgun? A teacher who knew Plymouth killer Jake Davison expressed his fury and disbelief last night that his former pupil was allowed to own a shotgun and revealed that he had been obsessed with firearms from a young age. In the wake of Davison's terrifying rampage during which he massacred his mother, a three-year-old girl and her father, a dog walker and a bystander stunned teacher Jonathan Williams described the decision to grant him a gun licence as a 'catastrophic mistake'. Mr Williams, who taught English, drama and music to Davison at Mount Tamar special school in the Devon city said: 'You have to ask, what the hell were they thinking giving him this licence? 'If you ask anyone who was involved in Jake's schooling whether giving him a licence was a good idea, they would all tell you absolutely not. 'How is it possible that a police officer read Jake's history of obsessive compulsive disorder, anger issues and depression and concluded he should be allowed to own a firearm? 'It was a catastrophic mistake with utterly tragic consequences. Something went badly awry and you can't help but feel this whole tragedy could have been avoided. There will be serious questions now about who is responsible for all this happening. 'I'm imagining what we, his teachers, would have thought about the prospect of him requesting a gun licence. We would probably have laughed in disbelief to be honest.' A teacher who knew Plymouth killer Jake Davison expressed his fury and disbelief last night that his former pupil was allowed to own a shotgun and revealed that he had been obsessed with firearms from a young age Mr Williams, who taught the killer when he was aged 14 to 16, recalled how Davison's obsession with guns developed as a boy Weapon licensing laws in need of urgent overhaul, says expert A firearms expert last night called for an overhaul of gun licensing laws in the wake of Jake Davison's murderous rampage. Under the current system, would-be gun-owners are assessed by their local police, who judge whether they have a 'good reason' to own a firearm and whether they pose a threat to the public. But an expert last night said police forces were failing to visit people in person at home, and that there were insufficient mental health checks. Weapons expert Mike Yardley said: 'There is a glaring error in the way the licensing system works. We need to have more people laying eyes on people in their own home.' Davison, 22, who was autistic, was stripped of his shotgun licence last December, following a violent altercation with his father Mark. The gun was returned to him in July after he attended an anger management course. A month later, he blasted to death five people including his mother - before turning the gun on himself. It is unclear what checks were made on Davison before his licence was reinstated, but Mr Yardley said someone would have had to vouch for him. He queried why vetting officers had overlooked Davison's disturbing YouTube videos, in which he described himself as a 'Terminator' and said he had been 'defeated by life'. He said: 'This was clearly a disturbed young man. It does not take an awful lot of research to work that out. How on earth could he be given a licence? There will be a lot of questions for everyone involved.' Advertisement Mr Williams, who taught the killer when he was aged 14 to 16, recalled how Davison's obsession with guns developed as a boy. He said: 'He used to have books and books about guns. Whenever I put a film on in class which had a gun in it, he would instantly recognise it and knew the exact make and model. I remember him saying: 'Oh, that's a Glock' and he would be right. 'His mum Maxine and I decided to try to help him get into the Army Cadets as an outlet for his fascination. She was extremely supportive and only wanted to do the best for him, and I remember going out to help get him boots.' Mr Williams said Davison's autism diagnosis should also have barred him from holding a shotgun licence. He questioned whether the 22-year-old had been receiving adequate care in recent years and believed that the killer would have had a 'bright future' if he had been given the right support. He spoke of his shock that the boy he once described as the 'success story of the year' had gone on to shoot dead five in Britain's first 'incel' mass shooting named after a misogynistic online subculture of 'involuntary celibates' unable to find a sexual partner before turning the gun on himself. He said: 'It is utterly horrifying and tragic. My heart goes out to Jake's friends and family, as much as to those of his victims. 'For me, having spent so much time with him and done all I could to help him, for it to end like this is heartbreaking. Jake would have had an education, health and care plan, which means the State would be required to provide support up to the age of 25. Was he really receiving the support needed?' Mr Williams's comments came as Devon and Cornwall Police faced mounting criticism over their decision to return Davison's shotgun licence after an alleged assault last December. Friends of the killer's victims, as well as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard, called for urgent answers as to why the permit was given back to him last month after attending an anger management course. In a 12-minute massacre, Davison first shot dead his 51-year-old mother, then killed three-year-old Sophie Martyn and her adoptive father, 43-year-old Lee. His two next targets Ben Parsonage, 33, and his mother Michelle, 53 both survived. He then killed 59-year-old Stephen Washington, who was walking his two pet huskies in a nearby park. His final victim was Kate Shepherd, 66, who was smoking a cigarette outside a hair salon. Last night, Mr Williams added that despite Davison being well-built as a teenager, he never had to physically restrain him. 'We often had problems with some students, I don't remember ever having to use physical force with Jake,' he said. 'He was never violent. In fact, he was often very gentle and kind with his classmates. 'He liked to get people involved with class activities and he was witty too. He had fantastic creative writing skills too and was just very thoughtful. It is just utterly tragic to think what has happened.' Jake Davison's mother Maxine was the first to be killed. She and other relatives are claimed to have begged the police and NHS to help him with mental health problems 66-year-old Kate Shepherd was Davison's final victim, and was gunned down by Blush hair salon in Plymouth Jake Davison then moved on towards a nearby wooded area where he shot and murdered dog walker Stephen Washington, 59, (above) Vicar says Plymouth community has been left 'devastated' by mass shooting A Plymouth vicar today said how the city had rocked by Thursday's mass shooting. Father David Way, from St Peter and the Holy Apostles Church, said the community was trying to rally together after shooter Jake Davidson, 22, carried out his deadly rampage, killing five people before turning the gun on himself. Today Father David Way told BBC Breakfast: 'Devastated is just one of many emotions over the last couple of days. All kind of things have been felt. 'There is anger piling up. Of course a lot of it will be looking perhaps towards the police, because of the shotgun and licence. But it's important to remember these were the same people running into the situation as it was unfolding. These are people that went through 'I would rather anger was channelled towards people in social media who are egging on people and causing so many problems with people's mental health.' Asked about the community and its reaction to the shooting, he said: 'We will be praying for those who are killed, but something which has been in my mind all the way through, I have to pray for mercy for Jake. 'As Christians we have to love our enemies, the community is in my heart, the people who died are also, but also everyone involved in this. He praised the community as strong and loyal, adding: 'It's a lovely area, very quiet area normally, and it's actually been silenced by what has taken place. 'Many people have been her for generation after generation, there are new people coming in, but it's a very close community and I am hopeful that is going to hope in the days to come.' Advertisement Meanwhile, a relative in the Shetlands where 51-year-old Maxine's family came from, who asked not to be named, criticised the authorities. Another unnamed relative added: 'The family members up here in Shetland are traumatised, we struggle to string a sentence together as we are all devastated not just for our family, we are grieving for every single person that was affected by this and we have to live with that for the rest of our days.' Survivor Ben Parsonage is a former junior boxer whose strong character will help him cope with Davison's murderous rampage, a family friend said last night. The friend, who asked not to be named, said Ben was a promising teenager fighter who had boxed at shows across the West Country. He said: 'He was well respected at junior level. His mum Michelle used to travel with him and watch him ringside. 'He is a strong character and he knows how to look after himself. I do feel he will come through this, though. He has a good family and a lot of good friends ready to support him.' Speaking to community leaders in Keyham, Ms Patel said: 'The impact of this will be long-standing. It's a very sad time, very tragic. I think in the aftermath, so many people will be affected. 'People will have seen things that, quite frankly, in all our lifetime we would never, ever want anybody to witness or experience. 'It's very hard. But you are not on your own, there is a great deal of support.' Former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West Nazir Afzal told BBC radio that there were 10,000 people with 'incel' views like Davison in the country. Mr Afzal said: 'How many of them, a small minority, are a threat? We have to recognise that we have a responsibility to identify them and share that information. 'He was exactly the kind of person that you would be keeping an eye on or the authorities should be keeping an eye on.' Meanwhile, the Government is likely to consider treating so-called 'incels' as terrorists if there are more attacks like the Plymouth shootings, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has said. Jonathan Hall QC told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'The question is really whether or not the authorities want to treat the incel phenomenon as a terrorist risk. That would involve diverting resources or putting resources into it. 'If we see more of these sorts of attacks, then I have got no doubt that it will be treated more seriously as terrorism.' Home Secretary Priti Patel and Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Shaun Sawyer, visiting the tributes in Plymouth today Hayley Locke, 37, who also works for the NHS in an admin role, was another woman who came down to the park to pay her respects. Pictured: Members of the public today SO WHAT TURNED THIS 'COMPASSIONATE' BOY INTO A MASS MURDERER? Gunman Jake Davison was praised as 'compassionate' and a 'success story' in a glowing school report. His former teacher Jonathan Williams wrote that classmates had warmed to 'his exceptional sense of humour, compassion, readiness to accept the rules and to help others', and that he had 'learned to 'develop strong friendships'. The report, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, contrasts starkly with the disturbing YouTube videos Davison recently posted in which he railed against women, claimed he had been 'defeated by life' and that he was 'fat and ugly'. Mr Williams, who taught autistic Davison for three years at Mount Tamar special school, wrote in 2013 that Jake had been 'the success story of this year'. Davison, described as 'compassionate' by his former teachers shot multiple people and then himself last night in the worst shooting atrocity in Britain for 11 years He wrote: 'At the beginning of the year, much of Jake's attitude and behaviour were typical of children with his condition. 'Something seems to have had a terrific effect on Jake, as over the year he has made exceptional progress, both on modifying his behaviour and putting in a much harder effort with his work. 'His grades have increased considerably in literacy and other subjects. 'The real change, however, has occurred in Jake's social skills, where he has learned to develop strong friendships. 'It is particularly pleasing to see Jake involve himself in Army Cadets, and the support he has received at home should ensure that this becomes a rewarding and valuable part of his training. 'I'm really pleased with Jake this year, and look to him to set the example to other students next year.' Last night, Mr Williams said: 'I really thought Jake had a bright future ahead of him. I just can't believe that the kind young man with such a bright future turned out like this. It's an utter tragedy.' Survivors accused authorities of not giving them proper warning and allowing building inside flood zones Advertisement The death toll in Turkey's devastating flash floods has now climbed to 55 victims with hundreds more missing - as the country battles disaster on two fronts after eight more people died in a fire-fighting aircraft crash. The country's official disaster agency AFAD said teams were combing through the rubble of dozens of homes that collapsed due to the floods that hit Black Sea regions after heavy rains. It comes as southern Europe swelters in near record-breaking temperatures due to the 'Lucifer' heat dome. The intense heat has sparked some wildfires in Spain, with emergency crews rushing to tackle blazes north of Madrid and near Valencia on the country's east coast. Wildfires have been raging on hillsides along Turkey's southern coast areas, although some have since been brought under control. In the Turkish village of Babacay in the northern province of Sinop, 40 houses and two bridges were completely destroyed by the floods, according to state news agency Anadolu. The latest official death toll published Saturday by AFAD stood at 55, with nine other people in hospital. Floods survivors accused local authorities of not giving them proper warning about the dangers of incoming storms and that several collapsed buildings had been built in flood zones. Flash flooding in Turkey has claimed at least 55 lives, the country's official disaster agency AFAD confirmed last night. Pictured: Partly collapsed buildings are seen after the deadly flash floods in Bozkurt district of Kastamonu Rescue teams were still combing through the rubble of dozens of homes that collapsed due to the floods that hit Black Sea regions after heavy rains Floods survivors accused local authorities of not giving them proper warning about the dangers of incoming storms and that several collapsed buildings had been built in flood zones In Bozkurt in Kastamonu province, one eight-storey building constructed on the banks of the Ezine river collapsed Turkey was facing disasters on two fronts last night as the death toll for flash floods on the Black Sea coast rose to 55, and a fire-fighting plane crash killed eight in the country's south In Bozkurt in Kastamonu province, one eight-storey building constructed on the banks of the Ezine river collapsed. Footage shot by survivors showed furious river waters flooding the streets in just a few minutes, carrying off cars and traffic signs. The government - which did not adopt the 2015 Paris climate accord - has denied that the sudden rise in water levels was linked to a hydro-electric power station further up the river. Last night officials in Ankara and Moscow also announced that all eight people on onboard a Russian fire-fighting plane had perished on a mission to control the wildfires. Russian President Vladimir Putin - who is battling 'unprecedented' wildfires in northeastern Siberia - sent condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erodgan saying 'the pain of this loss unites us'. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added: 'Condolences to our nation and to the Russian people. This heroic sacrifice will not be forgotten.' In Moscow, the defence ministry said five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens were on board the Russian Be-200 plane that went down around midday. Last night officials in Ankara and Moscow also announced that all eight people on onboard a Russian fire-fighting plane had perished on a mission to control the wildfires Private news agency DHA said the plane crashed as it was fighting a forest fire in the inland Bertiz region. It said the cause of the crash had not yet been identified The plane, which was carrying five Russian army personnel and three Turkish officers, was pictured in flames as it bellowed thick black smoke into the air The plane, which was carrying five Russian army personnel and three Turkish officers, was pictured in flames as it bellowed thick black smoke into the air (Pictured: The amphibious Beriev BE-200 model) Television footage showed a column of smoke rising from the remote mountainous zone in Turkey's south. Turkey's defence ministry issued a statement saying the aircraft on loan from Russia had taken off from Adana to help extinguish fires burning in Kahramanmaras province. A surveillance plane and a helicopter had been dispatched to the crash site, the ministry added. Scientists believe natural disasters like the floods and wildfires are becoming more intense and frequent because of global warming caused by polluting emissions. Spain is hit by wildfires as the country swelters in 116F heat on hottest day of the year so far - as 'Lucifer' heat dome puts 16 Italian cities on red alert Intense heat is threatening to spark wildfires across Europe's southern coast today, as temperatures along the Mediterranean soared over 100F. Spain endured its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures topping 113F (45C), while authorities in Italy expanded the number of cities on red alert for health risks to 16, as a heatwave engulfed southern Europe. The hottest temperature by late afternoon was recorded in Ecija, Seville, at 115.7F (46.5C), just shy of the country's all-time record of 116.42F (46.9C) hit in Cordoba in July 2017. Europe's heat record came in Athens in 1977 at 118.4F (48C). In Robledillo, a town just north of Madrid, fires broke in bushes and trees that threatened neighbouring houses. Some 191 soldiers of the Spanish Emergency Unit were sent to help local firefighters to deal with the blaze. There were also dramatic pictures from the village of Azuebar, near Valencia on Spain's east coast, where a helicopter was seen dumping payloads of water on a forest fire that started a day before. At least 500 hectares were destroyed in the fire and the village's residents had to be evacuated In the southern Spanish province of Granada however, where the mercury rose to 114F (45.4C), few people ventured outside. Those who did sought shade and stopped to take photos of public thermometers displaying the rocketing temperatures. Intense heat is threatening to spark wildfires across Europe's southern coast today, as temperatures along the Mediterranean soared over 100F. Pictured: A resident battles flames in the town of Robledillo, central Spain Dramatic pictures from the village of Azuebar, near Valencia on Spain's east coast, show a helicopter dumping payloads of water on a forest fire that started a day before. At least 500 hectares were destroyed in the fire and the village's residents had to be evacuated Spain endured its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures topping 113F (45C), while authorities in Italy expanded the number of cities on red alert for health risks to 16, as a heatwave engulfed southern Europe Spain has endured its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 113F (45C) across the country. The highest figure - 115.7F (46.5C) - was recorded in Ecija, Seville Conditions however were manageable for people in Benidorm where hundreds took to the beaches Floods in Turkey are the latest in a bout of extreme weather in the Mediterranean which has baked in blistering temperatures this week and which are expected to rise again on Friday as the 'Lucifer' heat dome continues to grip southern Europe Ice cream parlours did a brisk trade, and some restaurants installed sprinklers to spray mists of water over sweating guests. Miriam Garcia, a student, wished she had not stepped outside. 'It is very hot, we have to drink water and put on sun cream all the time, stopping to have a drink at a bar every so often,' she said. 'It would be better to be at home than in the street, it's so hot.' Dominic Roye, a climate scientist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, said hot air from the Sahara Desert that has brought days of heat and fuelled hundreds of wildfires across Mediterranean countries shows no signs of ending any time soon. 'The heatwave we are experiencing now is very extreme and a lot of people are saying that it's normal, as we are in summer. But it's not, not this hot,' Mr Roye said. With night-time temperatures forecast to exceed 77F (25C) in much of Spain, Roye worried about residents who cannot afford air conditioning and other vulnerable people, like the homeless or outdoor workers. Ice cream parlours did a brisk trade, and some restaurants installed sprinklers to spray mists of water over sweating guests. Others searched for water fountains in Madrid (pictured) Dominic Roye, a climate scientist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, said hot air from the Sahara Desert that has brought days of heat and fuelled hundreds of wildfires across Mediterranean countries shows no signs of ending any time soon. Pictured: A street thermometer in San Rafael bridge, Cordoba, hits 51C A woman lies on a bench during a heatwave in Madrid, Spain yesterday The intense heat is the result of a 'Lucifer' heat dome that continues to hold a grip over southern Europe 'The more intense the heat, the higher the mortality risk,' he said. 'When you have high night temperatures, our bodies are prevented from resting. 'The body is working and working to cool down. We have found a strong link between mortality and night temperatures exceeding 20C (68F).' Authorities in Italy also raised concerns about older adults and other people at risk as they expanded heat warnings to 16 cities. Temperatures over 110F were forecast for the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Catania, and as high as 98F (37C) for Rome, Florence and Bologna, all places that the health ministry put on red alert. Italians sought respite at the sea and in the mountains from the aptly named Lucifer anti-cyclone that was bringing hot air from Africa during Italy's peak summer holiday weekend. High temperatures were forecast to continue through Sunday, the traditional Ferragosto holiday on the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary, which marks the summer holiday exodus from Italian cities. In Rome, drinking fountains provided relief, while authorities kept tourists away from ornamental fountains like the famed Trevi Fountain, fearing imitators of Anita Ekberg's soaking in the film La Dolce Vita. 'I put my head under the water at each fountain, drinking a lot, staying in the shade as much as I can,' said Alessia Pagani, who was visiting from the northern city of Brescia. High humidity accompanied the high temperatures, making it feel even hotter. Storms in the north were forecast to bring the first signs of relief starting on Monday. 'More than anything else, fresh air from the Atlantic will bring a coolness and greater ventilation that will sweep away the humidity and make the air much more breathable,' Lt Col Filippo Petrucci of the Italian air force's weather service told RAI state TV. The body of a female cyclist has been found floating in mangroves along a river bank north of Sydney. Emergency services attended Spike Milligan Bridge at Woy Woy on the NSW Central Coast on Sunday following reports of a woman's body found in shallow waters of the Brisbane Water. A passer-by found the grim discovery in mangroves about 250 metres south of the bridge in shallow waters near a purple bicycle. Other pedestrians and passing motorists also stopped to try to revive the woman as they waited for emergency services to arrive. Police identified the body belonging to a 42-year-old woman. A woman's body found in shallow waters of the Brisbane Water noth of Sydney on Sunday. Pictured are emergency services at the scene A man and young boy believed to be the womans family later arrived at the scene looking distraught. The shocked man cradled the boy while sitting on the footpath as he spoke to police, while emergency crews shielded the scene from passing cars, the Daily Telegraph reported. A crime scene was established and is still being examined by specialist officers. The incident sparked traffic chaos with vehicles banked up along Brisbane Water Drive for the rest of the afternoon. The woman's body was found 250 metres south of Spike Milligan Bridge at Woy Woy Police are investigating if the woman ended up in the waterway after a fall or suffered a medical episode, with her death not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the Coroner. Police have urged anyone who was riding or walking along the cycleway and noticed the woman on the bike or has dashcam vision to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Advertisement The US ambassador and embassy staff are fleeing Afghanistan after taliban forces stormed Kabul. In a scene mirroring that of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war, a US Air Force helicopter was seen taking off from the US embassy earlier today. The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital. Later, the ambassador and the embassy flag were seen at an airport after the insurgents made huge gains across the country. Smoke was also seen rising from near to the US embassy earlier today as security staff work to burn any important documents, including CIA information, or material that could be used 'in propaganda efforts'. The US flag is soon expected to be lowered, signalling the official closure of the embassy. It comes as the US steps up its evacuation of Kabul with Taliban fighters quickly moving in 'from all sides'. Shots were heard on the outskirts of the capital earlier today, much earlier than first anticipated, before fighters poured into the city. US Intelligence officials had expected Kabul to hold out for three months, while UK ministers were hoping they had until the end of the month. Leaders of the extremist group have today demanded the Afghan government surrender the city to them in a bid to avoid bloodshed - adding the chilling warning 'we've not declared a ceasefire'. As many as 10,000 US citizens are being evacuated from the city. Around 3,000 US troops are being sent to aid the mission. Meanwhile, Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, while RAF planes are being scrambled from around the world, to airlift more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. It is believed that by Saturday night that the number of UK officials still in Afghanistan had been reduced to the 'low tens' - including ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow. The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie and his remaining embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days. There are also fears about the safety of thousands of translators who are concerned they may be viewed as 'traitors' by the extremist Taliban. It is understood the plans is to evacuate the translators and their families, though there are concerns that the evacuation efforts may be hampered if fighters quickly reach Kabul airport. Taliban officials today demanded foreigners who don't leave to register their presence with Taliban administrators in the coming days. While western countries such as the US and UK have opted to evacuate staff, Russia today confirmed that it did not intend to evacuate its embassy staff in Kabul. A twin-rotor US Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy earlier today, as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up pace The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital (pictured) The US Embassy in Kabul has been ordered to destroy sensitive materials and evacuate as Taliban fighters move in on the capital Anti-missile decoy flares are deployed as U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters and a dirigible balloon fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan Security Engineers will stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Pictured: Smoke rises next to the US Embassy in Kabul today The US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has been the intelligence hub of the US's war on terror Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, to begin airlifting more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. Pictured: Members of Joint Forces Headquarters get prepared to deploy to Afghanistan The Taliban is now closing in on the capital of Kabul from all sides, now controlling territories in the north, south, east and west The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow (pictured) and his embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days The Fall of Saigon - 1975 Pictures showing US embassy officials being evacuated from Kabul are almost the mirror image of those taken during the 'Fall of Saigon' in 1975. Also known as the 'Liberation of Saigon' by the North Vietnamese, the event saw the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Kong capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon - now called Ho Chi Min city. During the offensive, US officials were told to evacuate the city. But because of continuing rocket fire on the nearby runways, US officials urged that any evacuation must take place by helicopter. So began Operation Frequent Wind, officially declared by the US radio stations putting Irving Berlin's White Christmas on repeat - the signal for US staff to begin evacuation. The embassy evacuation managed to fly out 978 Americans and about 1,100 Vietnamese citizens. Ambassador Graham Martin was flown out to the USS Blue Ridge, where he pleaded for helicopters to return to the embassy. His pleas were overruled, though many locals were still rescued by sea and boats after. Saigon was later turned over to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Advertisement As the Taliban advance continues, following the decision by the US to pull its troops out, gunfire was today heard near the presidential palace in Kabul. The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the last major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents. The terror group said in a statement they do not intend to take the capital 'by force' after entering the outskirts of the city. An Afghan official earlier confirmed Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered, saying it was 'the only way to save civilian lives.' Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Jalalabad is close to the Pakistani border and just 80 miles from Kabul - the Afghanistan capital home to more than four million people and currently the only remaining major city still under government control. Besides Kabul, just seven other provincial capitals out of the country's 34 are yet to fall to the Taliban. Concerns are mounting over how long Kabul can stave off the Taliban insurgents as they have captured the northern stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif, the second-largest city Kandahar and third-largest city Herat all within the last 48 hours. The Taliban are now closing in on the capital from all sides, controlling territories to the North, South, East and West and advancing to just seven miles south of the city. Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar province, told The Associated Press that the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district on the outskirts of the capital, which was gripped by blackouts, communications outages and street fighting overnight Saturday as the country descends into chaos. A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul. A Taliban fighter sits inside an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on Sunday Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell Residents and fighters swarm an Afghan National Army vehicle on a roadside in Laghman province as the insurgents take control of major cities Last days of the US Embassy in Kabul: Nerve center of the war on terror is being gutted of all sensitive material as staff and CIA assets The US Embassy in Kabul - the nerve center of the war on terror - is being gutted of all its sensitive material and evacuated in 72 hours, as the Taliban coils around Afghanistan's capital. The Embassy's demise will create an intelligence void that could plunge the US into pre-9/11 blindness, unless it can find another nearby country that will allow it rebuild its spy center. For the past 20 years, the US Embassy in Kabul has gathered vast amounts of information that shaped counterterrorism military actions - such as precision drone strikes - and prevented another 9/11-type attack. The location allowed CIA agents to meet with sources and monitor the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region. 'When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the US government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact,' CIA Director Bill Burns told Senators in April. Everyone in the Embassy - except Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service agents and top decisionmakers, including the ambassador - will be out of the country before the end of Tuesday. Security Engineers will also stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Embassy or agency logos, American flags 'or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts' are also considered to be sensitive materials and will be destroyed. The military is prepared to lower the American flag flying above the Embassy - at the State Department's order - signaling the Embassy's official closure. Advertisement Today the Taliban said they aim to take the city, but say they have no plans to take Kabul 'by force'. Leaders of the extremist group say they don't want a 'single Afghan to be injured or killed' during the hostile takeover - but warned 'we've not signed a ceasefire yet'. Just last week, US intelligence estimates expected the city to be able to hold out for at least three months. A senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in on US buildings. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' Meanwhile, in the UK, Boris Johnson is facing calls for a last-ditch intervention to prevent the complete collapse of Afghanistan. The lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the capital amid fears it could fall within days or even hours. But amid a hurried scramble for safety, helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way - 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan - the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of 'like-minded nations' to see what could be done. 'I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state,' he told Times Radio. 'We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. 'We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.' Guns seized by Devon and Cornwall Police are returned to the owners amid fears of being sued, an ex-firearms licensing officer has claimed after the Plymouth shooting. The ex-official, who asked not to be named, said 'nothing was ever done' about security concerns with armed residents. They claimed the police solicitor was worried about being sued over a licence revocation - which meant weapons were passed back to the holder. It comes as urgent questions are being asked of the force over why incel shooter Jake Davison had a gun licence and was given it back following an alleged assault. Devon and Cornwall Police admitted last night it did not do any web checks on the 22-year-old - who killed five people on Thursday - before handing back his shotgun. Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said officers feared invading his privacy if they looked at his social media. But a former Met Police chief blasted the idea, saying police should trawl through people's posts so 'guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people'. Former commissioner Lord Stevens said Davison's disturbing videos on YouTube 'should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence'. The ex-official claimed 'nothing was ever done' about security concerns with armed residents. Pictured: Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer talks with locals yesterday It comes as urgent questions are being asked of the force over why incel shooter Jake Davison (pictured) had a gun licence and was given it back following an alleged assault Davison shot his mother Maxine Davison, 51, before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, three, and her father Lee Martyn, 43. In the 12-minute attack, Davison then killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Derriford Hospital. Davison also shot locals Ben Parsonage, 33, and his mother Michelle, 53, but both are expected to make a full recovery. Since the attack urgent questions have been raised as to why Davison - who had autism, OCD, anger issues and depression - was allowed a shotgun licence. The former firearms licensing officer claimed Devon and Cornwall Police returned weapons to their owners because the force's solicitor feared being sued. They told MailOnline: 'Every gun I seized was eventually returned as the force solicitor feared being sued over a licence revocation. 'I used to do at least five home visits everyday to check on security and raised concerns about lack of action regarding licensing breaches. Nothing was ever done.' Last night the force's Chief Constable Sawyer admitted police did not go through Davison's social media before returning his weapon. Luke Pollard (pictured with Priti Patel yesterday), Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said there was a 'sense of anger' among local residents at how the events of the atrocity unfolded A teacher who knew Plymouth killer Jake Davison expressed his fury and disbelief last night that his former pupil was allowed to own a shotgun and revealed that he had been obsessed with firearms from a young age In rambling and unsettling films made in the weeks before his rampage, he described an obsession with The Terminator and repeatedly mentions to 'incel' movement linked to mass shootings in the US Mr Sawyer claimed officers feared doing so would be an invasion of the killer's privacy. He told the Sun: 'We take and return firearms on a not irregular basis when people have emotional crises or we receive reports from family members, then they can be returned. 'What we don't do, because firearms licensing is a lawful thing, is trawl the internet looking at people's lives. That's an invasion of privacy.' Davison was given his shotgun back last month after having it taken from him in December following an alleged assault in September. He used the weapon to kill the five people and himself on Thursday afternoon in a quiet road in Plymouth. Despite Mr Sawyer's claims, former Met Police chief Lord Stevens said social media accounts should be checked before handing out gun licences. He said that it would be to ensure 'guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people'. He told Telegraph that Davison was 'clearly a dangerous man', adding: 'The videos he made should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence. 'There needs to be a trawling of online content for an in-depth assessment of who these people are and what they think.' Despite Mr Sawyer's claims, former Met Police chief Lord Stevens (pictured) said social media accounts should be checked before handing out gun licences Social media posts and interactions offered insight into the mind of a man who was interested in guns and America, while his social media usage suggests an obsession with the 'incel' culture, meaning 'involuntary celibate'. Special prayers are being said in Plymouth today as the city mourns the five people killed in the shooting spree. Tributes poured in for those shot dead by Davison, including his mother and a three-year-old girl, with flowers, cuddly toys and candles left near the scene in Keyham. Churches across Devon, including St Thomas' Church in Keyham, will use Sunday services to remember the victims, with a special prayer by the Bishop of Exeter. Father David Way, the vicar of St Thomas', told BBC Breakfast: 'Most importantly we will be praying for those who were killed. 'But something which has been taxing my mind all the way through is I also have to pray for mercy for Jake on his soul. 'As Christians, we have to love our enemies, and look with love on people who cause us harm. 'So yes, the community is in my heart, the people who died innocently are in my heart and in my prayers, but also everybody involved in this situation, I have to make sure we keep in our prayers.' A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: 'The circumstances surrounding Jake Davison's shotgun certificate, and any information Devon and Cornwall Police had relating to him, are now the subject of an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). 'We are therefore unable to comment further. The force is fully cooperating with the IOPC's enquiries.' Thousands of young Australians will finally get the chance to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as New South Wales is set to roll out new Pfizer jabs across transmission hotspots in Sydney. Anyone aged 16 and over will be eligible to book a priority vaccination appointment from Monday, if they work in authorised industries and live in one of nine government areas of concerns. That means freight, distribution, delivery or bus drivers, as well as construction workers, meat workers, food workers and disability, health and aged care workers, will all be able to jump the Covid jab queue and get their first shot between August 16 and 22. It comes as the federal government received an extra one million doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Poland on Sunday night after striking up a deal with the Eastern European country. Thousands of young Australians will finally get the chance to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as New South Wales is set to roll out new Pfizer jabs across transmission hotspots in Sydney. Pictured: Bondi Beach The federal government received an extra one million doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Poland on Sunday night after striking up a deal with the Eastern European country (stock image) Am I eligible for the Pfizer shot? Anyone aged 16 and over who works in essential services and lives in Sydney's areas of concern are eligible to get priority vaccination appointment. You can book the jab online at NSW Government website. WHAT ARE AREAS OF CONCERN? - Eight LGAs: Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta - Penrith suburbs: Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys WHO IS CLASSIFIED AS AUTHORISED WORKERS? HEALTH CARE, AGED CARE AND DISABILITY CARE - A person who provides health services within the meaning of the Health Services Act 1997 (whether or not in the public or private sector) or a registered health practitioner (each a 'health services provider') - A person who provides ancillary or support services to the work of a 'health services provider' (as defined above) (including, for example, cleaners, cooks and security providers at hospitals) - A person employed or engaged to provide services to persons with disability or vulnerable persons - A person employed or engaged at a residential aged care facility - A person employed or engaged by the Department of Communities and Justice to provide housing or homelessness services - A community housing provider - Staff working in chemists and pharmacies CONSTRUCTION - A person who works on a construction site in Greater Sydney - A construction site is a place at which work, including related excavation, is being carried out to erect, demolish, extend or alter a building or structure, or at which civil works are being carried out, but not work carried out in relation to a dwelling in which a person is residing. FREIGTH AND TRANSPORT - Seaport and airport operations - Freight, logistics, postal, courier or delivery services including food logistics, delivery and grocery fulfilment and delivery of building supplies to support construction but not including home and office removals -Export supply chain operators - Distribution of food, groceries and sanitary products for sale by supermarkets, grocery shops or other shops that predominantly sell food or drinks - Road transport (passenger and freight) apart from taxi, rideshare and chauffeur services MEAT WORKERS - Workers at licensed meat processing businesses where they are directly involved in the manufacturing and distribution process, where the work is in a cold environment and where workers are unable to maintain distancing requirements. Included: Abattoir workers, including attending veterinarians, Workers in boning rooms, smallgoods manufacturers, cold chain transport workforce, seafood processing, retail workers including butcher shops, fishmongers FOOD WORKERS - Production and manufacturing of food, beverages, groceries, cleaning and sanitary products - Food processing and manufacturing - A person employed or engaged to work for a retail premises specified below: - Supermarkets and neighbourhood shops - Shops that predominantly sell food or drinks - Food and drink premises, but only as permitted under clause 24(1)(b) of the Order - Industrial or commercial food retailing EDUCATION - Education and schooling - Early childhood education and care Advertisement NSW's desperate bid to ramp up vaccinations follows a record 465 coronavirus infections on Saturday and a further 415 cases on Sunday. While the entire state is now in lockdown with transmissions spot fires flaring up in regional areas, Sydney's west remains the new epicentre of the outbreak after the virus spread from the eastern suburbs in June. The Local Government areas deemed areas of concern by NSW Health include Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and some suburbs of Penrith. Young people who live in these areas are considered especially vulnerable when it comes to catching the virus. They are also most likely to infect others because they are the most mobile age group. In order to book the jab visit the NSW Government website, but be fast because the priority vaccine vaccination appointments will end on August 22. Among the conditions is that you must book both doses at the same specially set up clinic. So you will not be able to book your first dose at one clinic and then book the second dose at another. The system will offer you a date for the second dose once you've chosen a date for the first one. A young tradie receives a Covid vaccination at Macquarie Fields in Sydney on Sunday during a vaccine drive day aimed at construction workers Anyone aged 16 and over will be eligible to book a priority vaccination appointment from Monday, if they work in authorised industries and live in the 12 local government areas of concerns. Pictured: A construction worker in Sydney Australia has reached a significant milestone in its race to get vaccinated with 50 per cent of the adult population receiving their first dose. Adding to the good news is that an extra million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine have arrived from Poland, Suring-up the mass-vaccinate Sydneysiders. About 530,000 of the additional Pfizer doses will be used for adults in the 20-39 age group in the 12 key local government areas worst affected in Sydney. The new doses are on their way to Australia after negotiations with the Eastern European country to take surplus doses off its hands. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the million doses were in addition to the 40 million Pfizer shots arriving in batches since the start of the year. Australia has bought an extra million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine from Poland and will use them to mass-vaccinate Sydneysiders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) has revealed The boost comes as New South Wales recorded its darkest day since the Covid-19 pandemic began on Saturday with 466 new infections and another 415 reported on Sunday 'These 1 million doses of hope, which will give people [hope] right across the country, particularly in NSW,' he said. 'They are fighting this Delta strain in the most significant battle we have had in this country during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic up until now. 'This allocation of the doses is based directly on the advice that I have received from the Chief Medical Officer. 'This will give everyone aged 20-39 in the 12 LGAs the opportunity to be vaccinated.' Pictured: Residents queue up for their dose of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the Homebush vaccination centre in Sydney on August 2, 2021 Mr Morrison said Doherty Institute modelling suggests the transmissibility of the virus can be addressed through these additional doses. 'The doses will be administered through the NSW Government system, and as I said, they are arriving late tonight, they will go through that process of delivery over the course of the next week,' he said on Sunday. 'Further doses will turn up over the course of this week, and the balance of the doses will be provided to the remaining states and territories on a per capita basis.' About 175,000 of the vials will be sent to Victoria, where Melbourne is in its sixth lockdown with growing case number, including 25 on Sunday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the million doses were in addition to the 40 million Pfizer shots arriving in batches since the start of the year (pictured, a Year 12 student being vaccinated at Sydney Olympic Park on Monday) A statement from the Polish Embassy in Canberra said the current crisis in NSW prompted the non-profit deal. It said Poland recently offered to share vaccines mainly with low and middle-income countries, including its Eastern neighbours and Balkan countries. 'The decision to also add Australia to the list was taken against the backdrop of the current outbreak of Delta variant in the country,' it said. Lisa Wilkinson has unleashed a scathing attack on Gladys Berejiklian over her handling of New South Wales' Covid crisis, after the premier raised eyebrows by saying the weekend's record breaking case numbers were a 'wake-up call'. NSW recorded more than 400 daily new infections for a second consecutive day on Sunday, hours after unaffected regions were plunged into a statewide lockdown for at least a week at short notice. Almost two months since Sydney went into lockdown, a frustrated Wilkinson questioned why it had taken 'this long' for the state leader to have an 'epiphany'. The premier described Saturday's record-high 466 new Covid cases as an 'absolute wake up call', despite Sydney smashing daily records many times over the last few weeks and epidemiologists calling for a hard lockdown way back when the outbreak began in the eastern suburbs. Wilkinson also accused Ms Berejiklian of not being proactive and pleaded with her to stop comparing NSW to other places overseas, where daily case numbers are in their thousands. Frustrated Sydneysiders remain in lockdown after the second highest day for daily new infections on Sunday. Pictured are women in Bondi on Sunday 'I think everyone in NSW yesterday, when she said that the day before was a "wake-up call", everyone in NSW thought - "it's taken you this long to wake up?",' Wilkinson said. 'When you consider on that on June 24, there were 36 cases with 11 new ones that we'd been alerted to. 'And, please, Premier, can you stop looking to overseas as a place to refer to?' Fellow panellists agreed and criticised the premier for not getting on top of the crisis. 'Get ahead of this rather than constantly chasing it from behind,' Peter van Onselen chimed in. 'They're never ahead of this and always behind.' Wilkinson added: 'Never proactive.' Nazeem Hussain quipped: 'She needs a better alarm clock.' The NSW Premier has come under heavy fire from The Project's Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) over the horror Covid wave ravaging the state Pictured: A graph showing the rise in positive Covid-19 cases in Sydney since late June, 2021 The scathing attack by The Project hosts followed a segment about the crisis which included an explanation from Victorian Daniel Andrews as to why NSW will get priority access to one million Pfizer vaccines on their way to Australia from Poland. Melbourne is in the middle of its own Covid crisis with another 25 new cases on Sunday. 'I know some Victorians will ask the question why are they getting more vaccines than we are? Nothing else they're doing is working,' Premier Andrews said. 'Nothing else has worked. They've got to vaccinate their way out of this now.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison also came under fire for not allocating more doses to Sydney's Covid-ravaged regions from other states during the current outbreak NSW health officials listed Blacktown (pictured) in western Sydney as one of the areas on concern on Sunday The Project host slammed Gladys Berejiklian over not be proactive enough during the latest lockdown. Pictured is a packed Coogee Beach on Sunday NSW has recorded 400-plus new infections for a second consecutive day, two months after the outbreak emerged from Sydney's eastern suburbs. Pictured is a heavy police presence at Bondi Beach on Sunday 'Till he was blue in the face when we had him on The Project a few weeks ago, he was saying we don't need extra vaccines to go into south-west Sydney,' van Onselen said. 'He could have done that with vaccines from other states and topped those states up now with what's coming from Poland.' Earlier on Sunday, Wilkinson also slammed Mr Morrison on Twitter over comments made on June 24, where he stated that 'Sydneysiders can feel very confident that if anyone can get on top of this without shutting the city down it is the NSW government.' Ms Berejiklian plunged Sydney and surrounding regions into lockdown two days later, 10 days after patient zero emerged - an infected Bondi airport driver. Advertisement Boris Johnson is urging western countries to not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and says the country must not become a 'breeding ground for terror', after he was seen posing for pictures with Team GB Olympians. The Prime Minister has earlier posed for publicity pictures with athletes at an event in London as Downing Street said ministers and senior officials would meet on Sunday afternoon to discuss the worsening situation. And it emerged Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had flown back to Britain from his overseas holiday, breaking his silence on the war-torn country. He said the world must tell the Taliban 'the violence must end and human rights must be protected'. The Foreign Office refused to say where the Foreign Secretary was but said he was expected to land in the UK today. Following an emergency meeting of Cobra yesterday, Mr Johnson called for a 'united position among the like-minded' and said it was 'clear' there is 'going to be very shortly a new government in Kabul, or a new political dispensation'. He said the situation in Afghanistan remains 'difficult', and the Government's priority is 'to make sure we deliver on our obligations to UK nationals in Afghanistan, to all those who have helped the British effort... over 20 years and to get them out as fast as we can.' He told Sky News: 'We don't want anybody bilaterally recognising the Taliban, we want a united position amongst all the like-minded, in as far as we can get one, so that we do whatever we can to prevent Afghanistan lapsing back into being a breeding ground for terror.' Mr Johnson added: 'I think we've known for some time this is the way things were going and as I said before, this is a mission whose military component really ended for the UK in 2014, what we're dealing with now is the very likely advent of a new regime in Kabul, we don't know exactly what kind of a regime that will be.' Tory MPs blasted the PM and Mr Raab over the escalating crisis and called for British troops to be redeployed. Tom Tugendhat, Tobias Ellwood and Johnny Mercer, all former soldiers, said the UK needs to take action to push back the Taliban and rescue civilians. Mr Tugendhat slammed the Foreign Secretary and questioned why Britain had not heard from him 'in about a week'. The Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee branded it 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez. Defence Committee chairman Mr Ellwood said the fighting was a humiliation for the West. Boris Johnson posed for pictures with Team GB Olympians at an event in London The Foreign Office refuse to say where the Foreign Secretary was but said he was expected to land in the UK today. Pictured: Mr Raab in London on August 5 The Prime Minister today said that it is 'clear' there is 'going to be very shortly a new government in Kabul, or a new political dispensation' Johnny Mercer argued the 'idea we cannot act unilaterally and support the Afghan security forces is simply not true'. Panic at the Kabul airlift: Thousands of Afghans gather at closed airport which is now guarded by US troops A NATO official said all commercial flights had been suspended and only military aircraft were allowed to operate. The alliance said it was helping to keep the airport running (pictured: Scenes at Kabul airport) Thousands of desperate Afghans are gathering at Kabul airport in chaotic scenes after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban who have announced a new 'Islamic Emirate'. US troops are guarding the airport but all non-military flights are grounded after gunfire was heard nearby and while American personnel take over air traffic control. Video from Kabul showed panicked stampedes to the gates of the airport, while some passengers were forced to get off their commercial flights when departures were stopped. Hundreds of passengers were filmed thronging the tarmac by Afghan businessman Shoaib Barak who said he was forced to get off his KamAir flight after boarding and heard gunfire. The speed of the Taliban advance has taken almost everyone by surprise and Afghans who had booked commercial flights to escape the Taliban face being forced to remain in Afghanistan. Westerners will be evacuated by their home nations on military flights but the Taliban has said that it will not allow Afghan citizens to leave. Tens of thousands of interpreters and officials who helped the US-backed Afghan government are desperate to escape the country for fear of reprisals by the Taliban. Advertisement Lisa Nandy, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, told MailOnline: 'For the Foreign Secretary to go AWOL during an international crisis of this magnitude is nothing short of shameful. 'A catastrophe is unfolding in front of our eyes and while the Foreign Secretary is nowhere to be seen, hundreds of British nationals are being evacuated and his department is cancelling scholarships for young Afghans. 'Given our long involvement in the region and the sacrifices made by British troops, the government's priority must be evacuating British personnel and support staff to safety and setting out a clear strategy to avoid a humanitarian crisis on an appalling scale.' NATO allies that had pulled out their forces ahead of the Biden administration's intended August 31 withdrawal deadline were rushing troops back in this weekend to airlift their citizens, while the Pentagon was sending in fresh reinforcements. Some complained the U.S. was failing to move fast enough to bring to safety the Afghans who fear retribution from the Taliban for past work with the Americans and other NATO forces. 'This is murder by incompetence,' said U.S. Air Force veteran Sam Lerman, struggling Sunday from his home in Woodbridge, Virginia, to find a way out for an Afghan contractor who had guarded Americans and other NATO forces at Afghanistan's Bagram air base for a decade. British troops are racing against the clock to get remaining UK nationals and their local allies out of Afghanistan following the dramatic fall of the country's Western-backed government to the Taliban. Lead elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade were working with US forces to secure Kabul airport to ensure flights can continue as Afghans and foreigners alike scramble to leave. While the airport has so far not come under attack, there are fears that could change quickly with Taliban insurgents now effectively in control of the capital. Triumphal fighters were pictured in the presidential palace abandoned by President Ashraf Ghani who fled the country while his forces gave up the city without a fight. Parliament is set to be recalled from its summer recess next week to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. A No10 source said the Prime Minister was expected to seek a recall of MPs this week to discuss the worsening situation. Timings of the return to Westminster will be confirmed following discussions with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of Kabul today as the lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals in the capital. The are believed to be around 6,000 in Afghanistan, though it is not clear where they are based. In a sign of the speed of the collapse, arrangements were reportedly being made to fly the British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow out of the country. It had previously been intended he should remain in a secure location at Kabul airport along with other international diplomats. But amid a hurried scramble for safety, helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. Former UK ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Nicholas Kay 'hung his head in shame' as he watched events unfold. Left: Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez. Right: Meanwhile Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West A Taliban fighter sits inside an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on Sunday There was deep anger among MPs at the way - 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan - the country was being abandoned to its fate. Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Mr Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez. Mr Tugendhat, who served as an Army officer in Afghanistan, said the priority had to be to get as many people out before Kabul collapsed. He told the BBC: 'This isn't just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats. 'This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now. 'The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps.' He also tweeted over the weekend: The decision to withdraw is like a rug pulled from under the feet of our partners. 'No air support, none of the maintenance crews able to service their equipment - that was done by US contractors, now gone. 'That means battle winning technology we had taught the Afghans to rely on is useless. 'Billions of dollars of assets, wasted. Instead of a sustainable peace, incrementally building, we're seeing a rout. Of course we are.' Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell A Taliban fighter rides a motorbike through a street in Laghman province. A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul Meanwhile Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Despite the decision of the US to withdraw their remaining troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the PM to convene an emergency conference of 'like-minded nations'. He told Times Radio: 'I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state. 'We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. 'We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.' Mr Mercer told Sky News: 'it's been a real miscalculation by the UK and US as to how quickly this was going to happen. 'Afghanistan is a very difficult place and there's no predictability to this but the firmness from statements from Biden and here... it's humiliating to watch. 'For those of us who are trying to get people out, you know it's pretty hopeless at the moment.' Taliban forces patrol a street in Herat, Afghanistan on Friday. Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, is now the only remaining major city still under government control Residents and fighters swarm an Afghan National Army vehicle on a roadside in Laghman province as the insurgents take control of major cities Former defence and foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan was a 'strategic miscalculation'. He told Times Radio: 'It's a terrible disappointment that after the huge toll of blood and gold that we've poured into Afghanistan, we end up in a situation where within weeks of foreign troops departing, the Afghan security forces have apparently collapsed almost completely, and the country is back in the hands of the Taliban.' Rory Stewart, a former international development secretary, said 'we are going to end up with terrorists' as a result of the Taliban regaining its grip over the country. Stewart, who was also chair of Westminster's defence select committee, condemned Biden's decision to withdraw US troops last month with little warning. He said: 'Biden has propagated the most shameful, unnecessary betrayal. He has done it recklessly, with no planning in place, with no transition in place, with just no thought. 'Essentially, it would be like taking a young person into your home, promising that you were going to look after them, care for them and turn their life around, and then suddenly at a moment's notice throwing them out and locking the door. 'You can imagine the sense of betrayal, disillusionment and despair amongst Afghans. 'Millions of them have worked with us, believing that together we were going to create this society we talked about. 'Yes, there are the Taliban and, yes, there are many problems, but there are also millions of incredibly good-hearted Afghans who put energy and courage into trying to turn their country around. 'And it wasn't costing us very much to keep that project going. By the end, all it took was 2,500 troops and a bit of air support to keep the country relatively stable, keep people going to school, keep all those opportunities alive. And we just cut the legs off the whole thing at a moment's notice.' Mr Raab broke his silence on the issue on Sunday as he flew back to Britain from a foreign visit - which the FCDO refused to say where. He tweeted: 'Shared my deep concerns about the future for Afghanistan with FM Qureshi. 'Agreed it is critical that the international community is united in telling the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights must be protected.' Asked where Mr Raab had been, an FCDO spokesman said: 'The Foreign Secretary is personally overseeing the FCDO response, and engaging with international partners. He is returning to the UK today, given the situation.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the situation in Afghanistan was 'deeply shocking' and had earlier called on the Government to recall Parliament. He said: 'We need Parliament recalled so the Government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists whose purpose will be to threaten our interests, values and national security.' Footage posted on social media is said to show Taliban fighters taking over Jalalabad. The city fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning Children sleep on the ground in a makeshift camp at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday after fleeing their homes in parts of Afghanistan now occupied by the Taliban Refugees staying at the park fled to Kabul as the only major city in the country no longer under Taliban rule by Sunday Earlier Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said when the US said it would withdraw, he had approached other allies about taking their place but none was willing to do so. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said it was 'arrogant' to think the UK - which is also pulling out its troops - could resolve the situation unilaterally. He said a unilateral force would very quickly be viewed as an occupying force and, no matter how powerful the country that sends it, history shows us what happens to them in Afghanistan. Britain is sending 600 troops - including Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade - on a mission to support the final departure of the remaining UK nationals as well as Afghans who worked with the UK in the country. But the crisis has threatened to turn the country back to the Taliban as they entered the capital Kabul today. The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the most recent major Afghan city to fall. A Taliban spokesman said they were looking for a 'peaceful surrender' of the capital after meeting little resistance. They said: 'We don't want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge of Kabul but we have not declared a ceasefire.' The terror group added they do not intend to take Kabul 'by force' after entering the outskirts of the city. An official earlier said Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight on Sunday when the governor surrendered, saying it was 'the only way to save civilian lives'. Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Besides Kabul, just seven other provincial capitals out of the country's 34 are yet to fall to the Taliban after the military failed to stave off their attacks. The Taliban are now closing in on the capital from all sides, controlling territories to the North, South, East and West and advancing to just seven miles south of the city. Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar province, said the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district on the outskirts of the capital. A US defence official warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul. Just last week, US intelligence estimates expected the city to be able to hold out for at least three months. As the Taliban advance accelerates, the US is scrambling to evacuate more than 10,000 American citizens from the capital. Officials are said to be trying to strike a deal for Taliban fighters not to descend on Kabul until the US can pull everyone out. But a senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the country it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' Tracey Connelly, 40, was jailed indefinitely with a minimum term of five years in 2009 for causing or allowing her 17-month-old son Peter's death Baby P's mother could be released from prison within weeks if she agrees to undergo frequent lie detector tests to prove she is not reoffending, it has been reported. Tracey Connelly, 40, who was jailed indefinitely with a minimum term of five years in 2009 for causing or allowing her 17-month-old son Peter's death, could be cleared for release at her fourth parole hearing if she agrees to a series of terms. Connelly will have to take frequent lie detector tests to prove she is not reoffending and stay away from drugs or alcohol. She will also have to agree to give details of any relationships she forms in order to shorten her sentence. If she is not successful at her next parole hearing Connelly will remain in prison until 2023. A source told The Daily Star: 'Connelly has said she'll do anything asked of her to win freedom. 'She's been undergoing psychological courses in prison to address her offending and believes she will be successful this time. Peter, who was publicly known as Baby P, died in 2007 at the hands of his mother, her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen 'Tracey's prepared to wear a tag 24/7, stay sober and submit to giving details of any relationships she forms. She'll also be happy to take lie detector tests.' Peter, who was publicly known as Baby P, died in north London on August 3 2007 at the hands of his mother, her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen. He suffered more than 50 injuries, which included a snapped spine and eight broken ribs, despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life. Steven Barker was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of 32 years for torturing the 17-month-old to death and Owen received a six year jail sentence for allowing the toddler to die. Peter and three other children were sharing the four-bedroom house with their mother, her boyfriend and his brother when he died. Three of the children, including Peter, were on Haringey's Child Protection Register because of fears they were being neglected by the mother. Connolly, who covered up the abuse of her son, was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of her son Peter. She was then freed on licence in 2013 but later recalled to prison in 2015 after it was found she had sent indecent images of herself to people obsessed with her notoriety. Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by Connelly's lover Steven Barker (left) and his brother Jason Owen (right) at their home in Tottenham, north London The Parole Board considered her case for a third time in November 2019, following previous reviews in 2015 and 2017, and refused to either release her or move her to an open prison. In 2019, the convict launched a bid to be freed from prison so she could try to spend Christmas with her lover. She became besotted with a 37-year-old insurance salesman named Paul and told fellow prisoners she want to move in with him in Reading. The abuser said she believed she was ready to leave prison a 'changed woman'. Connelly insisted her relationship was genuine because she had known him for many years. Brazen revellers have flouted Melbourne lockdown orders to attend an outdoor street party as Covid-19 cases continue to soar. More than 200 Melburnians flocked to inner-city Northcote on Sunday for the street rave before the illegal event was shut down by police. Footage of the wild festivities filmed by outraged residents shows a rooftop DJ blaring music as revellers congregated in large gatherings along the suburb's main shopping strip. They were seen enjoying takeaway alcoholic beverages and food from street stalls while catching up with friends in the winter sunshine. A furious Daniel Andrews slammed such blatant breaches, calling them an 'insult to everybody' and warned of 'very serious consequences' for those caught breaking the rules. Melbourne revellers were seen enjoying takeaway food and beverages at a street party in High Street, Northcote on Sunday Many of the revellers filmed showed little regard for social distancing and very few were wearing masks, which are currently mandatory outdoors in Victoria. Furious owners of the Peacock Inn Hotel were forced to deny having anything to do with the street party, with large groups gathering outside the shut premises. The hotel said it has remained closed during Melbourne's latest lockdown and 'has not been serving takeaway drinks at all this time.' 'A bit of a kick in the teeth to local businesses who are struggling during this clusterf*** of a couple of years,' the popular pub posted on Facebook. 'We love our community and we can't wait to have a street party, safely and within the regulations (as we have been operating the entire time).' Crowds were also gathered outside live music bar Open Studio. Large crowds gathered in inner-city Northcote before festivities were shut down by police Furious Melburnians took to social media to express their outrage. 'Lockdown in Northcote people don't give a rats what the dictator says anymore 'highly infectious and deadly' seems a roof top DJ more important,' one local resident captioned footage. Others expect Covid-19 infections to skyrocket in the coming days. 'Curb side bars & take away food, crowds of people without masks, & DJ entertaining them all. Makes me so cross,' a woman tweeted. One man added: 'Even if no COVID cases come from it we will be in lock down for another week because of it. Pull your heads in people.' The street party sparked anger from fellow Melburnians holed up in their sixth lockdown Police also kept a watchful eye on the large crowds in popular spots South Yarra and St Kilda. Melburnians are in their second week of lockdown, which could be extended after Victoria recorded another 25 new infections on Sunday. The dance party was held hours after the Victorian Premier slammed revellers attended a 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event in Richmond on Saturday. Scores of unmasked residents were caught gathering outside hospitality venues as part of a 'pub crawl', according to the premier. 'A pub crawl and that is what it was in Richmond last night is not worth it,' he said. The Peacock Inn Hotel has denied any involvement after large groups were seen gathering outside the currently closed premises on Sunday 'It is just not worth it. None of us should be doing anything that potentially spreads this virus, because this virus is not something anyone wants to get. 'Were not talking about people in their 90s - that is tragic enough. But were talking about people dying in their 30s and 40s and 50s.' He urged residents to only leave their homes for essential reasons and visit as few venues as possible. 'Venues advertising they would operate as a chain of venues: I'd rather not see that,' Mr Andrews said. 'I don't do the enforcement, I don't issue the fines, but I would prefer if people were not out buying drinks from multiple venues and travelling between multiple venues.' Biden argues that 'an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable' to him He is concerned about the 'psychological collapse' that is likely to follow when Afghan troops cannot fight the Taliban without support they're accustomed to General David Petraeus has called the withdrawal a 'serious mistake' and says the decision could be 'catastrophic for the United States and th Pentagon officials estimate that 30,000 people will have to be evacuated President Joe Biden says approximately 5,000 U.S. soldiers will assist in the nation's evacuation from Afghanistan President Biden must take responsibility for his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, as Taliban warlords roll into its capital Kabul, a top US general has warned General David Petraeus the former Commander of US and International Forces in Afghanistan, is calling the withdrawal a 'serious mistake' and says the decision could be 'catastrophic for the United States and the world'. 'This is an enormous national security setback and it is on the verge of getting much worse unless we decide to take really significant action,' Petraeus told host WABC Radio Rita Cosby. 'The outcome, whether it is the Taliban taking over the country or it's the kind of civil war that we saw in the wake of the collapse of the post-Soviet government, there are no good outcomes here,' Petraeus said. 'In fact there is nothing more than horrible outcomes unless we are willing to acknowledge that this is not going as more optimistic projections laid out and take stock.' Petraeus spoke after President Biden has reaffirmed his administration's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan as Taliban forces continue to advance on the country. Biden announced in a statement Saturday that 'approximately 5,000' U.S. soldiers will assist with the evacuation process. The president has set an August 31 deadline for the competition of the withdrawal. The pentagon estimates that 30,000 people will need to be evacuated in this process. General David Petraeus (pictured), the former Commander of US and International Forces in Afghanistan, is calling the withdrawal a 'serious mistake' and says the decision could be 'catastrophic for the United States and the world' According to Biden, he and his security team made the decision in an effort to 'protect our interests and values as we end our military mission in Afghanistan.' Government leaders are trying to ensure an 'orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel' and an 'orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance'. The president says the U.S. government is also actively working to 'process, transport, and relocate Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other Afghan allies'. However, Petraeus is concerned about the 'psychological collapse' that is likely to follow when Afghan troops are 'unable to uphold the level of support they are accustomed to' when fighting the Taliban. 'We are now in a situation where the Taliban are trying to encircle Kabul a city of 5 or 6 million before hundreds of thousands of refugees starting flooding into it,' he argued. 'If we communicate effectively with the Taliban that they need to halt what they are doing, or we will bring the might of the U.S. military down upon them, we can stop this.' President Joe Biden (pictured) has reaffirmed his administration's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan as Taliban forces continue to advance on the country. He announced Saturday that 'approximately 5,000' U.S. soldiers will assist with the evacuation process Petraeus is concerned about the 'psychological collapse' that is likely to follow when Afghan troops are 'unable to uphold the level of support they are accustomed to' in their fight against the Taliban (pictured: Taliban fighters in Jalalabad province on August 15, 2021) Biden, on the other hand, argued that the U.S. has spent 20 years in Afghanistan. The U.S. deployed the nation's 'finest young men and women,' invested nearly $1trillion in efforts there, trained more than 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers, and aided the Afghan military. He claimed that given the current situation, he had no choice but to evacuate, and claimed former President Donald Trump had forced his hand. 'When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor... that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021, deadline on US forces,' Biden said. 'I faced a choice -- follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict.' He continued: 'I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan -- two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.' Meanwhile, Taliban insurgents entered the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, stating they expected to take power within days and promised to moderate their earlier hardline Islamist rule even as foreign diplomats and many locals tried to leave. American diplomats were evacuated from the U.S. embassy by chopper after the lightning advance. 'Core' U.S. team members worked from the airport, while a NATO official said several European Union staff had moved to a safer location in the capital. The U.S. has spent 20 years in Afghanistan. Biden argued that during that time the government deployed the nation's 'finest young men and women,' invested nearly $1trillion in efforts there, trained more than 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers, and aided the Afghan military The above map depicts the areas of Afghanistan currently controlled by the Taliban compared to what they controlled in April 2021 Earlier on Sunday, the insurgents captured the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, giving them control of one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. They also took over the nearby Torkham border post with Pakistan, leaving Kabul airport the only way out of Afghanistan still in government hands. After U.S.-led forces withdrew the bulk of their remaining troops in the last month, the Taliban campaign accelerated as the Afghan military's defenses appeared to collapse. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized the deployment of 5,000 U.S. troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an 'orderly and safe' drawdown of military personnel. A U.S. defense official said that included 1,000 newly approved troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. The Taliban said its rapid gains showed it was popularly accepted by the Afghan people. Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in talks in Qatar that any action that put U.S. personnel at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response.' He has faced rising domestic criticism after sticking to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, to end the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan by Aug. 31. The president argued that 'an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me'. Biden has been slammed by several Republicans, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy hitting out at the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Biden has been slammed by several Republicans for his decision to evacuate Afghanistan McCarthy said: 'The White House has no discernible plan other than pleading with the Taliban. The bungled withdrawal, reminiscent of his failed withdrawal from Iraq, is an embarrassment to our nation.' 'President Biden must continue to provide the close air support necessary for the Afghan government to protect themselves from the Taliban and make sure al Qaeda and ISIS do not gain a foothold due to the Biden administration's disastrous policies.' Senator Tom Cotton tweeted that the 'fiasco' was 'predictable' and had 'humiliated' the US. 'The fiasco in Afghanistan wasn't just predictable, it was predicted. Joe Biden's ill-planned retreat has now humiliated America and put at risk thousands of Americans left in Kabul,' he said. 'At a minimum, President Biden must unleash American air power to destroy every Taliban fighter in the vicinity of Kabul until we can save our fellow Americans. Anything less will further confirm Joe Biden's impotence to the world.' Senator Mitt Romney posted that he could not understand why the US had pulled out of the country 'without an effective strategy to defend our partners.' Joe Biden insisted last month that there's no way his troop withdrawal from Afghanistan would lead to a Saigon-like situation with Americans emergency evacuated out of the U.S. embassy in Kabul by helicopter. 'There's going to be no circumstance where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of a (sic) embassy of the United States from Afghanistan,' the president said during a press conference on July 8, 2021. Biden insisted during that press conference that the U.S. would not succumb to the Taliban once troops were withdrawn and is now trying to divert blame for the takeover on Donald Trump. Those words are coming back to bite the president after the majority of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in just under a week and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was forced to evacuate by helicopter once the militant forces breached the city on Sunday. 'Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?' a reporter asked the president at the time of the July 8 press conference. 'No, it is not,' Biden responded. He explained: 'You have the Afghan troops at 300,000 well equipped, as well as any army in the world and an Air Force, against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable.' He also said at the same press conference 'that is not true' that his own intelligence community was warning the Afghan government will likely collapse if there was a total and swift withdrawal. President Joe Biden said on July 8, 2021 that '[t]here's going to be no circumstance where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of a (sic) embassy of the United States from Afghanistan' Biden is now eating his words after Americans were evacuated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul by helicopter just five weeks after his remarks. A twin-rotor U.S. Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy Sunday as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up 'Afghan government leadership has to come together,' Biden said. 'They clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place.' Joe Biden immediately passed the buck to his predecessor, claiming that Trump 'left the Taliban in the strongest military position since 2001'. 'When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessorwhich he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on US forces,' Biden wrote in a statement Saturday. 'Shortly before he left office, he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500,' the president continued in blaming former President Trump for the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan. 'Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choicefollow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict.' As the Taliban continues to overtake the majority of the country, forces reached the Capital City of Kabul on Sunday with officials seeking the unconditional surrender of the central government. 'Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city,' Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told BBC in an interview. 'We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power,' he said, adding the group expects that to happen in a matter of days. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Trump for forcing the administration's hand on a total withdrawal by May. 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1,' Blinken told CNN on Sunday morning. Biden wrote a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon where he blamed Donald Trump for 'leaving the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001' Taliban fighters reached Kabul on Sunday and are awaiting the 'peaceful transfer of power' to the militant Islamic group. They breached the city shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Trump during a CNN interview on Sunday where he said: 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1' 'Had we not begun that process, which is what the president did and the Taliban saw, then we would have been back at war with the Taliban, and we would have been back at war with tens of thousands of troops having to go in because the 2,500 troops we had there and the air power would not have sufficed,' he said. Blinken added in his interview on State of the Union that 'it's simply not in the national interest' to remain in Afghanistan, claiming other U.S. adversaries would like 'nothing more' than to see another decade of American forces diverted there. 'Come May 2nd, if the president had decided to stay, all gloves would have been off. We would have been back at war,' Blinken said in a second interview Sunday morning with NBC's Meet the Press. He also said Sunday: 'We had to put in place an entire system to deal with this. Unfortunately none of that work was done when we came in.' The militant Islamic group was able to seize nearly all of Afghanistan in a little over a week a stunning feat after the billions spent by the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over two decades the build up Afghanistan's security forces. An American military assessment estimated it would be a month before Kabul would come under insurgent pressure. Biden vowed he would not pass on the war in the Middle East to whoever is president after him. 'I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan two Republicans, two Democrats,' he continued. 'I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.' Trump immediately fired back at Biden in his own email statement on Saturday claiming that due to the current administration's actions, the Taliban don't fear America's power anymore. Trump hit back by saying the Afghanistan situation is a 'complete failure through weakness, incompetence and total strategic incoherence' by Biden 'Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues,' he wrote. 'Everyone knew he couldn't handle the pressure.' 'He ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our Administration left for hima plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America,' the former president continued. 'The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground,' Trump said of the deal he made in 2019 with leaders of the Taliban. 'After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent,' Trump added. 'That deterrent is now gone.' 'The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power,' he said. 'What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America's Embassy in Kabul.' 'This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.' In Biden's Saturday statement, he provided a list of five things his administration is doing to address the situation in Afghanistan. This includes deploying 5,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to assist in the total withdrawal of all allies and U.S. personnel. '[B]ased on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams,' he said, 'I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance.' Around 1,000 service members are already on the ground and 3,000 more were already being sent next week, before officials announced the deployment of an extra 1,000 as the situation escalated over the weekend. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan will be evacuated in 72 hours under the protection of the military, and some staffers have already arrived at the Kabul international airport. The Taliban have moved to within seven miles of Kabul, and taken over swathes of territory across the rest of Afghanistan. The warlords now control 19 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces Biden also announced Saturday he is sending in 5,000 troops to help with the evacuation of U.S. and ally personnel Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday to discuss the 'urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence,' the State Department said in a statement. 'The Secretary emphasized the United States' commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has slammed Biden for the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Pentagon officials warned it could be just a matter of a couple days before the Taliban seizes control of Kabul, a city with more than four million people. McCarthy said: 'The White House has no discernible plan other than pleading with the Taliban. The bungled withdrawal, reminiscent of his failed withdrawal from Iraq, is an embarrassment to our nation.' 'President Biden must continue to provide the close air support necessary for the Afghan government to protect themselves from the Taliban and make sure al Qaeda and ISIS do not gain a foothold due to the Biden administration's disastrous policies.' But Biden hit back in a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon, insisting that he could not force the Afghan army to fight. He said: 'One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me.' Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed for Camp David on Friday and plans to stay there through Wednesday. A desperate rescue mission is urgently being planned by Australian special forces as an army of taliban fighters descend on the city of Kabul. The Afghan capital is all but lost as of late Sunday night after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and Islamist insurgents sacked every provincial city on the way to Kabul, just over a week since the US military pulled its troops from the country. Taliban militants have surrounded the city on all sides and panic has set in among its five million terrified residents, with long queues seen at ATMs and roads flooded with vehicles desperately trying to escape. Also trapped in the embattled capital are a long list of Australian diplomats, journalists, aid workers and private security contractors, as well as hundreds of Afghans refugees who have worked for the Australian Defence Force over the past two decades and now face the possibility of being imprisoned. With time quickly running out, a daring aerial operation is set to be undertaken by SAS troops, infantry soldiers and the Royal Australian Air Force to bring them all Down Under. Government sources have said plans are also being put in place to give Afghan nationals extra spots on Australia's humanitarian visa program, according to SBS. A desperate rescue mission is urgently being planned by Australian special forces as an army of Taliban fighters arrive in Kabul (pictured, Australian soldiers stand near local Afghans at a ceremony to open a Trade Training School) The Taliban is now closing in on the capital of Kabul from all sides, now controlling territories in the north, south, east and west Taliban fighters sit on a vehicle along the street in Jalalabad province after seizing the city as the terror group makes huge gains (pictured on Sunday) Afghan policemen stand guard at a checkpoint along the road in Kabul on Saturday Scott Morrison said it's 'a heartbreaking time' and a 'difficult day' given the 'terrible oppression that women and girls face in Afghanistan' at the hands of the Taliban. But the Prime Minister remained tight-lipped about the rescue mission which was given the go-ahead by the national security committee on Saturday. 'I don't think it is advisable for me to go into operational arrangements that are being put in place for the security of those we are seeking to help,' Mr Morrison told reporters. 'What I can assure you is this task has the utmost urgency and priority of the government and, of course, has been considered at the highest levels of the government yesterday. 'And we're in very constant engagement with our allies and partners as part of that broader effort.' Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday as expats fled the city A Taliban fighter stands guard over surrendered Afghan security member forces in the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday Foreigners in Kabul have been told they should either leave or register their presence with Taliban administrators, while RAF planes were scrambled to evacuate 6,000 Britons The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the most recent major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents Taliban fighters stand armed with guns in Laghman province after making major gains across Afghanistan in the wake of the US departure Leading the contingency planning, strategic communications and the close personal protection of evacuees will be SAS soldiers based in the nearby United Arab Emirates, The Australian reported. Backing them up will be two infantry platoons made up of 60 soldiers from the Townsville-based 1st and 3rd Royal Australian Regiments, along with battalion and company headquarters teams. They are expected to have a 'non-combatant' role in the evacuation and will be flown in on RAAF C17 and C-130 transporters early this week. The Department of Home Affairs revealed 650 humanitarian visas have already been granted to former local employees since April, with just 30 applications yet to be processed. However some estimates say there are still over 200 Afghan interpreters who worked with the ADF, that are yet to secure a visa for themselves and their families. About 200 more contracted security guards, and about a dozen former aid workers, are also hoping to seek asylum in Australia. But because there were no direct employees of the Australian government, most have been barred from applying. Afghan passengers walk toward the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in Sunday as the city remains under siege A Taliban fighter rides a motorbike through a street in Laghman province. A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul Afghans wait in long lines for hours to try to withdraw money in front of Kabul Bank after the Taliban sought to gain control of the capital Afghanistan war analyst William Maley said Australia's rescue is coming 'far, far, far too late'. 'It is something that should have been put in place weeks and weeks ago, when people were warning that the window to mount an effective extraction could close very suddenly,' Professor Maley said. Although the Taliban fighters have promised a 'peaceful transfer of power' if the Afghan government stands down, over the past week on the march to Kabul it was widely reported that Jihadis were going 'door-to-door' forcibly marrying girls as young as 12 and forcing them into sex slavery. Commanders ordered imams in captured areas to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 considering them to be 'spoils of war'. The US have already evacuated diplomats from their embassy by helicopter, however about 10,000 more citizens remain stranded. Britain have scrambled RAF planes to evacuate about 6,000 British diplomats, citizens and Afghan translators with key Embassy personnel moved to secret locations awaiting their departure. The Taliban have now taken over Jalalabad, spelling the fall of the last major Afghan city other than Kabul to the extremist fighters as the US withdraws its troops from the country. Pictured Taliban forces patrol Herat on Saturday Children sleep on the ground in a makeshift camp at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday after fleeing their homes in parts of Afghanistan now occupied by the Taliban Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell US defence and intelligence analysts estimated it would take about three months before the Taliban could try to mount and assault on the capital. But the army have all but captured the city and Afghanistan's provincial capitals in just over a week. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' But the US President is now copping a flurry of criticism from Republican lawmakers, and even his own party, over the monumental foreign policy blunder. A US Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound after the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital Likewise, Scott Morrison was asked by reporters what he would say to the families of Australian soldiers who died in the 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan. 'To the families of those 41 Australians, I say what I've always said. Thank you. Thank you for the sacrifice of your sons,' the Prime Minister. 'They have fallen under our flag, under our name, wearing our uniform, serving. And we are forever in their debt. 'They don't get to decide where they go or what mission they're asked to perform and yet they sign up and they go anyway. 'We can only offer our humble thanks of a grateful nation to them, and that I don't believe any Australian who falls in that service dies in vain, because what we always seek to fight for, which is freedom, is always important in whatever cause, regardless of the outcome.' Advertisement The Pentagon has two weeks to rescue tens of thousands of people from war-torn Afghanistan as the Taliban inch toward the capital city of Kabul and demand a 'peaceful transfer of power.' President Joe Biden has ordered about 5,000 troops, up from 3,000, to help evacuate US staff 'and other allied personnel,' along with 'Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance,' the president said Saturday. That's 1,000 extra troops, not counting the 1,000 already at the embassy and at Kabul's airport, according to the Department of Defense. The Pentagon estimates the US withdrawal to total 30,000 people, according to Yahoo News. On Sunday, it was reported that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will quit after making plans to hand over his country's government to the Taliban within weeks. The announcement came as the Taliban made it to Kabul after regaining control over multiple other Afghan cities and provinces. US government officials are said to have been stunned by how quickly the hardline Islamic group have swept back to power, with intelligence officials claiming they believed US-trained Afghan soldiers would have put up more of a fight. The frantic push to evacuate comes amid bloodcurdling reports of the Taliban ransacking homes and taking girls as young as twelve up to women aged 45 to become their 'wives' as the spoils of war. Taliban leader Mullah Baradar, who is based in Qatar, is heading to Afghanistan where he is expected to head the new interim government after a transfer which will see President Ghani relinquishing power. The terror group said: 'We don't want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge of Kabul but we have not declared a ceasefire.' Various reports claim that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to step down and hand power to a transitional government Afghan President Ashraf Ghani pledged Saturday not to let the 'imposed war on people cause more deaths.' The Indian newspaper Business Standard reported that Ghani will cede power to Ali Ahamd Jalali, a former ambassador and interior minister, as part of a transition into Taliban rule. In a stark scene mirroring that of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war, a US Air Force helicopter was seen evacuating diplomats from the US Embassy today hours before the Taliban forces stormed Kabul. The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the capital city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from the Vietnamese capital. Smoke was also seen rising from near the US embassy as security staff work to burn any important documents, including CIA information, or material that could be used 'in propaganda efforts'. The US flag is soon expected to be lowered, signaling the official closure of the embassy. On Saturday, President Biden ordered an additional 1,000 troops to ensure an 'orderly and safe drawdown' from Afghanistan It comes as the US steps up its evacuation of Kabul with Taliban fighters quickly moving in 'from all sides'. Shots were heard on the outskirts of the capital earlier today, much earlier than first anticipated, before fighters poured into the city. US Intelligence officials had expected Kabul to hold out for three months, while UK ministers were hoping they had until the end of the month. Leaders of the extremist group have demanded the Afghan government surrender the city to them in a bid to avoid bloodshed - adding the chilling warning 'we've not declared a ceasefire'. As many as 10,000 US citizens are being evacuated from the city. Around 5,000 US troops are being sent to aid the mission, up from an earlier 3,000. Meanwhile, Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, while RAF planes are being scrambled from around the world, to airlift more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. A twin-rotor US Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy earlier today, as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up pace It is believed that by Saturday night that the number of UK officials still in Afghanistan had been reduced to the 'low tens' - including ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow. The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie and his remaining embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days. There are also fears about the safety of thousands of translators who are concerned they may be viewed as 'traitors' by the extremist Taliban. It is understood the plans is to evacuate the translators and their families, though there are concerns that the evacuation efforts may be hampered if fighters quickly reach Kabul airport. Taliban officials today demanded foreigners who don't leave to register their presence with Taliban administrators in the coming days. While western countries such as the US and UK have opted to evacuate staff, Russia today confirmed that it did not intend to evacuate its embassy staff in Kabul. The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital (pictured) The US Embassy in Kabul has been ordered to destroy sensitive materials and evacuate as Taliban fighters move in on the capital Anti-missile decoy flares are deployed as U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters and a dirigible balloon fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan Security Engineers will stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Pictured: Smoke rises next to the US Embassy in Kabul today The US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has been the intelligence hub of the US's war on terror Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, to begin airlifting more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. Pictured: Members of Joint Forces Headquarters get prepared to deploy to Afghanistan The Taliban is now closing in on the capital of Kabul from all sides, now controlling territories in the north, south, east and west The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow (pictured) and his embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days The Fall of Saigon - 1975 Pictures showing US embassy officials being evacuated from Kabul are almost the mirror image of those taken during the 'Fall of Saigon' in 1975. Also known as the 'Liberation of Saigon' by the North Vietnamese, the event saw the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Kong capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon - now called Ho Chi Min city. During the offensive, US officials were told to evacuate the city. But because of continuing rocket fire on the nearby runways, US officials urged that any evacuation must take place by helicopter. So began Operation Frequent Wind, officially declared by the US radio stations putting Irving Berlin's White Christmas on repeat - the signal for US staff to begin evacuation. The embassy evacuation managed to fly out 978 Americans and about 1,100 Vietnamese citizens. Ambassador Graham Martin was flown out to the USS Blue Ridge, where he pleaded for helicopters to return to the embassy. His pleas were overruled, though many locals were still rescued by sea and boats after. Saigon was later turned over to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Advertisement As the Taliban advance continues, following the decision by the US to pull its troops out, gunfire was today heard near the presidential palace in Kabul. The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the last major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents. The terror group said in a statement they do not intend to take the capital 'by force' after entering the outskirts of the city. An Afghan official earlier confirmed Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered, saying it was 'the only way to save civilian lives.' Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Jalalabad is close to the Pakistani border and just 80 miles from Kabul - the Afghanistan capital home to more than four million people and currently the only remaining major city still under government control. Besides Kabul, just seven other provincial capitals out of the country's 34 are yet to fall to the Taliban. Concerns are mounting over how long Kabul can stave off the Taliban insurgents as they have captured the northern stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif, the second-largest city Kandahar and third-largest city Herat all within the last 48 hours. The Taliban are now closing in on the capital from all sides, controlling territories to the North, South, East and West and advancing to just seven miles south of the city. Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar province, told The Associated Press that the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district on the outskirts of the capital, which was gripped by blackouts, communications outages and street fighting overnight Saturday as the country descends into chaos. A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul. A Taliban fighter sits inside an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on Sunday Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell Residents and fighters swarm an Afghan National Army vehicle on a roadside in Laghman province as the insurgents take control of major cities Last days of the US Embassy in Kabul: Nerve center of the war on terror is being gutted of all sensitive material as staff and CIA assets The US Embassy in Kabul - the nerve center of the war on terror - is being gutted of all its sensitive material and evacuated in 72 hours, as the Taliban coils around Afghanistan's capital. The Embassy's demise will create an intelligence void that could plunge the US into pre-9/11 blindness, unless it can find another nearby country that will allow it rebuild its spy center. For the past 20 years, the US Embassy in Kabul has gathered vast amounts of information that shaped counterterrorism military actions - such as precision drone strikes - and prevented another 9/11-type attack. The location allowed CIA agents to meet with sources and monitor the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region. 'When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the US government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact,' CIA Director Bill Burns told Senators in April. Everyone in the Embassy - except Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service agents and top decisionmakers, including the ambassador - will be out of the country before the end of Tuesday. Security Engineers will also stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Embassy or agency logos, American flags 'or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts' are also considered to be sensitive materials and will be destroyed. The military is prepared to lower the American flag flying above the Embassy - at the State Department's order - signaling the Embassy's official closure. Advertisement Today, the Taliban said they aim to take the city, but say they have no plans to take Kabul 'by force'. Leaders of the extremist group say they don't want a 'single Afghan to be injured or killed' during the hostile takeover - but warned 'we've not signed a ceasefire yet'. Just last week, US intelligence estimates expected the city to be able to hold out for at least three months. A senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in on US buildings. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' Meanwhile, in the UK, Boris Johnson is facing calls for a last-ditch intervention to prevent the complete collapse of Afghanistan. The lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the capital amid fears it could fall within days or even hours. But amid a hurried scramble for safety, helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way - 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan - the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of 'like-minded nations' to see what could be done. 'I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state,' he told Times Radio. 'We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. 'We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.' Advertisement Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan remains in Kabul today, despite an SAS-backed operation to evacuate embassy staff amid a taliban takeover of the city. Foreign Office chiefs say Sir Laurie Bristow remains in the Afghan capital this afternoon, as Taliban militants pour into the city in a bid to seize control. British troops, supported by Special Forces, are currently attempting to evacuate up to 500 embassy staff from the city. But when asked if Sir Laurie was among the hundreds already thought to have been rescued, a spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) told MailOnline: 'We have reduced our diplomatic presence in response to the situation on the ground. 'However our Ambassador remains in Kabul and UK Government staff continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to our Afghan staff. 'We are doing all we can to enable remaining British nationals, who want to leave Afghanistan, to do so.' Earlier reports had suggested Sir Laurie would be evacuated from Kabul on Sunday evening due to the Taliban's rapid advancement into the capital. It comes as Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, with support from RAF teams from around the world, to airlift British officials out of the city. Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow (right) remains in Kabul today, despite an SAS-backed operation to evacuate embassy staff amid a Taliban takeover of the city. Pictured left: The British embassy in Kabul Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, to begin airlifting more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. Pictured: Members of Joint Forces Headquarters get prepared to deploy to Afghanistan The Taliban is now closing in on the capital of Kabul from all sides, now controlling territories in the north, south, east and west Gunshots were heard outside the capital city, while Taliban militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman today However the Taliban's advance has since hastened rapidly, with militants now in the capital. Fears have been raised that they could soon capture Kabul's airport - currently the only way for civilians to get out of Afghanistan after militants captured Jalalabad yesterday. Meanwhile, as many as 2,000 interpreters and their families - who fear being branded as 'traitors' by the extremist Taliban - are in line to be rescued. There are also 3,000 entitled personnel - British and dual passport holders - who may also need evacuation by the UK Government. These include aid workers and security officials stationed over in Afghanistan. However, only 450 have so applied to leave. The FCDO says it has been urging British nationals to leave the country since April. On top of this, around 2,000 people with links to Britain could also be eligible to leave Afghanistan for the UK. It is understood that British officials believed they had until the end of the month to evacuate around 7,000 negligible people from Afghanistan - while US intelligence forces suggested Kabul could stand against the Taliban for three months. But gunshots were heard outside the capital city, while Taliban militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman today. And there are now fears that Kabul's airport could soon be seized. Long lines were seen outside the Iranian embassy in Kabul on Sunday as Afghan men waited for hours to get visas There were also long lines outside banks in the capital as people gathered to try to withdraw money as the Taliban closed in Pictured: Dozens of people queue outside Kabul Bank in the Afghan capital on Sunday. People waited for hours to try and withdraw money As the Taliban closed in on Kabul on Sunday, many Afghans fled. Pictured: People arriving from Afghanistan make their way at the Friendship Gate crossing point at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman Afghan passengers walk toward the airport in Kabul after the Taliban made huge gains across the country in the wake of the US military departure Pictured: The Pakistani and Taliban flag are seen flying above a crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Sunday as Afghans tried to flee into the neighbouring country Afghan refugees are fleeing the country and heading to the US and Canada as they face threats from the Taliban It comes as, in a scene mirroring that of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war, a US Air Force helicopter was seen taking off from the US embassy earlier today. The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital. Today, smoke was also seen rising from near to the US embassy earlier today as security staff work to burn any important documents, including CIA information, or material that could be used 'in propaganda efforts'. The US flag is soon expected to be lowered, signalling the official closure of the embassy. It comes as the US steps up its evacuation of Kabul with Taliban fighters quickly moving in 'from all sides'. Shots were heard on the outskirts of the capital earlier today, much earlier than first anticipated, before fighters poured into the city. US Intelligence officials had expected Kabul to hold out for three months, while UK ministers were hoping they had until the end of the month. Leaders of the extremist group have today demanded the Afghan government surrender the city to them in a bid to avoid bloodshed - adding the chilling warning 'we've not declared a ceasefire'. As many as 10,000 US citizens are being evacuated from the city. Around 3,000 US troops are being sent to aid the mission. Taliban officials today demanded foreigners who don't leave to register their presence with Taliban administrators in the coming days. While western countries such as the US and UK have opted to evacuate staff, Russia today confirmed that it did not intend to evacuate its embassy staff in Kabul. A twin-rotor US Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy earlier today, as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up pace The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital (pictured) The US Embassy in Kabul has been ordered to destroy sensitive materials and evacuate as Taliban fighters move in on the capital Anti-missile decoy flares are deployed as U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters and a dirigible balloon fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan Security Engineers will stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Pictured: Smoke rises next to the US Embassy in Kabul today The US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has been the intelligence hub of the US's war on terror The Fall of Saigon - 1975 Pictures showing US embassy officials being evacuated from Kabul are almost the mirror image of those taken during the 'Fall of Saigon' in 1975. Also known as the 'Liberation of Saigon' by the North Vietnamese, the event saw the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Kong capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon - now called Ho Chi Min city. During the offensive, US officials were told to evacuate the city. But because of continuing rocket fire on the nearby runways, US officials urged that any evacuation must take place by helicopter. So began Operation Frequent Wind, officially declared by the US radio stations putting Irving Berlin's White Christmas on repeat - the signal for US staff to begin evacuation. The embassy evacuation managed to fly out 978 Americans and about 1,100 Vietnamese citizens. Ambassador Graham Martin was flown out to the USS Blue Ridge, where he pleaded for helicopters to return to the embassy. His pleas were overruled, though many locals were still rescued by sea and boats after. Saigon was later turned over to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Advertisement As the Taliban advance continues, following the decision by the US to pull its troops out, gunfire was today heard near the presidential palace in Kabul. The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the last major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents. The terror group said in a statement they do not intend to take the capital 'by force' after entering the outskirts of the city. An Afghan official earlier confirmed Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered, saying it was 'the only way to save civilian lives.' Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Jalalabad is close to the Pakistani border and just 80 miles from Kabul - the Afghanistan capital home to more than four million people and currently the only remaining major city still under government control. Besides Kabul, just seven other provincial capitals out of the country's 34 are yet to fall to the Taliban. Concerns are mounting over how long Kabul can stave off the Taliban insurgents as they have captured the northern stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif, the second-largest city Kandahar and third-largest city Herat all within the last 48 hours. The Taliban are now closing in on the capital from all sides, controlling territories to the North, South, East and West and advancing to just seven miles south of the city. Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar province, told The Associated Press that the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district on the outskirts of the capital, which was gripped by blackouts, communications outages and street fighting overnight Saturday as the country descends into chaos. A US defense official has warned it could be only a matter of days before the insurgent fighters take control of Kabul. A Taliban fighter sits inside an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on Sunday Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell Residents and fighters swarm an Afghan National Army vehicle on a roadside in Laghman province as the insurgents take control of major cities Last days of the US Embassy in Kabul: Nerve centre of the war on terror is being gutted of all sensitive material as staff and CIA assets The US Embassy in Kabul - the nerve center of the war on terror - is being gutted of all its sensitive material and evacuated in 72 hours, as the Taliban coils around Afghanistan's capital. The Embassy's demise will create an intelligence void that could plunge the US into pre-9/11 blindness, unless it can find another nearby country that will allow it rebuild its spy center. For the past 20 years, the US Embassy in Kabul has gathered vast amounts of information that shaped counterterrorism military actions - such as precision drone strikes - and prevented another 9/11-type attack. The location allowed CIA agents to meet with sources and monitor the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region. 'When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the US government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact,' CIA Director Bill Burns told Senators in April. Everyone in the Embassy - except Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service agents and top decisionmakers, including the ambassador - will be out of the country before the end of Tuesday. Security Engineers will also stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Embassy or agency logos, American flags 'or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts' are also considered to be sensitive materials and will be destroyed. The military is prepared to lower the American flag flying above the Embassy - at the State Department's order - signaling the Embassy's official closure. Advertisement Today the Taliban said they aim to take the city, but say they have no plans to take Kabul 'by force'. Leaders of the extremist group say they don't want a 'single Afghan to be injured or killed' during the hostile takeover - but warned 'we've not signed a ceasefire yet'. Just last week, US intelligence estimates expected the city to be able to hold out for at least three months. A senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in on US buildings. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' Meanwhile, in the UK, Boris Johnson is facing calls for a last-ditch intervention to prevent the complete collapse of Afghanistan. The lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the capital amid fears it could fall within days or even hours. But amid a hurried scramble for safety, helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way - 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan - the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Mr Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of 'like-minded nations' to see what could be done. 'I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state,' he told Times Radio. 'We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. 'We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.' Advertisement Hundreds of animal welfare campaigners gathered outside a beagle breeding farm today to protest against the use of the dogs in laboratory testing. Demonstrators clashed with police as they arrived outside MBR Acres near RAF Wyton, Huntingdon, to call for the release of some 2,000 beagle puppies being reared for testing at the site - which is owned by US-based company Marshall BioResources. The scenes come just weeks after actors Ricky Gervais, 60, and Peter Egan, 74, backed calls to shut the breeding farm. Earlier today, hundreds of protesters held placards as they lined up outside the breeding site and called for an end to medical research on dogs while others were seen clashing with officers. Animal welfare campaigners clash with police as they gather outside a beagle breeding farm outside MBR Acres near RAF Wyton, Huntingdon, today Police officers stand in a line as they watch over the Camp Beagle protesters who are calling for the release of some 2,000 beagle puppies being reared for testing at the site The breeding site, which is owned by US-based company Marshall BioResources, has come under fire from protesters Road blocks were also placed up to allow protesters to safely rally and let employees continue their work at the site - which is not connected to Huntingdon life sciences. In a Facebook video, one activist said: 'We're all so united, so happy. We all know we're going to close this for good. Everyone's come here, we've got one aim and one vision, and we are all united here.' Another Facebook post on Camp Beagle read: 'If anyone is heading down could you please bring some water for yourselves We're running a little low and wouldn't want you to get caught short. 'We can still feed and provide refreshments for you no fear, it's just looking like a hot day so extra hydration is important.' Earlier this month, actor Ricky Gervais called for an 'immediate ban' on the testing site as protesters descended upon the breeding farm with their tens and called for its closure. He told The Times: 'These experiments are now proven to entirely fail the search for human treatments and cures,' Gervais told 'We need an immediate ban on this shocking animal cruelty, which is clearly holding back medical progress.' A protester is detained by police as hundreds of demonstrators gather outside the breeding farm and call for its closure A protester holds a placard as she walks through the streets and calls for the release of some 2,000 dogs at the site Police officers stand outside the site and watch over the protesters as hundreds of campaigners gather outside Demonstrators hold placards in the air as they protest agains the use of beagles being used for medical research Earlier this year, a spokesperson for MBR Acres said: 'We adhere to rigorous legislation through the strictest inspection routines for the breeding of laboratory animals at our facilities. Animal welfare is always our top priority. 'The UK has the most demanding regulations in the world placing greater requirements on those who propose using animals in medical research than any other territory and demanding the highest welfare standards. 'The overwhelming consensus of scientific opinion is that animals are needed in a small percentage of medical research projects and that results from testing in dogs, when combined with work in other species, provide data that best predict human responses to drugs. Governments internationally take note of this and legally demand the use of animals where science advises that it is necessary. 'This issue is revisited regularly because it is an important one, but it is worth remembering that we exist only because successive UK governments, including the current one, demand that all potential medicines are tested in animals before being given to humans and animals.' Former President Donald Trump faced a different kind of interview in a recently-released video - discussing his parenting advice with an 11-year-old scrap metal heiress aboard her multimillionaire father's private jet. Clover Weitsman, the daughter of scrap metal mogul Adam Weitsman, interviewed the former president on April 30 as part of a home-schooling project to learn about the different sides of the political spectrum. In a clip of the interview, posted on her dad's Instagram on August 14, she asked Trump what advice he would give her father 'on raising my sisters and I?' 'Ok, are you ready,' the former president asked the young girl. 'This is good.' 'I have five children. From the day that they were old enough to speak, I said no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes,' he said. 'And I told them all the time.' He added that he thought her father is 'very strong and smart, and he makes good money.' Trump is the father of Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Baron Trump. His older brother, Fred, died at 42 years old of alcoholism. Former President Donald Trump, right, was interviewed by 11-year-old Clover Weitsman on April 30, when he told her never to drink or do drugs The recent interview was conducted on board Adam Weitsman's private Gulfstream jet in April, in an effort to get Clover to understand all sides of the political spectrum. Weitsman shared the clip on his Instagram page Saturday. Weitsman also claims she was set to interview Michelle Obama, but her office told DailyMail.com that is not the case. Following the interview with the former president, the first one she conducted for her home-schooling project, Adam posted: 'Most people know I don't follow politicians much, and I never comment when other people share their political opinions. 'But I do want my daughter, Clover, to know what's going on in the world and to pay attention to decisions that are made and the people who make them. 'As part of her homeschooling, she's interviewing various leaders of both parties to find out what's really going on in the world - and she's starting at the highest level of government. 'I'm grateful that former President Donald Trump agreed to meet with Clover today and answer pressing questions that are on the minds of many people in her age group. 'This is not about politics, but about understanding all viewpoints. 'I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of her daughter for her questions and composure talking with a world leader,' he added. And after posting a short clip of the video to his personal Instagram page on Saturday, Adam once again thanked the former president for taking time to talk to Clover, saying he 'could not have been more respectful and kind to my kid.' The interview was conducted in Adam Weitsman's effort to get his daughter to learn about all the sides of the political spectrum, he explained on Facebook and Instagram Adam Weitsman, 53, owns Upstate Shredding, a $1 billion scrap metal empire with a dozen locations throughout New York. It is the largest privately-held scrap metal processor on the East Coast. He studied art history at Long Island University and worked at a slew of Manhattan art galleries before becoming the vice president of his father's scrap metal company - then called Ben Weitsman and Son - in 1995. Soon after, though, Adam started getting into trouble. Beginning in 1998, when he was just 29, he started check-kiting - a form of fraud that takes advantage of the timing of a bank's float period for profit and to cover overdrawn accounts. 'I was just young and stupid,' Weitsman told the Albany Times-Union, saying it was a desperate attempt to keep the scrap metal business afloat after he made big investments in equipment that did not immediately pay off. 'I was guilty,' he said. 'I did my time. I learned there are no shortcuts in life, there is no gray area, and you have to be legitimate and up front and honest.' He pleaded guilty to 86 felony counts of bank fraud in 2003 and was sentenced a year later to a year and a day in federal prison, with a $1 million fine. Weitsman served eight months, the Times-Union reports, then began digging himself out of his financial hole and building up his scrap metal empire. The tycoon won a defamation in 2018 case after he was falsely accused of feeding the body of a missing woman into a metal shredder on September 11, 2001. So in June 2019, Weitsman said he hired a local polygraph company to prove his innocence. In a Facebook post at the time, he wrote: 'I have had to put up with the most crazy rumor about me and my company for the past 17 years regarding an unsolved local disappearance of a local car dealer's wife (who I didn't even know). 'The rumor was that she was murdered by others, and disposed of at my Oswego shredding plant with my knowledge. 'Even though I have never even been questioned by law enforcement on this, the rumor continues and exists almost two decades later. 'I called in the region's top polygraph examiner and took a complete lie detector test in my office yesterday during work hours to finally put an end to this.' Clover's father Adam Weitsman, pictured, wants to teach his daughter about politics - and insists she chats with politicians from both ends of the spectrum Weitsman is the owner of Upstate Shredding, a $1 billion scrap metal empire Now, Weitsman spends his time flying in his private jet with his three daughters and wife, Kim, a former fashion model. They drive around in a $250,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost between their condominium overlooking Central Park and their other homes, and take their Lamborghini to cruise to their Finger Lakes summer retreat that he renovated for $20 million and filled with museum-quality furnishings, according to the Times-Union. In 2010, Kim purchased the Krebs Restaurant in upstate New York, and in 2018, Weitsman began construction on a Mexican restaurant called Elephant and the Dove, while also working to develop a sushi bar in Oswego. Antony Blinken insisted Sunday the scene in Afghanistan is not comparable to the fall of Saigon as he diverted blame for the taliban take over on Trump, Republicans and Afghan security forces. The Secretary of State said the images emerging from Afghanistan, including personnel being airlifted out of the embassy in Kabul, is 'standard operating procedure'. 'This is being done in a very deliberate way. It's being done in an orderly way. And it's being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way,' he said in an interview with ABC News' This Week on Sunday morning. Host Johnathan Karl pushed back by saying: 'Respectfully, not much about what we're seeing seems too orderly or standard operating procedure.' 'Just last month, President Biden said that under no circumstance, and those were his words, under no circumstance would the U.S. personnel, embassy personnel be airlifted out of Kabul in a replay of the scenes that we saw in Saigon in 1975,' he said. 'So, isn't that exactly what we're seeing now? I mean, even the images are evocative of what happened in Vietnam.' 'Let's take a step back,' Blinken said, assuring: 'This is manifestly not Saigon.' Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected on Sunday any comparisons between the swift evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon, which led to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 ABC's Johnathan Karl (left) said the evacuation doesn't appear orderly. 'Let's take a step back. This is manifestly not Saigon,' Blinken insisted A twin-rotor U.S. Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Sunday as the evacuation efforts from Afghanistan rapidly pick up pace The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has been the intelligence hub of the US's war on terror Saigon, which was the capital of South Vietnam, was captured by the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong in 1975, ending the Vietnam War along with a swift evacuation of all American forces and civilians. The withdrawal was the largest helicopter evacuation in history. The State Department head listed a series of wins for the U.S. in Afghanistan, including 'dealing with the people who attacked on 9/11' and bringing 'Bin Laden to justice' as proof the situation is different from Saigon. 'That mission has been successful,' he said. 'Al-Qaeda, the group that attacked us, has been vastly diminished. Its capacity to attack us again from Afghanistan has been right now, does not exist.' In a separate interview with NBC's Meet the Press, however, Blinken said that it is the Afghan forces fault that the country has so easily been taken over by the Taliban upon U.S. troops' withdrawal. Host Chuck Todd played comments from Blinken in June where he said: 'I don't think it's going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday. So I wouldn't necessarily equate the departure of our forces in July, August, or by early September with some kind of immediate deterioration in the situation.' 'How did that assessment end up so wrong?' Todd asked. 'That has not aged well.' 'We've known all along that the Taliban was at its strongest position in terms of its strength since 2001. When we came to office, that was the fact,' he said, in deflecting blame to former President Trump's administration. Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Biden is to blame for the Taliban take over as the current administration tries to blame its predecessor and Afghanistan government Blinken told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that 'the inability of Afghan security forces to defend their country has played a very powerful role in what we've seen over the last few weeks', in further deflecting blame for the Taliban take over Afghan Security forces travel along a road on Sunday in the Panjshir province of Afghanistan, as Taliban forces closed in on the capital city of Kabul Taliban Islamic militant fighters drive an Afghan National Army vehicle through the streets of Laghman province on Sunday 'And we said all along, including back then, that there was a real chance the Taliban would make significant gains throughout Afghanistan,' he added. 'But on the other hand, I have to tell you that the inability of Afghan security forces to defend their country has played a very powerful role in what we've seen over the last few weeks,' Blinken continued in playing the blame game. 'The fact is, we invested the international community invested over 20 years, billions of dollars in these forces, 300,000 of them with an Air Force, something the Taliban didn't have, with the most modern, sophisticated equipment. And unfortunately, tragically, they have not been able to defend the country. And I think that explains why this has moved as quickly as it's moved.' On Sunday, the Taliban Islamic militant forces reached Kabul. They initially said they would wait for the 'peaceful transfer of power,' but soon after entered the capital city. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said both Biden and Trump are to blame for the unrest in Afghanistan following the withdrawal But Republicans aren't letting Biden and his administration blame Trump or other people and entities for the Taliban swiftly seizing the majority of Afghanistan in less than a week after the troop withdrawal. Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday 'the Biden administration has failed in the execution on its own plan.' 'Every President confronts challenges,' he told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. 'This President confronted a challenge in Afghanistan he has utterly failed to protect the American people from this challenge.' Fiercely anti-Trump Republican Representative Liz Cheney also said Biden is responsible for the Afghanistan situation. 'Look, I think absolutely President Biden bears responsibility for making this decision,' Cheney told ABC This Week on Sunday morning. She did, however, also lay blame on Trump and Pompeo. 'There is no question that President Trump, his administration, Secretary Pompeo, they also bear very significant responsibility for this,' she said. 'They walked down this path of legitimizing the Taliban, of perpetuating this fantasy, telling the American people that the Taliban were a partner for peace.' 'President Trump told us that the Taliban was going to fight terror. Secretary Pompeo told us that the Taliban was going to renounce al Qaeda. None of that has happened,' she said. Cheney, who lost her GOP conference leadership position earlier this year for repeatedly breaking with Trump, said the outcomes now are the 'devastating' results of 'the delegitimization of the Afghan government.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also went after Biden for the devolving situation in Afghanistan, blaming the president for the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal. 'The White House has no discernible plan other than pleading with the Taliban. The bungled withdrawal, reminiscent of his failed withdrawal from Iraq, is an embarrassment to our nation,' McCarthy said. He added: 'President Biden must continue to provide the close air support necessary for the Afghan government to protect themselves from the Taliban and make sure al Qaeda and ISIS do not gain a foothold due to the Biden administration's disastrous policies.' Blinken reiterated Sunday that Biden 'made the determination that it was time to end this war for the United States.' He also continued to laud the situation as a success for America. 'We've been in Afghanistan for 20 years, a trillion dollars, 2,300 American lives lost. And, again, thankfully, having succeeded in doing what we set out to do in the first place,' he said. Biden wrote a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon where he blamed Donald Trump for 'leaving the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001' President Biden said on Saturday that Trump 'left the Taliban in the strongest military position since 2001' in putting the onus on his predecessor for the militants' swift takeover of most of Afghanistan upon the U.S. troop withdrawal. 'When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessorwhich he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on US forces,' Biden wrote in a statement Saturday. 'Shortly before he left office, he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500,' the president continued in blaming former President Trump for the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan. 'Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choicefollow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict.' Taliban fighters reached Kabul on Sunday and said they were awaiting a 'peaceful transfer of power', but soon after breached the border into the capital city Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Trump during a CNN interview on Sunday where he said: 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1' Secretary of State Antony Blinken defends the Biden administration's decision to pull US forces out of Afghanistan: "The idea that the status quo could have been maintained by keeping our forces there, I think, is simply wrong." #CNNSOTU https://t.co/5uk1k2vMbY pic.twitter.com/qlX6LU7BTB State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 15, 2021 As the Taliban continues to overtake the majority of the country, forces reached the Capital City of Kabul on Sunday with officials seeking the unconditional surrender of the central government. 'Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city,' Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told BBC in an interview. 'We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power,' he said, adding the group expects that to happen in a matter of days. Shortly after, however, the group moved inside the city's perimeter. Blinken said that Trump forced the administration's hand to impose a total withdrawal by the end of April. 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1,' Blinken told CNN on Sunday morning. 'Had we not begun that process, which is what the president did and the Taliban saw, then we would have been back at war with the Taliban, and we would have been back at war with tens of thousands of troops having to go in because the 2,500 troops we had there and the air power would not have sufficed,' he said. Blinken added in his interview on State of the Union that 'it's simply not in the national interest' to remain in Afghanistan, claiming other U.S. adversaries would like 'nothing more' than to see another decade of American forces diverted there. 'Come May 2nd, if the president had decided to stay, all gloves would have been off. We would have been back at war,' Blinken said in a second interview Sunday morning with NBC's Meet the Press. He also said Sunday: 'We had to put in place an entire system to deal with this. Unfortunately none of that work was done when we came in.' The militant Islamic group was able to seize nearly all of Afghanistan in a little over a week a stunning feat after the billions spent by the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over two decades the build up Afghanistan's security forces. An American military assessment estimated it would be a month before Kabul would come under insurgent pressure. Biden vowed he would not pass on the war in the Middle East to whoever is president after him. 'I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan two Republicans, two Democrats,' he continued. 'I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.' Trump immediately fired back at Biden in his own email statement on Saturday claiming that due to the current administration's actions, the Taliban don't fear America's power anymore. Trump hit back by saying the Afghanistan situation is a 'complete failure through weakness, incompetence and total strategic incoherence' by Biden 'Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues,' he wrote. 'Everyone knew he couldn't handle the pressure.' 'He ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our Administration left for hima plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America,' the former president continued. 'The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground,' Trump said of the deal he made in 2019 with leaders of the Taliban. 'After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent,' Trump added. 'That deterrent is now gone.' 'The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power,' he said. 'What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America's Embassy in Kabul.' 'This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.' In Biden's Saturday statement, he provided a list of five things his administration is doing to address the situation in Afghanistan. This includes deploying 5,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to assist in the total withdrawal of all allies and U.S. personnel. '[B]ased on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams,' he said, 'I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance.' Around 1,000 service members are already on the ground and 3,000 more were already being sent next week, before officials announced the deployment of an extra 1,000 as the situation escalated over the weekend. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan will be evacuated in 72 hours under the protection of the military, and some staffers have already arrived at the Kabul international airport. The Taliban have moved to within seven miles of Kabul, and taken over swathes of territory across the rest of Afghanistan. The warlords now control 19 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces Biden also announced Saturday he is sending in 5,000 troops to help with the evacuation of U.S. and ally personnel Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday to discuss the 'urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence,' the State Department said in a statement. 'The Secretary emphasized the United States' commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has slammed Biden for the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Pentagon officials warned it could be just a matter of a couple days before the Taliban seizes control of Kabul, a city with more than four million people. McCarthy said: 'The White House has no discernible plan other than pleading with the Taliban. The bungled withdrawal, reminiscent of his failed withdrawal from Iraq, is an embarrassment to our nation.' 'President Biden must continue to provide the close air support necessary for the Afghan government to protect themselves from the Taliban and make sure al Qaeda and ISIS do not gain a foothold due to the Biden administration's disastrous policies.' But Biden hit back in a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon, insisting that he could not force the Afghan army to fight. He said: 'One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me.' Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed for Camp David on Friday and plans to stay there through Wednesday. The mom of a Capitol rioter shot dead during the January 6 disturbance has blasted Democrat politicians for refusing to help her learn what happened to her daughter. Micki Witthoeft singled Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein out for refusing to tell her more about who killed her daughter Ashli Babbitt. Witthoeft told Dinesh D'Souza on his podcast : 'I started with Nancy Pelosi. And I called Nancy Pelosi and I called Dianne Feinstein from three weeks after Ashli's death to currently Nancy Pelosi I have called no less than a dozen times. 'I have never received any kind of correspondence from her. She will not call me back. I've emailed her, she doesn't email me back ... I've had absolutely no response.' A staffer at Feinstein's office seemed to dismiss her daughter's death, and another aide failed to recognize her name, according to Witthoeft. 'Dianne Feinstein's people were just awful,' the grieving mother explained. 'One person reportedly told her: 'Although it's unfortunate, your daughter should not have stormed the Capitol. 'Dianne Feinstein will never have two minutes for you.' Witthoeft spoke to D'Souza eight months after her daughter's death at the hands of a plain-clothed cop. Babbitt, 35, was shot in the shoulder by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby of the US Capitol Building. She was administered aid at the scene but died of her injuries at a hospital. Of the five people who died in relation to the riot, she was the only one who was killed. Micki Witthoeft said she took three weeks to mourn her daughter Ashli Babbit's death before calling one lawmaker a day, according to a recent podcast interview Witthoef says neither the Biden administration nor any lawmakers have gotten back to her with the cop's identity, according to Fox News. The Air Force veteran's mom says she tried calling Feinstein (D-California), along with U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), Darrell Issa (R-California) and Scott Peters (D-California). She's also reached out to San Diego councilman Carl DeMaio and San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. Pelosi announced a select committee to investigate the attack in June. Witthoeft is trying to find out who killed her daughter, Ashli Babbitt (above), on Jan. 6 Babbitt was part of a violent mob that had entered the Capitol building and was making its way into the Speaker's Lobby, which leads to the chamber of the US House of Representatives On April 14, the Department of Justice announced that it had closed its investigation into Babbitt's death and that it wouldn't pursue charges against the cop who shot her. 'Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,' the department said. Their decision not to identify the cop involved has prompted controversy, amid claims he should face a full probe into the events that resulted in Babbitt's death. Supporters of former President Donald Trump marched to the Capitol, where votes were being certified in favor of Joe Biden, at Trump's request Officers tried to administer aid, but Babbitt (center) succumbed to her injuries at a hospital Witthoef acknowledged that Rep. Issa called her daughter's husband, Aaron Babbitt, soon after her death. She also revealed that Aaron first heard of Ashli's death in the news. 'I knew that my daughter had been shot but there had been no official contact with our family as to who [shot her] - and my son-in-law actually learned of Ashli's death by seeing it on TV 'But it was still hard to get confirmation from anybody. We called hospitals, it was just hard to get confirmation at that time. So his confirmation of his wife's death came through the television.' Babbitt's family announced plans to sue the Capitol police for wrongful death and $10 million in damages. 'It's not debatable. There was no warning. I would call what he did an ambush. I don't think he's a good officer. I think he's reckless,' family attorney Terry Roberts said about the plainclothes officer's warning. Witthoef told D'Souza that the only 'official' person she's heard from is former President Donald Trump on July 1, almost six months after her daughter's death. She declined to say what the ex-president had told her. Infuriating footage has emerged of an allegedly illegal engagement party held for a Melbourne couple amid fears it could have been a Covid super-spreader event. Police are understood to be probing the gathering, with video filmed by a reveller showing family and friends - all mask-less - celebrating with the happy couple in a potential violation of the lockdown rules causing misery for millions. Two people, a woman and her adult son from St Kilda East, are understood to have since tested positive to Covid, just days after attending the shindig last week. In footage bound to cause outrage among Melburnians opting to do the right thing, cancelling important life events and not seeing family and friends, the groom-to-be even jokes about the party's shady status. 'Clearly this is legal because this is a group therapy session,' he jokes, standing next to his bride-to-be as the packed room erupts in laughter. A newly-engaged couple are at the centre of a scandal in Melbourne after footage emerged (pictured) showing the groom-to-be joking about the lockdown gathering 'That's why my father's here!' One of the revellers shouts that 'he's a mental health clinician'. A Victorian Government spokesman told The Herald Sun the 'potential breach has been referred to Victoria Police, who are investigating'. Under Melbourne's lockdown rules, private and public gatherings have both been banned since August 5, with weddings only allowed in exceptional circumstances and even then capped at five attendees. An outraged former MP, Philip Dalidakis, said he was 'speechless' and knew the families in the footage, who are understood to be from the Orthodox Jewish community. 'The level of indifference to the health impacts of our wider community is appalling,' he wrote on Facebook, saying their behaviour 'is not representative' of the Jewish community. 'The insular behaviour of those involved who have hidden behind religious observance or used other loop holes (incl. health support exemptions) to continue to meet is outrageous. In shocking footage shared online by someone at the party, huge groups of friends and family are seen mingling - mask-less - at the party held mid-week in Melbourne 'I am genuinely shocked at the brazen disregard for our laws. 'Not one person in the video should be there, not one person in the video is using masks, not one person in the video is considering the selfish impact their behaviour is now having. 'We have all missed out on Simchas during lockdowns. Weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, funerals, Minyans (prayer services) and other important family events in our lives. That is an unfortunate but necessary part of trying to get on top of the virus spreading. 'I hope those in the video are all fined the maximum amount and dealt with in the strongest possible terms, they should be ashamed.' Daniel Andrews (pictured) has vowed to crackdown on those blatantly flouting the rules after a series of breaches over the last week The alarming footage comes after brazen revellers were seen flouting Melbourne lockdown orders to attend an outdoor street party as Covid-19 cases continue to soar. More than 200 Melburnians flocked to inner-city Northcorte on Sunday for the street rave before the illegal event was shut down by police. Footage of the wild festivities filmed by outraged residents shows a rooftop DJ blaring music as revellers congregated in large gatherings along the suburb's main shopping strip. They were seen enjoying takeaway alcoholic beverages and food from street stalls while catching up with friends in the winter sunshine. A furious Daniel Andrews slammed such blatant breaches, calling them an 'insult to everybody' and warned of 'very serious consequences' for those caught breaking the rules. Many of the revellers filmed showed little regard for social distancing and very few were wearing masks, which are currently mandatory outdoors in Victoria. Furious owners of the Peacock Inn Hotel were forced to deny having anything to do with the street party, with large groups gathering outside the shut premises. The hotel said it has remained closed during Melbourne's latest lockdown and 'has not been serving takeaway drinks at all this time.' 'A bit of a kick in the teeth to local businesses who are struggling during this clusterf*** of a couple of years,' the popular pub posted on Facebook. 'We love our community and we can't wait to have a street party, safely and within the regulations (as we have been operating the entire time).' Crowds were also gathered outside live music bar Open Studio. Large crowds gathered in inner-city Northcorte before festivities were shut down by police Furious Melburnians took to social media to express their outrage. 'Lockdown in Northcote people don't give a rats what the dictator says anymore 'highly infectious and deadly' seems a roof top DJ more important,' one local resident captioned footage. Police also kept a watchful eye on the large crowds in popular spots South Yarra and St Kilda. Melburnians are in their second week of lockdown, which could be extended after Victoria recorded another 25 new infections on Sunday. The dance party was held hours after the Victorian Premier slammed revellers attended a 'Walk. Talk. Sip' event in Richmond on Saturday. Scores of unmasked residents were caught gathering outside hospitality venues as part of a 'pub crawl', according to the premier. 'A pub crawl and that is what it was in Richmond last night is not worth it,' he said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called an election Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on September 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. 'We've had your back, and now it's time to hear your voice,' Trudeau said. 'Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19.' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his wife Sophie (second from the left) and his children arrived at the house of Governor General Mary Simon Sunday morning to request the election The Prime Minister urged the public to 'choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19' Trudeau is seeking to win a majority of seats in Parliament. His Liberal Party fell just short of that two years ago and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation. The election comes as Canada is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 cases, apparently driven by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Trudeau isn't as popular as he once was, but his government's handling of the pandemic has been widely viewed as a success. After a slow start Canada now has enough vaccines for each of its citizens. Opposition leftist Jagmeet Singh called it 'selfish' for Trudeau to call an election amid COVID More than 71 percent of eligible Canadians are full vaccinated and over 82 percent have received at least one dose. The government has spent billions to prop up the economy amid lockdowns that have now lifted. But if the result is another minority government, the 'knives will start to come out,' said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. 'Trudeau is not widely liked. He's what the Liberals have so they will fall in behind him, but if he loses he's toast,' Bothwell said. Over 70 percent of Canadians had received at least one dose as of August 7. The number is now up to 82 percent 'It's not that he's unpopular but there's no affection there. The Liberals behave as if he is this beloved figure but he's not. The novelty is gone. But there's still enough there and the performance on COVID was pretty solid so I think people will balance these things going into the election and vote for Trudeau.' Trudeau, the son of the late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was first elected with a majority of seats in Parliament in 2015. The Liberal's victory ended almost 10 years of Conservative Party government in Canada, but scandals combined with high expectations have damaged his standing. His father served as prime minister from 1968 to 1984 with a short interruption. Opposition leftist New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said it's 'selfish' for Trudeau to call an election in a pandemic. Ontario, Canada's largest province, reported more than 500 cases for the fourth straight day. Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said many Canadians will resent having an election they see as unnecessary, but said the Liberals will win the most seats. 'Trudeau is seen as having delivered on vaccines and there has been widespread support for the government's income-and job-support programs to counter COVID's economic fallout,' Wiseman said. 'Canadians compare their situation to the U.S. The current spike in the U.S. contributes to smug complacency among Canadians. This feeling benefits the Liberals at present.' Advertisement The US Ambassador to Afghanistan and some of his staff were seen fleeing their Kabul workplace Sunday, as the Pentagon increased the number of troops deployed in the region from 1,000 to 6,000. Ambassador Ross Wilson were both seen arriving at Kabul airport, as other Americans still in the country were ordered to shelter in place, after shots were fired at the city's airport. Late Sunday night, the State Department announced all personnel had been evacuated from the US Embassy in Kabul and were at the airport. 'We can confirm that the safe evacuation of all Embassy personnel is now complete. All Embassy personnel are located on the premises of Hamid Karzai International Airport, whose perimeter is secured by the US Military,' State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Initially, the aim had been to have staff removed within 72 hours, but the Taliban's advances across the Afghan capital Kabul prompted the immediate removal of all staff. An official security alert was issued by the US government after shots were fired at the airport, sparked fears American jets could be shot down as they left the country, which the Taliban have vowed to rename the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The US government said the 'security situation in Kabul is changing quickly including at the airport' and has instructed US citizens to shelter in place. NATO officials announced that all commercial flights have been suspended from the Kabul airport and only military aircraft are allowed to operate. Panic took over at the airport. Video shows frightened passengers yelling and scuffling inside cabin of plane allegedly at the Kabul airport. Chaotic crowds of people are attempting to board flights at the airport. The US government had estimated the city would be able to hold off the Taliban for a year, then revised its guess down to a worst case scenario of 30 days, but the city fell to Islamic extremists in a matter of hours. The scene at Kabul airport, as civilians hoping to be evacuated crowd onto the tarmac There were chaotic scenes at Kabul International Airport on Sunday night as thousands of Afghan residents rushed onto the tarmac Security appeared to be non-existent as those desperate to leave rushed onto the tarmac outside of the terminal buildings There were scenes of pure chaos on the ground outside the airport buildings as people fled together with their suitcases Potential passengers can be seen crowding the tarmac at Kabul airport in Afghanistan with people desperate to leave the country any way they can A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy as smoke rises in Kabul, Afghanistan, late on Sunday night The Departments of State and Defense also announced on Sunday night that US forces will take over air traffic control at Kabul airport, in addition to expanding security there. 'Tomorrow and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been resident in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals,' the joint statement from the two agencies said. 'And we will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for U.S. Special Immigrant Visas, nearly 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the United States over the past two weeks,' the statement continued. 'For all categories, Afghans who have cleared security screening will continue to be transferred directly to the United States. And we will find additional locations for those yet to be screened.' Late on Sunday night, the terrorist group was reported to have seized Bagram Air Base and freed between 5,000 to 7,000 U.S. prisoners, including some of the Taliban's hardened fighters together with senior al Qaeda operatives. The Pul-e-Charkhi prison, the largest in Afghanistan, contained a maximum-security cell block for al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. The release came after American forces handed control of the airfield on the outskirts of Kabul, to the Afghan government in early July. But those forces surrendered to the Taliban on Sunday as the insurgents stormed the US Embassy in Kabul and the presidential palace, reports Fox News. New videos show panicked mobs swarming Kabul International Airport Sunday, as hundreds try frantically to flee the besieged Afghan capital as Taliban forces move in Thousands of people can be seen at the airport as more crowd inside the terminal Afghanistan was thrown into turmoil Sunday as Taliban forces seized the capital following the withdrawal of US troops for the first time since 2001 Crowds are seen at Kabul airport as part of a desperate exodus after the extremist Islamic militants took over the city The House House released an image of Biden on a briefing call at Camp David with the caption: 'This morning, the President and Vice President met with their national security team and senior officials to hear updates on the draw down of our civilian personnel in Afghanistan, evacuations of SIV applicants and other Afghan allies, and the ongoing security situation in Kabul' Lights are on at the U.S. Embassy buildings after nightfall, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, late Sunday A US Air Force helicopter was seen taking off from the US embassy Sunday Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told US senators Sunday morning that the sudden collapse of the Afghan government means terror groups like Al Qaeda could grow stronger in Afghanistan far sooner than the two years Congress had previously estimated it would take them to become a threat. He conceded that the prediction also raised the possibility of a domestic attack in the US, or on one of its allies. Milley said up to 60,000 refugees could qualify for Special Immigrant Visas as a result of Iran's collapse. The Pentagon has now authorized 6,000 US troops to Afghanistan to help with the evacuation, officials confirmed to Reuters Foreign Policy Correspondent Idrees Ali on Sunday, an increase from the original 5,000 that President Joe Biden said we be heading to the area. Biden has set an August 31 deadline for the competition of the withdrawal. The Pentagon estimates that 30,000 people will need to be evacuated in this process. Video shared on social media Sunday shows people in Kabul rushing towards the airport. Biden also attributed the current situation in Afghanistan to his predecessor, Donald Trump, who he said 'left the Taliban in the strongest military position since 2001' and blamed him for the militants' swift takeover of most of Afghanistan upon the US troop withdrawal. According to a memo from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, which was shared on Twitter by Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Nissenbaum, Americans have been ordered to shelter in place while the Kabul airport takes fire In a scene mirroring that of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war, a US Air Force helicopter was seen taking off from the US embassy earlier Sunday. The Chinook helicopter rose to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital. Smoke rose from near to the US Embassy earlier Sunday as security staff work to destroy any important documents, including CIA information, electronic devices, or material that could be used 'in propaganda efforts'. 'Please also include items with Embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,' the notice said. According told CNN, US Senators were briefed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley Sunday as the situation in Afghanistan continues to unfold. The Senate was informed that as many as 60,000 people could possibly qualify as Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders or applicants, P1 and P2 visa holders, or others like human rights defenders. Scene at the Kabul airport on Sunday. Video showed chaotic crowds of people attempting to board flights. Smoke was seen rising from near to the US embassy earlier Sunday as security staff work to burn any important documents, including CIA information, or material that could be used 'in propaganda efforts'. The US flag is soon expected to be lowered, signaling the official closure of the embassy US Ambassador Ross Wilson is said to have evacuated the embassy in Kabul on Sunday Meanwhile, a Taliban official says they will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul. US Intelligence officials expected Kabul to hold out for three months, while UK ministers were hoping they had until the end of the month. Leaders of the extremist group have Sunday demanded the Afghan government surrender the city to them in a bid to avoid bloodshed - adding the chilling warning 'we've not declared a ceasefire'. As many as 10,000 US citizens are being evacuated from the city. Around 3,000 US troops are being sent to aid the mission. According to Biden, he and his security team made the decision in an effort to 'protect our interests and values as we end our military mission in Afghanistan.' Government leaders are trying to ensure an 'orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel' and an 'orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance'. The president says the U.S. government is also actively working to 'process, transport, and relocate Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other Afghan allies'. There are also fears about the safety of thousands of translators who are concerned they may be viewed as 'traitors' by the extremist Taliban. It is understood the plan is to evacuate the translators and their families, though there are concerns that the efforts may be hampered if fighters quickly reach Kabul airport. Taliban Sunday demanded foreigners who don't leave to register their presence with Taliban administrators in the coming days. While western countries such as the US and UK have opted to evacuate staff, Russia Sunday confirmed that it did not intend to evacuate its embassy staff in Kabul. A twin-rotor US Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy earlier Sunday, as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up pace The Chinook helicopter was seen taking to the skies above the city - just like in 1975 when a US Marine helicopter was seen evacuating embassy staff from Vietnamese capital (pictured) The US Embassy in Kabul has been ordered to destroy sensitive materials and evacuate as Taliban fighters move in on the capital Anti-missile decoy flares are deployed as U.S. Black Hawk military helicopters and a dirigible balloon fly over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan The US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has been the intelligence hub of the US's war on terror Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, to begin airlifting more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. Pictured: Members of Joint Forces Headquarters get prepared to deploy to Afghanistan The Taliban is now closing in on the capital of Kabul from all sides, now controlling territories in the north, south, east and west The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow (pictured) and his embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days The Fall of Saigon - 1975 Pictures showing US embassy officials being evacuated from Kabul are almost the mirror image of those taken during the 'Fall of Saigon' in 1975. Also known as the 'Liberation of Saigon' by the North Vietnamese, the event saw the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Kong capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon - now called Ho Chi Min city. During the offensive, US officials were told to evacuate the city. But because of continuing rocket fire on the nearby runways, US officials urged that any evacuation must take place by helicopter. So began Operation Frequent Wind, officially declared by the US radio stations putting Irving Berlin's White Christmas on repeat - the signal for US staff to begin evacuation. The embassy evacuation managed to fly out 978 Americans and about 1,100 Vietnamese citizens. Ambassador Graham Martin was flown out to the USS Blue Ridge, where he pleaded for helicopters to return to the embassy. His pleas were overruled, though many locals were still rescued by sea and boats after. Saigon was later turned over to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Advertisement The militants were seen in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman hours after taking control of Jalalabad, the last major Afghan city to fall to the insurgents. The terror group said in a statement they do not intend to take the capital 'by force' after entering the outskirts of the city. An Afghan official earlier confirmed Jalalabad fell under Taliban control without a fight early Sunday morning when the governor surrendered, saying it was 'the only way to save civilian lives.' Its fall has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Jalalabad is close to the Pakistani border and just 80 miles from Kabul - the Afghanistan capital home to more than four million people and currently the only remaining major city still under government control. Meanwhile, Special Forces units are joining 600 British troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 150 Paratroopers, while RAF planes are being scrambled from around the world, to airlift more than 500 British Government employees out of Kabul. The UK Government says it aims to get British ambassador Sir Laurie and his remaining embassy staff out by Sunday night - amid fears the Taliban could seize Kabul airport within days. A Taliban fighter sits inside an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle along the roadside in Laghman province on Sunday Taliban fighters drive the vehicle through the streets of Laghman province Sunday - the same day Jalalabad fell Residents and fighters swarm an Afghan National Army vehicle on a roadside in Laghman province as the insurgents take control of major cities Last days of the US Embassy in Kabul: Nerve center of the war on terror is being gutted of all sensitive material as staff and CIA assets The US Embassy in Kabul - the nerve center of the war on terror - is being gutted of all its sensitive material and evacuated in 72 hours, as the Taliban coils around Afghanistan's capital. The Embassy's demise will create an intelligence void that could plunge the US into pre-9/11 blindness, unless it can find another nearby country that will allow it rebuild its spy center. For the past 20 years, the US Embassy in Kabul has gathered vast amounts of information that shaped counterterrorism military actions - such as precision drone strikes - and prevented another 9/11-type attack. The location allowed CIA agents to meet with sources and monitor the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region. 'When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the US government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact,' CIA Director Bill Burns told Senators in April. Everyone in the Embassy - except Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service agents and top decisionmakers, including the ambassador - will be out of the country before the end of Tuesday. Security Engineers will also stay behind as they continue to burn, shred and pulverize 20 years worth of intelligence stored on electronics and in documents. Embassy or agency logos, American flags 'or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts' are also considered to be sensitive materials and will be destroyed. The military is prepared to lower the American flag flying above the Embassy - at the State Department's order - signaling the Embassy's official closure. Advertisement Leaders of the extremist group say they don't want a 'single Afghan to be injured or killed' during the hostile takeover - but warned 'we've not signed a ceasefire yet'. A senior US official told the New York Times the Taliban have warned the US it must cease airstrikes or else its extremist fighters will move in on US buildings. Joe Biden has vowed that any action that puts Americans at risk 'will be met with a swift and strong US military response.' Meanwhile, in the UK, Boris Johnson is facing calls for a last-ditch intervention to prevent the complete collapse of Afghanistan. The lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the capital amid fears it could fall within days or even hours. But amid a hurried scramble for safety, helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way - 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan - the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the dispatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the Prime Minister to convene an emergency conference of 'like-minded nations' to see what could be done. 'I plead with the Prime Minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognize where this country is going as a failed state,' he told Times Radio. 'We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. 'We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail.' Biden's words come back to haunt him: Just five weeks ago the president said there's 'no circumstance where Americans will be lifted out of the U.S. embassy in Kabul by helicopter' and now he's trying to squirm out of it by blaming Trump Joe Biden insisted last month that there's no way his troop withdrawal from Afghanistan would lead to a Saigon-like situation with Americans emergency evacuated out of the U.S. embassy in Kabul by helicopter. 'There's going to be no circumstance where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of a (sic) embassy of the United States from Afghanistan,' the president said during a press conference on July 8, 2021. Biden insisted during that press conference that the U.S. would not succumb to the Taliban once troops were withdrawn and is now trying to divert blame for the takeover on Donald Trump. Those words are coming back to bite the president after the majority of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in just under a week and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was forced to evacuate by helicopter once the militant forces breached the city on Sunday. 'Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?' a reporter asked the president at the time of the July 8 press conference. 'No, it is not,' Biden responded. He explained: 'You have the Afghan troops at 300,000 well equipped, as well as any army in the world and an Air Force, against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable.' He also said at the same press conference 'that is not true' that his own intelligence community was warning the Afghan government will likely collapse if there was a total and swift withdrawal. President Joe Biden said on July 8, 2021 that '[t]here's going to be no circumstance where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of a (sic) embassy of the United States from Afghanistan' Biden is now eating his words after Americans were evacuated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul by helicopter just five weeks after his remarks. A twin-rotor U.S. Air Force Chinook was seen taking off from the US Embassy Sunday as the evacuation efforts rapidly pick up 'Afghan government leadership has to come together,' Biden said. 'They clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place.' Joe Biden immediately passed the buck to his predecessor, claiming that Trump 'left the Taliban in the strongest military position since 2001'. 'When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessorwhich he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on US forces,' Biden wrote in a statement Saturday. 'Shortly before he left office, he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500,' the president continued in blaming former President Trump for the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan. 'Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choicefollow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict.' As the Taliban continues to overtake the majority of the country, forces reached the Capital City of Kabul on Sunday with officials seeking the unconditional surrender of the central government. 'Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city,' Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told BBC in an interview. 'We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power,' he said, adding the group expects that to happen in a matter of days. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Trump for forcing the administration's hand on a total withdrawal by May. 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1,' Blinken told CNN on Sunday morning. Biden wrote a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon where he blamed Donald Trump for 'leaving the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001' Taliban fighters reached Kabul on Sunday and are awaiting the 'peaceful transfer of power' to the militant Islamic group. They breached the city shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Trump during a CNN interview on Sunday where he said: 'Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1' 'Had we not begun that process, which is what the president did and the Taliban saw, then we would have been back at war with the Taliban, and we would have been back at war with tens of thousands of troops having to go in because the 2,500 troops we had there and the air power would not have sufficed,' he said. Blinken added in his interview on State of the Union that 'it's simply not in the national interest' to remain in Afghanistan, claiming other U.S. adversaries would like 'nothing more' than to see another decade of American forces diverted there. 'Come May 2nd, if the president had decided to stay, all gloves would have been off. We would have been back at war,' Blinken said in a second interview Sunday morning with NBC's Meet the Press. He also said Sunday: 'We had to put in place an entire system to deal with this. Unfortunately none of that work was done when we came in.' The militant Islamic group was able to seize nearly all of Afghanistan in a little over a week a stunning feat after the billions spent by the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over two decades the build up Afghanistan's security forces. An American military assessment estimated it would be a month before Kabul would come under insurgent pressure. Biden vowed he would not pass on the war in the Middle East to whoever is president after him. 'I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan two Republicans, two Democrats,' he continued. 'I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.' Trump immediately fired back at Biden in his own email statement on Saturday claiming that due to the current administration's actions, the Taliban don't fear America's power anymore. Trump hit back by saying the Afghanistan situation is a 'complete failure through weakness, incompetence and total strategic incoherence' by Biden 'Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues,' he wrote. 'Everyone knew he couldn't handle the pressure.' 'He ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our Administration left for hima plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America,' the former president continued. 'The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground,' Trump said of the deal he made in 2019 with leaders of the Taliban. 'After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent,' Trump added. 'That deterrent is now gone.' 'The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America's power,' he said. 'What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America's Embassy in Kabul.' 'This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.' In Biden's Saturday statement, he provided a list of five things his administration is doing to address the situation in Afghanistan. This includes deploying 5,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to assist in the total withdrawal of all allies and U.S. personnel. '[B]ased on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams,' he said, 'I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance.' Around 1,000 service members are already on the ground and 3,000 more were already being sent next week, before officials announced the deployment of an extra 1,000 as the situation escalated over the weekend. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan will be evacuated in 72 hours under the protection of the military, and some staffers have already arrived at the Kabul international airport. The Taliban have moved to within seven miles of Kabul, and taken over swathes of territory across the rest of Afghanistan. The warlords now control 19 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces Biden also announced Saturday he is sending in 5,000 troops to help with the evacuation of U.S. and ally personnel Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday to discuss the 'urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence,' the State Department said in a statement. 'The Secretary emphasized the United States' commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has slammed Biden for the 'complete mismanagement' of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Pentagon officials warned it could be just a matter of a couple days before the Taliban seizes control of Kabul, a city with more than four million people. McCarthy said: 'The White House has no discernible plan other than pleading with the Taliban. The bungled withdrawal, reminiscent of his failed withdrawal from Iraq, is an embarrassment to our nation.' 'President Biden must continue to provide the close air support necessary for the Afghan government to protect themselves from the Taliban and make sure al Qaeda and ISIS do not gain a foothold due to the Biden administration's disastrous policies.' But Biden hit back in a statement from Camp David on Saturday afternoon, insisting that he could not force the Afghan army to fight. He said: 'One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me.' Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed for Camp David on Friday and plans to stay there through Wednesday. Premier League fans will have noticed that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was on the touchline without his trademark glasses in their 3-0 victory over Norwich. It was a sight that Liverpool fans would have first noticed during their pre-season training camp when they were taken aback by pictures of the German without his famous specs. And the Daily Mirror have reported that the Liverpool manager has had treatment on his eyes since the end of last season. Jurgen Klopp had an operation on his eyes meaning he no longer needs his famous specs It has surprised some fans who are used to seeing Klopp with his trademark glasses A source told them: 'He's had a bit of treatment on his eyes which went really well. It means he doesn't need to wear his glasses all the time. But he still may wear them occasionally in the dugout.' Some fans were shocked on social media to see Klopp without his frames. Twitter user Callumpal96 tweeted: 'Jurgen Klopp looks weird without his glasses. Like Pep with hair. Just doesn't look right.' May Elmi tweeted: 'I'm seeing Jurgen Klopp without his glasses tonight. Is it a new style or did he break them again?! LOL.' Klopp famously broke his glasses while emphatically celebrating Adam Lallana's late winner in a 5-4 victory over Norwich in 2016. LFCMumble offered a word of caution though as they commented: 'I just hope Jurgen Klopp's glasses weren't lucky glasses.' Liverpool got their season off to a flyer with a comfortable 3-0 victory away at Norwich I'm seeing Jurgen Klopp without his glasses tonight. Is it a new style or did he break them again?! LOL#NORLIV MAY ELMI (@mahamadsonic) August 14, 2021 Jurgen Klopp looks weird without his glasses. Like Pep with hair. Just doesn't look right Cxllum (@_CallumPal96) August 14, 2021 Klopp, has spoken about previous treatment he has received, including on his teeth which he joked about comparisons with Roberto Firmino. He said: 'I went to the dentist because I had some problems so really it was like you have to come in or it will get worse. 'So I had to have antibiotics and medicine and I said 'could we do something new like crowns', and they said, 'yeah, of course we can'. I just hope Jurgen Klopps glasses werent lucky glasses LFC Mumble (@lfcmumble) August 14, 2021 'It was not as if I saw Bobby Firmino's teeth and said 'I want them' but I like them though. Firmino has world class teeth.' Klopp has got his eyes set on reclaiming the Premier League title with Liverpool this season. They got their season off to a flyer with a convincing victory thanks to goals by Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah. Advertisement It was like a kind of magic. A hotel on Mallorca that left me spellbound. I knew the biggest island of the Balearic archipelago could throw a party, but I didn't realise it could enchant. Not, that is, until we rolled into the grand courtyard of Zoetry Mallorca, a stunning step-back-in-time country estate hotel that mesmerises with tranquil courtyards, charming service, a pool or two and luxurious, serene bedrooms. Lads on tour, move along to Magaluf, which lies about 50km (31 miles) to the west, the other side of the capital, Palma. Zoetry Mallorca, pictured, is a stunning step-back-in-time country estate hotel The hotel 'mesmerises with tranquil courtyards, charming service, a pool or two and luxurious, serene bedrooms', says Ted. It occupies buildings once owned by the landed gentry dating back to the 14th century Zoetry Mallorca used to be a Hilton but has recently been refurbished and become a jewel in the portfolio of U.S group Amresorts Collection Zoetry Mallorca occupies buildings once owned by the landed gentry dating back to the 14th century, has a 15th-century windmill (the origins of which, intriguingly, are unknown) and a mesmerising neo-Gothic 19th-century chapel, built by a previous owner. It used to be a Hilton but has recently been refurbished and become a jewel in the portfolio of U.S group Amresorts Collection. We found it on a quiet road 20km (12 miles) or so to the southeast of the island's capital, surrounded by not much at all. Ted writes: 'I knew the biggest island of the Balearic archipelago could throw a party, but I didn't realise it could enchant' There are two adult pools, one with a kids pool - 'and this was where we did much of our flopping', reveals Ted Ted praises the hotel's service around the pools - there was always a lifeguard on duty and staff ready to dispense refreshments There's a quality vineyard next door Bodegas Bordoy but other than that it's a neighbourhood of raw rustic countryside and the occasional wheeling bird of prey. Perfect. Our bedroom was a junior suite with a luxurious bathroom in the renovated stable block, where the interior designer had embraced the pathway to clutter-free tranquillity and left the walls relaxingly bare and the room embellished with just a few carefully chosen items of wooden furniture. We parents had a gargantuan bed to sink into and our four-year-old daughter a comfy sofa bed in the living room. It was a most relaxing environment and mere steps from the aristocratic hotel's facilities, which are connected by flower-and-tree-lined pathways, ancient corridors and the aforementioned tranquil courtyards. Ted's favourite area in the hotel grounds was the cobbled courtyard (pictured), where breakfast and evening dinner was served by the hotel's 'smashing staff' Some of the bedrooms in Zoetry Mallorca have an aristocratic air about them Ted's bedroom was similar to this one pictured, with a tranquil, clutter-free aesthetic The hotel's facilities are impressive - and include an expansive spa with bubbling pools The hotel is surrounded only by rustic countryside There are two adult pools, one with a kids pool - and this was where we did much of our flopping, and where the little one generally became most excited. Getting her out of the water was a task. There was a lifeguard on constant duty, a most efficient waitress on call to dispense tasty bar food (fresh salads with enormous tomatoes, pasta and Mallorcan wine were our go-to menu items) and plenty of trees offering shade. But perhaps my favourite area in the hotel grounds was the cobbled courtyard, where breakfast and evening dinner was served by the hotel's smashing staff to guests sitting under beautiful trees. In the starlit evenings, we'd dine on tasty tapas and sip rose cava as musicians wafted music into the night air. This image shows the hotel's incredible 19th century neo-Gothic chapel It's a far cry from Magaluf, which lies about 50km (31 miles) to the west, the other side of Palma The hotel's facilities are connected by flower-and-tree-lined pathways and ancient corridors Ted and his family discovered some stunning beaches on Mallorca's south coast - including Cala Pi (pictured) Enticing beach Cala Marcal, which is a walkable distance from another gem - Cala Brafi In the mornings, fresh coffee and Spanish pastries would come thick and fast as we perused the maps and guide books and worked out the day's itinerary, often helped by the hotel's superstar guest relations manager, Ana. We found some treasures, stunning beaches an easy drive away such as Cala Marcal, Cala Brafi and Cala Pi on the south and east coasts and thanks to some wayward satnav instructions from the BMW X1 hire car, we got to explore some of the island's narrowest, least SUV-friendly roads as a bonus. And I got to practice my 20-point turns. Was I flustered? Not once I was wrapped in Zoetry Mallorca's seductive embrace. She's been splitting her time between Majorca and the UK while filming the current series of Love Island. And Laura Whitmore ensured she was back in England for her good pal Clodagh McKenna's wedding to her Downton Abbey beau Harry Herbert, 62, on Saturday. The Irish presenter, 36, put on a leggy display a stunning dress with a thigh-high split as she joined her husband Iain Stirling, 33, for the nuptials at Highclere Castle, better known as the fictional Downton Abbey. Looking good! Laura Whitmore put on a leggy display a dress with a thigh-high split as she joined her husband Iain Stirling, 33, for her friend's nuptials at Highclere Castle on Saturday Laura dressed up for the occasion in a one-shoulder dress which contrasted panels of pink and black lace fabric. It boasted a puffed shoulder and racy thigh-high split. The mother-of-one added height to her frame with black platform heels. She draped a black handbag from Chanel over her shoulder and accessorised with cat-eye shades and a cream headpiece. All dressed up: Iain caught the eye in a kilt as he chatted to his stylish wife after the ceremony While Iain stood out from the crowd in a green tartan kilt which complemented his knee-high socks, navy waistcoat and blazer. Meanwhile, bride Clodagh looked radiant in her angelic lace gown which featured floral white embroidery around the waist and elbow-length sleeves. Her new husband Harry, who is the Queen's godson, looked dapper in a morning suit which he teamed with a double-breasted cream waist coat and tie. Also seen at the nuptials was former Chancellor George Osborne and his fiancee Thea Rogers as well as their one-month-old son Beau. Newlyweds! This Morning's chef Clodagh McKenna looked radiant as she stepped out of the church with her new husband Harry Herbert Laura's appearance at the wedding comes after she made a bombshell return to Love Island during last Sunday's episode to announce the news that six islanders are at risk of being dumped from the villa. Islanders Abi, Mary and Kaz were the bottom three girls while Dale, Tyler and Jake were the bottom three boys with Laura then revealing the safe islanders would decide which two would be dumped. In the end it was Abi and Dale who were sent packing, with the duo being sent home from the Vibes beach club during the episode. Love Island continues on Sunday on ITV2. His wife recently faced backlash for continuing to breastfeed their daughter, who is now five years old. But rapper Ice-T still made a showing with his wife Coco Austin and their daughter Chanel Nicole Marrow on Saturday, at a special screening of the new animated film PAW Patrol: The Movie in New York City. The family posed in the hallway of the AMC Empire cinema in Times Square in front of a cardboard cutout display from the movie, and a fuzzy character dressed in costume. Fun crowd: Ice-T made a showing with his wife Coco Austin and their daughter Chanel Nicole Marrow on Saturday, at a screening of the new animated film PAW Patrol: The Movie in NYC The 63-year-old actor and hip-hop star, born Tracy Lauren Marrow, wore all black with stars around his collar, while model Coco, 42, was lovely in a colorful patterned minidress featuring a low-cut bust line. Their sweet little girl was in a pineapple patterned dress, and she held a Paw Patrol backpack up for one photo. Paw Patrol features voice acting from stars such as Iain Armitage, Yara Shahidi, Randall Park, Dax Shepard and reality star Kim Kardashian. Fun: The family posed in the hallway of the AMC Empire cinema in Times Square in front of a cardboard cutout display from the movie, and a fuzzy character dressed in a costume Summer styles: The actor and hip-hop star wore all black with stars around his collar, while model Coco was lovely in a colorful patterned minidress featuring a low-cut bust line The sighting of Ice-T and his family comes after Coco recently said she thinks it's wrong for 'society' to pressure moms to stop breastfeeding 'at two.' The remark came after Austin sparked quite a bit of backlash when she revealed she still nurses five-year-old daughter Chanel earlier this month. But Coco told E!'s Daily Pop she's not letting the outrage sway her opinion, explaining that 'as a mother' you should only stop breastfeeding after the child 'says so.' Cute: Their sweet little girl was in a pineapple patterned dress, and she held a Paw Patrol backpack up for one photoTheir sweet little girl was in a pineapple patterned dress, and she held a Paw Patrol backpack up for one photo 'I'm [not] going to stop because I feel like it's a great bonding experience between her and I,' she went on. 'She's my only child, it's not like I have a big family of kids, and so I'm savoring every moment with this child.' Coco - full name Nicole - had her daughter in her lap as she unpacked her views on breastfeeding, admitting while she's 'not really an arguer' she stands by her parenting choices. Little Chanel also made it clear she was happy sticking close to mom, saying yes and smiling when mom asked her 'Do you want the boob?' Controversy: The sighting of Ice T and his family comes after Coco recently said she thinks it's wrong for 'society' to pressure moms to stop breastfeeding 'at two' As for Ice, he also had things to say on the matter, squarely telling haters to 'F off'. He made his feelings explicit that he and Coco were far from 'normal parents' in a risque photo he tweeted last week. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star looked off guard with his face covered in shaving cream, while Coco sported pink hair and had her nether regions lathered up for a shave. Sylvester Stallone heaped love and praise on his wife Jennifer Flavin as they rang in her 53rd birthday on Saturday, August 14. To mark her big day, the Rocky and Rambo legend, 75, took to Instagram and shared a recent photo of himself and Jennifer posing sweetly next to one another. 'Happy birthday to Jennifer! A fantastic wife and mother! We love you,' Stallone gushed in the caption. All love: Sylvester Stallone heaped love and praise on his wife Jennifer Flavin as they rang in her 53rd birthday on Saturday, August 14 In the photo, the couple appeaed to be standing outside, presumably in the backyard of their plush home that they share together in Palm Beach, Florida. With a glowing smile, Jennifer modeled a red floral number as she posed with her right arm wrapped lovingly around her husband. She had her dirty-blonde tresses styled long, with major bangs, and a part in the middle. Stallone could be seen flashing a big beaming smile, while dressed in a blue and black checkered button-down shirt. His salt and pepper-colored hair was pushed back off his face. Personal milestone: In early July, the Rocky and Rambo legend celebrated his 75th birthday Longtime love: To mark her husband's 75th birthday on July 6, Flavin shared her own loving tribute, where she thanked Stallone for 'always making me laugh and loving me so much' Walk down memory lane: Flavin's most recent birthday post to Stallone included photos taken during their relationship that began back in 1988 Stallone's birthday love to his wife comes about five weeks after he celebrated his 75th birthday on July 6, which included an Instagram shoutout from Flavin. 'Happy 75th birthday my love!' Flavin wrote in the caption of six photos that were taken during various times throughout their relationship, which began back in the late 1980s. 'Thank you for always making me laugh and loving me so much! I love you forever,' she added, along with three red heart emojis. Destined: The couple broke up in the early 1990s, only to reunite and get married in May 1997 Going strong: Flavin and Stallone celebrated 24 years of marriage this past May The couple, who celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary this past May, started their romance back in 1988 but broke up after several years together. They would eventually reunite several years later and go on to tie-the-knot in 1997. Stallone and Flavin have three adult daughters together named Sophia, 24, Sistine, 23, and Scarlet, 19. The Oscar-winner also welcomed two sons with his first wife, Sasha Czack: Sage, who died of heart failure in July 2012 at the age of 36 and Seargeoh, 42. Stallone was previously married to actress Brigette Nielsen for about two years in the 1980s. His girls! The actor, writer and director has three daughters with Flavin: Sistine, 23, Scarlett , 19, and Sophia, 24; the family is pictured in a post from July 21 She is a well-know vegan and animal welfare advocate. And Kate Mara threw her 'support' behind the Big Cat Public Safety Act by rocking a tee adorned with its name and campaign logo on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. The act was reintroduced in the US Senate in April, and aims to provide a solution to the 'dangerous and cruel problems associated with private ownership of big cats and direct contact activities like cub petting.' Activism: Kate Mara threw her 'support' behind the Big Cat Public Safety Act by rocking a tee adorned with its name and campaign logo on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles The 38-year-old actress teamed her well intentioned top with a pair of skintight black leggings. Mara trekked through the parking lot in a pair of checkered slide sandals after attending a Pilates class in the LA neighborhood of Los Feliz. Her bleach blonde jaw-length hair was styled half up, half down and she rocked a pair of clear RayBan shades over her eyes. Fit: Mara trekked through the parking lot in a pair of checkered slide sandals after attending a Pilates class in the LA neighborhood of Los Feliz The American Horror Story star had a pink mask tucked around her wrist that coordinated with her reusable water bottle. Slung across Kate's body was a black designer bag with a silver chainlink strap. Kate made the dramatic change from auburn to blonde back in June, proudly unveiling her new hair on Instagram. Her cause: Kate and her sister Rooney Mara (pictured left) are well-know vegans and animal welfare advocates Changes: Kate made the dramatic change from auburn to blonde back in June, proudly unveiling her new hair on Instagram 'New hair,' captioned the star, who then encouraged her 452,000 followers to check out her critically-acclaimed Netflix series A Teacher. The limited series, which is 10-episodes in length, premiered on FX in November 2020. A Teacher documents the predatory relationship formed between teacher Claire Wilson (played by Mara) and her young student Eric Walker (played by Nick Robinson) and the complexities and consequences of the inappropriate entanglement, as per IMDB. Limited series: Mara's latest project A Teacher documents the predatory relationship formed between teacher Claire Wilson (played by Mara) and her young student Eric Walker (played by Nick Robinson) and the complexities and consequences of the inappropriate entanglement, as per IMDB; Kate and costar Nick pictured Complex: Speaking to Deadline , Kate opened up about the research and preparation she endured to play the role, noting that delving into the mind of a predator is an answerless feat Speaking to Deadline, Kate opened up about the research and preparation she endured to play the role, noting that delving into the mind of a predator is an answerless feat. 'I definitely did research into these stories, and specifically the Mary Kay Letourneau one, and theres a documentary that I watched that I found really fascinating,' she recalled. 'But, its not like I could go and talk to one of these people. I dont have an answer, and I think that that was one of the reasons why I think playing the character and exploring the show is so interesting, because you just have to do your own assessment, and try and find pieces of these specific people and stories that, maybe do make sense, or if you were to make up a backstory about somebody and maybe why they got to this place, its hard, because there isnt just an answer for that, that were aware of.' Home life: When she is not challenging herself with her work, Mara is living a happy home life with her husband Jamie Bell (left) When she is not challenging herself with her work, Mara is living a happy home life with her husband Jamie Bell. The couple wed in 2017 after meeting on the set of their 2015 sci-fi film Fantastic Four. Jamie and Kate have since welcomed a child together, and they have opted to keep them out of the public eye. Advertisement Travis Barker celebrated a milestone on Saturday as he successfully took his first ride on an airplane since surviving a deadly plane crash nearly 13 years earlier. The 45-year-old Blink-182 drummer was glimpsed disembarking a private jet with his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian, 42, by his side for moral support. The couple traveled with Kourtney's mother Kris Jenner, 65, and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 40, for a vacation in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas. He did it! Travis Barker, 45, celebrated a milestone on Saturday as he successfully took his first ride on an airplane since surviving a deadly plane crash nearly 13 years earlier. The Blink-182 drummer was glimpsed boarding a private jet with his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian, 42, by his side for moral support Travis was first spotted at an airfield in Camarillo, California, as he prepared to board the aircraft. He and Kourtney were reportedly late to arrive for the flight, and Kris and Corey appeared to have waited in the jet for about an hour before they drove up. Prior to boarding the plane, he and Kourtney embraced, and then she held his hands as they walked up their stairs. Getting away from it all: The couple traveled with Kourtney's mother Kris Jenner, 65, and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 40, for a vacation in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas Getting in the right headspace: Travis was first spotted at an airfield in Camarillo, California, as he prepared to board the aircraft Taking it easy: Travis was dressed for comfort on the trip in a tank top that showed off his abundant tattoos. He also wore gray pants with a black belt covered in metal studs, and he covered his shaved head with a black ski cap Fully stocked: The rocker appeared to have packed plenty for the trip south of the border, as he carried a carried a large black Goyard duffle bag over his shoulder 2008 crash: The 45-year-old Blink-182 drummer wasn't able to set foot on an airplane following a deadly plane crash in 2008 in which he was one of only two survivors (pictured) Travis was dressed for comfort on the trip in a tank top that showed off his abundant tattoos. He also wore gray pants with a black belt covered in metal studs, and he covered his shaved head with a black ski cap. The group jetted off to Mexico in a white jet decorated with pink stripes that is owned by Kourtney's youngest sister Kylie Jenner. Travis hasn't been able to set foot on an airplane following the deadly plane crash in 2008 in South Carolina in which he was one of only two survivors The plane crash happened on September 19, 2008 - Travis boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head back to Los Angeles following a show, while accompanied by his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker. Fiery crash: The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact in Columbia, South Carolina. Security guard Charles 'Che' Still and assistant Chris Baker were also killed on impact - seen in 2008 He's not alone: Prior to boarding the plane, he and Kourtney embraced, and then she held his hands as they walked up their stairs As the small plane was attempting to take off, one of its tires suffered a blow out, causing the craft to overshoot the runway, burst through the airport's fence and over the nearby highway, and finally crash into the embankment on the side of the road. The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact, according to the Chicago Tribune . Still and Baker were also killed on impact. Travis and Adam were able to escape from the burning plane via an emergency exit over the wing, but both were engulfed in flames as they slid down the wing and got covered in burning jet fuel. The drummer had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having skin grafts and 26 surgeries to repair the damage. Luxurious: Barker was flying in style for his first trip back into the air in more than a decade. Colorful: The group jetted off to Mexico in a white jet decorated with pink stripes that is owned by Kourtney's youngest sister Kylie Jenner Kylie's jet: Kylie purchased the jet from Global Express before the start of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The quasi-billionaire doesn't just use it for her own purposes, but she regularly lets her sisters and mother travel on it across the globe Kylie's jet - which Travis and Kourtney travelled on was purchased from Global Express before the start of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The quasi-billionaire doesn't just use it for her own purposes, but she regularly lets her sisters and mother travel on it across the globe. The jet cost her a whopping $72.8 million, and jets of its size cost around $5 million per year to operate, according to Page Six. Kylie opted for a Global Express Jet, which is larger than a Learjet and can fly longer distances, but its increased size also means that it is too big to land at many private air fields. Pricy: The jet cost her a whopping $72.8 million, and jets of its size cost around $5 million per year to operate, according to Page Six Going big: Kylie opted for a Global Express Jet, which is larger than a Learjet and can fly longer distances, but its increased size also means that it is too big to land at many private air fields Kris Jenner and her beau Corey Gamble both looked vacation ready as they disembarked in Cabo San Lucas. The iconic momager wore a lovely black-and-white dress covered in hypnotizing patterns. She wore her dark hair in her standard bob and had gold hoop earrings on. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also had on a black mask to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Corey rocked a casual white button-up shirt with a white patterned bucket hat. He also had on gray shorts and white trainers. Both carried several carry-on bags as they stepped off the plane. Vacation looks: Kris Jenner and her beau Corey Gamble both looked vacation ready as they disembarked in Cabo San Lucas. The iconic momager wore a lovely black-and-white dress covered in hypnotizing patterns She wore her dark hair in her standard bob and had gold hoop earrings on. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also had on a black mask to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Corey rocked a casual white shirt for the relaxing journey Low-key: He also had on gray shorts and white trainers, and both carried several carry-on bags Back in June, Travis shocked his fans when he tweeted that he might ride on an airplane in the future. He tweeted, 'I might fly again,' and his fans quickly launched adoring tweets in support of him returning to the sky. 'Wow bro! Strong move, but I never doubted your strength!' tweeted a supportive fan. Another person replied that they were impressed 'that he could us his bus for long [sic]' and that 'he's almost ready to leave the bus behind!' One user admitted to sharing Travis' traumatizing experience with her children. 'This is an amazing step for someone with your past,' she wrote. Foreshadowing: Back in June, Travis shocked his fans when he tweeted that he might ride on an airplane in the future Shocker: He tweeted, 'I might fly again,' and his fans quickly launched adoring tweets in support of him returning to the sky Supportive: 'Wow bro! Strong move, but I never doubted your strength!' tweeted a supportive fan, while another person marveled that he'd been using a bus for so long They have his back: Others recounted how they overcame their fears following plane crashes to show it was possible to fly again Teaching moment: One user admitted to sharing Travis' traumatizing experience with her children. 'This is an amazing step for someone with your past,' she wrote On the same page: One user had shared in the experience of being in a plane crash, though they were eventually able to get back in the air. 'It took me years to fly again,' they admitted One user had shared in the experience of being in a plane crash, though they were eventually able to get back in the air. 'It took me years to fly again,' they admitted. 'I fly all the time now, but every once and awhile the fear creeps back in. Breathing helps. 'I hope you make it back up one day,' they added. Travis has recently been opening up about the trauma he experienced during his 2008 plane crash. 'I fly all the time now,' the Twitter user continued, 'but every once and awhile the fear creeps back in. Breathing helps. I hope you make it back up one day' Last moments on the ground: Travis and Kourtney were seen driving up to the airfield. The two appeared to be in a black Range Rover Part of his healing process: Travis has recently been opening up about the trauma he experienced during his 2008 plane crash Wake-up call: In a May interview with Men's Health , he shared that the crash helped motivate him to stop abusing prescription drugs In a May interview with Men's Health, he shared that the crash helped motivate him to stop abusing prescription drugs. 'People are always like, "Did you go to rehab?'' he recounted. 'And I [say], "No, I was in a plane crash." That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.' Crash landing: 'People are always like, "Did you go to rehab?'' he recounted. 'And I [say], "No, I was in a plane crash." That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.' The fateful night: Late at night on September 19, 2008, Travis boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head back to Los Angeles following a show On board: Among those accompanying him was his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, as well as his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker Disaster: As the small plane was attempting to take off, one of its tires suffered a blow out, causing the craft to overshoot the runway Instantaneous: Travis and Adam were able to escape from the burning plane via an emergency exit over the wing, but Still and Baker were also killed on impact On fire: Both Travis and Adam were engulfed in flames as they slid down the wing and got covered in burning jet fuel Severe: The drummer had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having skin grafts and 26 surgeries to repair the damage Sick at the sight of them: After the crash, Travis was overcome with a debilitating fear even at the sight of an airplane Fear: 'I was dark I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn't want to see it,' he said After the crash, Travis was overcome with a debilitating fear even at the sight of an airplane. 'I was dark I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn't want to see it,' he said, adding that he was 'haunted' by the experience of 'being burned' and 'trying to grab my friends from a burning plane.' But he also struck a more hopeful not now that nearly 13 years have passed since the crash. 'Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he said. Traumatizing: He added that he was 'haunted' by the experience of 'being burned' and 'trying to grab my friends from a burning plane' Healing with time: But he also struck a more hopeful not now that nearly 13 years have passed since the crash Optimistic'Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he said. 'Survivors guilt': In May, around when his interview was published, Travis got the phrase 'Survivors guilt' tattooed on his arms The incident has certainly been on his mind recently, as last month he got the words 'Survivors guilt' tattooed on his forearms. Travis may have some newfound confidence thanks to his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian, who's a noted flier and traveler. She and the rest of the KardashianJenner family regular travel across the globe on elite private jets, though she's had to stay on the ground when traveling with her musician boyfriend due to his debilitating fear. She regularly shares the highlights from her international trips to her Poosh lifestyle site, though her trips were curtailed amid the ongoing pandemic. The reality star doesn't appear to have any issues traveling by air, as evidenced by a 2019 Keeping Up With The Kardashians episode in which she gushed about how much she enjoyed traveling with her children now that they were getting older. Since she's taken countless private jet rides, she may be the perfect person to accompany Travis on a short flight. She's a pro: Kourtney likely helped give Travis renewed confidence, as she's a regular flier and traveler Updates: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star regularly shares the highlights of her international travel on her lifestyle website Poosh The drummer certainly wants to get back in the air, despite how terrifying the idea might be. 'I have to,' he said in his Men's Health interview. 'I want to make the choice to try and overcome it.' The musician added that he yearns for the normal, everyday feeling of returning home from a plane trip. 'If I do it, and the angels above help me in my travels and keep me safe, I would like to come back and [tell them], "Hey, I just flew here, and then I flew home. And everything was fine." I have to tell them, because I almost left them,' Travis said, adding, 'That's a perfect day.' He did it: At the time, Barker said he wanted to get back in the air, despite how terrifying the idea might be. 'I have to,' he said. 'I want to make the choice to try and overcome it' Looking up: 'If I do it, and the angels above help me in my travels and keep me safe, I would like to come back and [tell them], "Hey, I just flew here, and then I flew home. And everything was fine" They recently returned from a romantic trip to her native Brazil. And on Saturday night, Alessandra Ambrosio looked very much in love with her new boyfriend Richard Lee, as the pair headed into dinner at trendy hotspot Nobu in Malibu, California. The former Victoria's Secret Angel, 40, stared lovingly into the male models eyes, as he smiled back affectionately. On Saturday night: Alessandra Ambrosio looked very much in love with her new boyfriend Richard Lee, as the pair headed into dinner at trendy hotspot Nobu in Malibu Ambrosio wore a cute and sexy bright green knit dress, which had a keyhole opening at her midriff. She carried a woven straw purse, and walked along in similar-looking sandals that looked to be made from rope. The mother of two painted her finger and toenails in matching shades of green, and had an emerald pendant necklace on her chest layered with other pieces of delicate jewelry. Look of love: The former Victoria's Secret Angel stared lovingly into the male models eyes, as he smiled back affectionately Peek-a-boo: Ambrosio wore a cute and sexy bright green knit dress, which had a keyhole opening at her midriff She wore mismatched earrings with one in the shape of a feather. Her brown hair was down for the evening, and her makeup was soft. Richard, whom Alessandra began dating earlier this year, was chic and understated in an all-black outfit. He wore a matching beaded bracelet and carried a pale green sweatshirt over one shoulder. Lovely: Alessandra's brown hair was down for the evening, and her makeup was soft Earlier in the day: The brunette beauty uploaded an action shot of the pair playing beach volleyball to her Instagram, tagging Richard as he ran to the net to hit the ball He looked happy and thrilled to be by his beautys side. Neither Richard nor Alessandra were wearing face coverings while they were outdoors. Earlier in the day, the brunette beauty uploaded an action shot of the pair playing beach volleyball to her Instagram, tagging Richard as he ran to the net to hit the ball. Romantic: The couple recently returned from a romantic trip to her native Brazil Alessandra confirmed her smoldering romance with Richard when they were spotted on a romantic dinner date in February. She was previously involved with Italian fashion designer Nicolo Oddi who founded the brand Alanui with his sister Carlotta. Meanwhile, Alessandra shares her two children Anja and Noah with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur, who co-founded RE/DONE. She has embarked on a health and wellbeing journey after being trolled online about her appearance last year. And Fran Parman showcased her 2st weight loss as she attended Olivia Attwood's 30th birthday party in Manchester on Saturday. The TOWIE star, 29, exuded confidence as she posed in a chic watercolour print slip dress, which revealed her body transformation. Chic: Fran Parman showcased her 2st weight loss as she attended Olivia Attwood's 30th birthday party in Manchester on Saturday The dres teased a glimpse of her cleavage and revealed her bronzed legs as she posed. Fran added a further pop of colour with lavender stiletto heels. Her brunette tresses were styled in soft waves and she sported a rich palette of make-up. In June Fran looked incredible a plunging white and blue maxi dress. 'Take time to do what makes you happy,' the TOWIE star told her followers as she worked her angles for the camera in the boho-chic dress. Stunning: In June Fran looked incredible a plunging white and blue maxi dress Fran looked gorgeous as she posed in the street in the summer-ready floral print dress, which featured a midriff-baring cut out detail. She accessorised with a series of long chain necklaces which decorated her decolletage. The brunette bombshell wore her tresses in loose waves that cascaded round her face and donned a full face of glamorous makeup for the outing. It comes after Fran has wowed her followers by documenting her weight loss journey. Weight loss: It comes after Fran was trolled online about her appearance after stepping out in a bodycon dress last year The reality had put on more than three stone while caring for her elderly grandfather as the pandemic swept across Britain, and her weight gain was noted by fans as she returned to the show last summer following a two-year absence. The brunette beauty highlighted the unnecessary abuse she received for choosing to wear an unflattering bodycon dress for her TOWIE return. Taking to Instagram on International Women's Day in March, she wrote: 'The amount of abuse I got on this day was not ok. 'No one knew my story, everyone judged and was quick to bring me down just over a dress. I was so sad on this day but I look back and thank you for the trolling. Looking good: TOWIE's Fran Parman (pictured) flaunted her two stone weight loss in a sexy Instagram post after opening up about trolling 'The mean words I brought to light and the amount of women that have come forward and messaged me is honestly so beautiful to see the support we have for each other. 'It doesnt matter what size you are and thank you for all the women that made me believe I was beautiful this size regardless of the trolls. 'Yes Ive lost weight, but that's because who I feel, more comfortable as a person. It shouldnt matter what size you are its who the person is that matters. 'So with that I just want to say #happyinternationalwomensday you are all beautiful girls in your own way and ignore anyone else who says any different i believe its there insecurity putting out on you, so ignore and dont let anyone bitter bring down your state of happiness. I love you all very much and thank you again.' Only one week into the competition and The Block's Josh and Luke Packham are already pushing boundaries. On Sunday's episode, the 27-year-old twins were scolded by foreman Keith after they went missing following a night of partying on Melbourne's Chapel Street, and turned up late to work while still under the influence. Brushing off their behaviour, Josh and Luke claimed that they had no choice but to stay overnight at a hotel with 'no fresh bed linen' and their 'tent soaked'. Drama: The Block twins Josh and Luke Packham (both pictured) were scolded by foreman Keith on Sunday's episode, after they went MISSING following a night of partying and turned up to work drunk in a series first With only hours ahead of the guest bedroom reveal, Josh and Luke's co-stars were worried when they failed to arrive on site in the early hours of Saturday morning. Doing the walk of shame at 9.45am, the lads were shocked to find themselves in 'a bit of a drama situation' when Ronnie and Georgia questioned them on their antics. 'We told production that our place was flooded... we've got no adequate sleeping arrangements,' the boys said in their defence when asked about their hotel stay. Causing a scene: Doing the walk of shame at 9.45am, the lads, 27, were shocked to find themselves in 'a bit of a drama situation' when Ronnie and Georgia (pictured left) questioned them on their antics Not impressed: An irritated Georgia (pictured) was lost for words, asking, "Have you watched The Block? Guys, this isn't how it's done"' An irritated Georgia was lost for words, asking, "Have you watched The Block? Guys, this isn't how it's done".' Laughing off Georgia's criticism in a piece to camera, Josh and Luke said Georgia and partner Ronnie were just 'game-playing' and being 'really over the top'. However the lads, who rose to fame on Love Island, came to realise the consequences of their actions when scolded by foreman Keith. No big drama: Laughing off Georgia's criticism in a piece to camera, Josh and Luke said Georgia and partner Ronnie were just 'game-playing' and being 'really over the top' Not having a word of it: However the lads came to realise the consequences of their actions when scolded by foreman Keith (left). 'Think of the other contestants right now. You spent the night in a luxury hotel while they've been camping,' he said 'Look what the cat dragged in,' Keith began, to which they responded: 'We just stayed in a hotel last night. The base was soaked... our stuff soaked downstairs, we've got no fresh bed linen, [our] tent's soaked. Where do you want us to sleep?' Not having a word of it, Keith said: 'Every other house has exactly the same facilities as you have. Think of the other contestants right now. You spent the night in a luxury hotel while they've been camping. It's got to be an even playing field.' Josh and Luke admitted that they 'get that' and 'didn't know' one of The Block's rules that states they must sleep on site. In the firing line: Josh and Luke admitted that they 'get that' and 'didn't know' one of The Block's rules that states they must sleep onsite Having finished drinking at 12.30am, they took a breath test, which they failed, and were forced to sleep off their night of partying until midday. Back in action on site, Josh and Luke said that while they understood where Keith was coming from, they 'can't really change' who they are and often 'bend rules'. 'We are who we are. We can't really change. We bend rules. We don't try to break them straight away. We did a Block first last night!' The Block continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine Jackie 'O' Henderson moved into her $11million Woollahra home last July. And on Sunday, the 46-year-old radio presenter gave fans a rare glimpse inside her Nick Tobias-designed mansion. Uploading a photo to her Instagram account, Jackie O revealed that she found the perfect artwork to hang in her new pad. 'I knew straight away it was the one for me': Radio titan Jackie 'O' Henderson [pictured] has bought pricey artwork to hang in her $11million Sydney home 'It usually takes me years to settle on what art to hang on my walls, but with this piece I knew straight away it was the one for me,' she captioned the post. The artwork by Australian artist Dina Broadhurst is worth a whopping $2035 and features a collage of mixed media from a magazine page. The post was quickly inundated with comments from Jackie's followers impressed with her stylish decor, including the artist herself. Sharing a photo of the Dina Broadhurst artwork, she wrote: ''It usually takes me years to settle on what art to hang on my walls, but with this piece I knew straight away it was the one for me' 'Your space is just beyond beautiful, so proud to be on your walls, she was made for the space,' wrote artist Dina Broadhurst. 'Wow wow wow what a room,' wrote Zoe Marshall, while a third commented: 'Love the Style of the home.' Jackie's private sanctuary has extravagant design features, including Roman Travertine marble and dark timber panelling. Stunning: Jackie's Woollahra home (pictured) has a large open living room with glass windows soaking in the beautiful greenery of Cooper Park The purchase comes after Jackie and her former husband Lee Henderson sold their former marital home in Vaucluse in March for $6.675million. The media personality was married to Lee from 2003 to 2018, when they announced their separation. While it's unclear exactly how much Jackie paid for her new house, real estate agents predicted it sold for close to $11million. Emma Thompson cut a stylish figure when she stepped out in London on Sunday to run errands. Wearing her silver hair loose and wrapping up beneath a chic white raincoat, the Oscar-winning actress, 62, opted for comfort in white sandals and looked radiant as she went about her day. It comes after her husband Greg Wise was announced as Strictly Come Dancing 2021's tenth contestant on Wednesday, with the Sense and Sensibility actor, 55, signing up to honour the five year anniversary of his 'disco diva' sister Clare's death from cancer. Errands: Emma Thompson, 62, cut a stylish figure when she stepped out in London on Sunday to run errands wearing a polka dot dress Strolling through the capital towards the end of the week, Emma framed her face with a stylish pair of glasses. She looked fresh-faced wearing nothing but a swipe of pale red lipstick. In her left hand the screen star carried a striped tote bag, and in her right Emma held a patterned face mask. It was announced during Wednesday's This Morning that Greg would take part in the popular BBC ballroom show. Radiant: Emma opted for comfort in white sandals and looked radiant as she went about her day Speaking about his motivation, Greg explained: 'Clare was a huge disco diva and we sent her out of this life in a disco ball coffin to banging 80s music.' He continued: 'She's prodding me massively to do it. Clare will enjoy watching her little brother do it. She'll be sitting on my left or right shoulder depending on how well I'm doing.' Greg added that his wife Emma was 'stupidly excited' that he would be appearing on the show. Clare was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and started a witty and heartfelt blog detailing her battle with the disease. She was declared cancer-free in 2014, but in 2015 the disease dug into her bones and she was told it was incurable. There were tumours in her arms, ribs, spine and skull. Greg cancelled a family holiday in Greece and moved into his sister Clare's London flat in the final three months of her life, in order to be her full-time carer, before her death in 2016 aged 51. New contestant: Emma's husband Greg Wise signed up to Strictly in honour of his late sister who loved the show so much she was buried in a glitterball coffin Cute couple: Greg added that his wife Emma Thompson was 'stupidly excited' that he would be appearing on the show (pictured in 2020) On the night she died Greg wiped her face, told her he loved her and gave her permission to go when she wanted. She died one minute later, holding his hand. Greg said in a statement: 'My beautiful sister was a huge disco queen. She left our world almost exactly 5 years ago in a glitter ball coffin. 'This is for her. My gorgeous Diva sis, who would have been insane with excitement that her little bro was doing this. 'I will channel her, as her bro can't dance - but I'm thrilled to be dipping my toes, knees, hips and arms into this wonderful world, and hope to make her proud, and obviously make her laugh...' Greg will join a star-studded line-up of contestants, competing against Sara Davies, AJ Odudu, Dan Walker, Judi Love, John Whaite, Rhys Stephenson, Ugo Monye, Tilly Ramsay, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Robert Webb, Katie McGlynn, Adam Peaty, Nina Wadia and Tom Fletcher. She relocated to the United Kingdom with her family earlier this year to star on the upcoming British season of Married At First Sight. And after five months abroad, Melanie Schilling's time in London has come to an end as she prepares to return to Australia to film season nine of the local version. Uploading a photo to Instagram on her final day on-set of the UK series, Mel wrote: 'And that's a wrap! Goodbye (for now) London Thank you for the most incredible experience.' 'Goodbye for now!' Married At First Sight's Mel Schilling, 49, has wrapped filming the UK series Reflecting on her time in the UK, Mel said: 'I've loved every moment of working with this extraordinary team to create the *new* magic of MAFS UK and cannot wait to share it with you all.' The 49-year-old relationship expert looked glamorous in a red coloured ruffle dress. Mel also shared a photo alongside the show's new experts, Paul Brunson and Charlene Douglas. New team! Mel also shared a photo alongside the show's new experts, Paul Brunson [centre] and Charlene Douglas [left] Daily Mail Australia understands that next year's brides and grooms have already been cast and filming will begin next month, despite Sydney being in lockdown. Mel announced she was joining the 'revamped' UK version in March, following the popularity of the Australian series, which aired earlier this year. With a reputation for asking provocative questions and holding everyone accountable for their actions, Mel will work alongside expert Paul C. Brunson. Popular: Mel announced she was joining the 'revamped' UK version in March Speaking about her new appointment at the time, Mel said: 'I am so excited to join the super-sized UK version of our much-loved Married At First Sight.' 'Being a part of the experiment for 7 seasons has taught me so much about love, marriage, relationships (and conflict) and I can't wait to share my advice and insight with you all,' she added. 'I have been overwhelmed by the UK response to the Australian version and have been humbled by all the beautiful messages of support from the UK fans of the show. They take on the roles of straight-faced police officers in the hard-hitting series Line of Duty. But Martin Compston, 37, Vicky McClure, 38, and Adrian Dunbar, 63, looked worlds away from their on-screen characters on Friday night as they hit the streets of London for a boozy night out. Taking to his Instagram Story to document the catch-up, Martin feverishly laid out his plans. Friends: Line of Duty's Martin Compston joined his co-stars Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar as they hit London for boozy night out on Friday... after admitting he almost rejected his role in the hit series The excited Scotsman said: 'I'm off to meet some friends I haven't seen in a wee while. 'We haven't seen each other in a couple of months. He went to ask his 3,000-strong audience, 'How are we all?' All the meanwhile, his followers were commenting, 'He's already p*****,' and 'Don't get too p*****', followed by a string of laughing emojis. Martin was soon met with a pint and a hug by his pals at Highgate's The Prince of Wales where the actors teamed up for a group hug while loudly shrieking. 'Hello,' a waving Vicky could be heard saying before the camera was shoved towards her face, along with Adrian's. In character: They take on the roles of straight-faced police officers in the hard-hitting series Line of Duty We can only imagine what became of the gang following the tipsy beginning to their night. It comes as Martin told The Telegraph that he gets 'the fear' when he thinks about almost rejecting his role in the RTA winning series. Best known for his portrayal of DI Steve Arnott in the BBC crime drama, the Greenock-born star was offered the part at the same time he was cast in The Wee Man, which he'd been desperate to feature in. And Martin will always be thankful to his agent for his 'wizardry' in making the schedule fit so he could do both, as he'd told his representative to turn down Line of Duty if there was a clash. Peace out: Taking to Instagram to document the catch-up, Martin excitedly laid out his plans Reunion: Martin was soon met with a pint and a hug by his pals at Highgate's The Prince of Wales where the actors teamed up for a group hug while loudly shrieking He said: 'Luckily my agent managed some wizardry because, God, if I'd turned down Steve Arnott that would have been rough I get the fear now and again thinking how close I was to not doing it.' While it has yet to be confirmed if there will be a seventh series of the blockbuster show, Martin expects his character will go through some sort of 'torture' again if there is. He joked of showrunner Jed Mercurio: '[He] loves torturing Steve slash me Every year I say to him, "What's next? Am I getting framed for murder or am I being thrown over the stairs?"' The last series featured a joke about Martin and Stephen Graham's heights, branding them 'short a****' but the actor admitted Jed initially cut the jibe from the intended episode because he thought he was 'p***** off'. Fun-filled: We can only imagine what became of the gang following the tipsy beginning to their night Tipsy? 'Hello,' a waving Vicky could be heard saying before the camera was shoved towards her face However, Martin insisted that it made him laugh. Even if there isn't another series, Martin knows he, Jed, and co-stars Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar will be 'pals for life'. He added: '[Adrian taught me] life begins at 60. He's got a zest for life he's infectious to be around. [Vicky is one] of my best mates, somebody who I go to for advice, we speak probably every other day.' The ending of season six was criticised by many disappointed fans and Martin believes people are 'more than entitled' to speak out about feeling underwhelmed. She recently jetted off to the French Riviera with her family after attending the star-studded wedding of Lady Kitty Spencer. And Emma Weymouth is still lapping up the balmy St Tropez weather, enjoying a sun-drenched beach day with her children at Le Club 55 on Sunday. Slipping into a tiny black bikini adorned with seashells, the mother-of-two, 35, who is married to the Eight Marquess of Bath, Ceawlin Thynn, beamed from ear to ear as she frolicked amongst the waves. Wow: Emma Weymouth, 35, wowed in a tiny black bikini while holidaying in St Tropez on Sunday, enjoying a sun-drenched beach day with her children at Le Club 55 Wearing her raven tresses loose and carrying snorkelling gear, the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant was in her element while strolling along the shore. The beauty was sporting an immaculate red manicure and wore a luxury watch on her left wrist. After cooling off in the water, Emma returned to the shore with her hair slicked back and looked radiant without so much as a spot of make-up on. Once dry, she slipped into a chic polka dot beach coverup and sunglasses, keeping the sunshine at bay beneath a stylish straw hat. Emma returned to France earlier this month after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy. In her element: Wearing her raven tresses loose and carrying snorkelling gear, the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant was in her element while strolling along the shore Princess Diana's niece, 30, wedded her long-term boyfriend Michael Lewis at a 17th century Italian castle in August. Lady Kitty's father Earl Spencer, 57, did not attend and she was walked down the aisle by her brother Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 27, and half brother Samuel Aitken, whose father is businessman Jonathan Aitken. Princess Diana's niece said 'I do' in front of a hushed congregation in the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, a stunning country mansion with views towards Rome on Saturday. Photographs of the bride showed her wearing a high-necked Victorian-inspired lace gown by favourite designer Dolce and Gabbana for the occasion, which featured puff sleeves and a cinched waist. Slicked back: After cooling off in the water, Emma returned to the shore with her hair slicked back and looked radiant without so much as a spot of make-up on Cover up: Once dry, she slipped into a chic polka dot beach coverup and sunglasses, keeping the sunshine at bay beneath a stylish straw hat Meanwhile she swept her hair back into a low bun and opted for a lengthy train for the occasion. Her husband opted for a smart white tuxedo and, later, Prince William and Harry's younger cousin changed into a second gown, with short sleeves, pink floral detailing and a flowing hemline. Emma and her husband were among a host of glamorous guests at Kitty's nuptials including the bride's sisters; twins Eliza and Amelia, pop star Pixie Lott and her model boyfriend Oliver Cheshire, Idris Elba's wife Sabrina and Made In Chelsea star Mark Vandelli. Wedding guest: The Strictly Come Dancing star returned to France after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy She was given the green light to film her $100million series Nine Perfect Strangers in Australia amid the pandemic, bringing hundreds of jobs to the local industry. And in an interview with The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age this weekend, Nicole Kidman, who not only starred but served as executive producer, revealed the 'enormous stress' they felt in ensuring the cast and crew's safety and health on set. The 54-year-old said that in hindsight they probably 'didn't realise' what they were taking on, and in a way, 'kind of played Russian roulette' with financiers involved. 'We kind of played Russian roulette': Nicole Kidman, 54, revealed the 'enormous stress' she and her fellow producers endured while filming Nine Perfect Strangers amid the pandemic, in an interview with The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age this weekend. Pictured in 2019 'There's an enormous amount of stress being responsible for people's safety and health. We took that really seriously,' Nicole told the outlet. Strict COVID-19 protocols were enforced, with testing, mask wearing, and 'rescheduling' or 'shutting down' production if a test came back negative. 'We couldn't put anyone at risk. And we got through without one case, which is extraordinary,' Nicole revealed. In hindsight, the Oscar-winning actress admitted they probably did not realise the complexities of filming a multi-million dollar film amid the pandemic. First major A-list production amid the pandemic Down Under: Nicole was given the green light to film the $100million series in Australia between August and December, bringing hundreds of jobs to the local industry. Pictured as wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko in the series 'If we'd known how high the risk was in terms of the whole thing being shut down and being destroyed like that, I don't think the financiers would have taken the risk. We kind of played Russian roulette in that way,' she said. Based on the 2018 novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers became the first major A-list production to be filmed in Australia amid the pandemic. The limited series is produced by Nicole's production company Blossom Films, alongside collaborators Bruna Papandrea and David E. Kelley. Stress: 'There's an enormous amount of stress being responsible for people's safety and health. We took that really seriously,' Nicole said. Strict protocols were enforced, with testing, mask wearing, and 'rescheduling' or 'shutting down' production if a test came back negative Alongside Nicole, the series features an A-list Hollywood cast including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans and Manny Jacinto. The series tells the story of nine stressed-out urbanites who escape to a wellness retreat run by Nicole's character, Masha Dmitrichenko. Filming took place from August to December, predominantly in Byron Bay, NSW. In August last year, The Daily Telegraph reported the restrictions placed upon the production, which took place at an 'isolated production hub'. Hindsight: 'If we'd known how high the risk was in terms of the whole thing being shut down and being destroyed like that, I don't think the financiers would have taken the risk. We kind of played Russian roulette in that way,' the Academy Award-winner went on to say Cast and crew members flying in from overseas or interstate were required to quarantine in a hotel for 14-days upon arrival into NSW. Nicole and her fellow producers were responsible for paying all medical and security costs, The Daily Telegraph reported. The actress, with a career spanning almost four decades, told the publication that she was 'thrilled' to be able to bring hundreds of jobs to the local industry. Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 20. Brian May has revealed that he and Anita Dobson are quitting London for good after recent flash floods wrecked their Kensington home. The Queen guitarist, 74, and his EastEnders legend wife, 72, have decided to pack up and leave for pastures new, as he dubbed the capital too 'brutal' to bear. Brian told how the floods were just the 'catalyst' for their departure, explaining how they grew to 'hate' living in the area and had struggled to live there for 'such a long time.' Leaving: Brian May has revealed that he and Anita Dobson are quitting London for good after recent flash floods wrecked their Kensington home The couple's Kensington property was devastated on July 12th this year, with the carpets and rugs, his childhood photo albums and Anita's treasured keepsakes ruined by a 'stinking sludge' following a period of extreme heavy rainfall. Speaking to The Mirror of their decision to leave, Brian explained: 'The house is wrecked and it is heart-breaking. The funny thing is we actually hated living where we are for a long time. 'We put a lot of love and care into building the house but the surroundings have been horrible for such a long time. They have been building basements now for about eight years all around and there is constant noise, traffic and dust and pollution and rudeness. London now is brutal.' Time to go: The Queen guitarist, 74, and his EastEnders legend wife, 72, have decided to pack up and leave for pastures new, as he dubbed the capital too 'brutal' to bear (pictured: The damage to their Kensington home with ruined photos and keepsakes) The musician went on to say that the flood had been a 'catalyst' for their exit, adding that just 'have to leave'. Brian also reflected on coming back to his home on the day it was ruined, detailing how he discovered his basement floor 'floating with black sewage'. He said: 'Its really unpleasant and we are never going to feel the same about that house again. We are not going to get it back what it was. For us it is time to quit and I am OK about that now.' The rocker concluded that he 'never dreamed' that his basement would flood and 'did not sleep' for four days while trying to rescue to treasure possessions, photos and memorabilia from the murky water. Struggles: Brian told how the floods were just the 'catalyst' for their departure, explaining how they grew to 'hate' living in the area and had struggled to live there for 'such a long time' (pictured in 2019) Tough: Speaking of their decision to leave, Brian explained: 'The house is wrecked and it is heart-breaking. The funny thing is we actually hated living where we are for a long time' (pictured in 2019) Last month the guitarist took to Instagram to detail the disaster of the flood, which he discovered upon returning to his West London property from a day at Royal Holloway University. Brian documented this on social media, branding the mess 'disgusting' and 'heartbreaking'. He explained that his photo albums had been at another of his homes, which had recently been under threat of forest fires - yet they fell victim to the flooding. Decision: Its really unpleasant and we are never going to feel the same about that house again. We are not going to get it back what it was. For us it is time to quit and I am OK about that now' (pictured in 2017) The rock star told his 2.8 million followers that the flood was the fault of the council, approving poorly-designed basements to be built in the London suburb with 'ineffective' drainage. He penned: 'After a nice day at The Royal Holloway College, we came back to horror in our house. 'The whole bottom floor had been inundated with a sewage overflow - which has covered our carpets, rugs and all kinds of precious things in a stinking sludge. Shock: Last month the guitarist took to Instagram to detail the disaster of the flood, which he discovered upon returning to his West London property from a day at Royal Holloway University Ruined: The guitarist documented this on social media, branding the mess 'disgusting' and 'heartbreaking' Memories: Several of Brian's photos and other valuables were seen strewn over the floor Flooding: Brian shared a snap of footprints in the sludge that covered his home 'I had rescued all my most treasured childhood photo albums and scrapbooks from my studio house because it was threatened with a forest fire some months ago. 'It's disgusting, and actually quite heartbreaking. It feels like we were have been invaded, desecrated. 'Anita had a lifetime of memorabilia on the floor of our basement - and most of it is sodden and ruined. Aftermath: He explained that his photo albums had been at another of his homes, which had recently been under threat of forest fires - yet they have now fallen victim to the flooding He posted: 'The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective' Nightmare: Brian's basement sustained a considerable amount of damage Fury! Brian took to Instagram to rant about the matter Claims: He claimed it was the council's fault fir approving poorly-designed basements to be built in the London suburb with 'ineffective' drainage 'Where did I put it all for safety? In the basement here in Kensington. Irony. Today it turned into a sodden mess. 'I'm devastated - this stuff is only "things" - but it feels like Back To The Future when the photograph fades - feels like a lot of my past has been wiped out. I'm angry! 'Historically, for 150 years, Kensington has never flooded due to rainwater. Why did this happen? It's almost certainly the result of all the basement building that has been plaguing this area for the past 10 years. 'The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective.' Elsewhere, property expert Kirstie Allsopp, who lives in the same area as Brian, also experienced damage and documented this on social media. 'There's been biblical rain in London, homes flooded & rain in places in our home its certainly never been before,' she said of the unseasonal July weather. 'If you're away/at work and can get someone to check your basement/terrace/flat roof/chimney/French doors please do. 'In some areas water is coming up through toilets,' she tweeted. She hails from racing royalty but has quickly cemented herself as a fashion icon. And Kate Waterhouse gave Instagram fans on Sunday a peek inside her wardrobe at her multi-million dollar Sydney home, detailing her chic go-to spring essentials. The journalist, who shares two children with retired NRL star Luke Ricketson, picked out a few of her 'everyday' items from David Jones in a video, including Christian Dior's $4,700 iconic book tote. Inside Kate Waterhouse's wardrobe: Fashionista and racing royalty shared her chic spring essentials in an Instagram video on Sunday - including a $4,700 'everyday' Christian Dior bag and $700 beaded green party frock. Pictured at the races in Sydney in April Perfecting the off-duty look in a white tank, straight-leg light blue jeans and a trendy white shirt jacket, Kate told viewers that she is a 'big handbag and shoe girl'. 'I feel like accessories really make or break an outfit,' the daughter of leading thoroughbred trainer Gai Waterhouse said, while pulling out drawers of designer handbags and rows of black, beige and statement heels. Kate said accessories can really 'make or break' an outfit, and revealed her best organisational tip is to 'colour-coordinate your shoes'. At home with Kate: Perfecting the off-duty look in a white tank, straight-leg light blue jeans and a trendy white shirt jacket, Kate told viewers that she is a 'big handbag and shoe girl' Styling tip: 'I feel like accessories really make or break an outfit,' the daughter of leading thoroughbred trainer Gai Waterhouse said, while pulling out drawers of designer handbags and rows of black, beige and statement heels One particular pair of shoes the brunette beauty is keen to break out in spring is Gia Borghini's beige leather mules, retailing for $638, as they really 'dress up an outfit'. With a bag collection that would make any woman envious, Kate referenced a few of her favourites, and said you can't go past a quality shoulder bag while out and about. 'These are like my everyday bags. That's why they're out. I chuck them on the floor because they are my go-to's,' Kate said, drawing attention to Christian Dior's book tote, retailing for approximately $4,700 and Loewe's stylish basket bag at $805. Spring shoe: One particular pair of shoes Kate is keen to break out in spring is Gia Borghini's beige leather mules (pictured), retailing for $638, as they really 'dress up an outfit' Essential: With a bag collection that would make any woman envious, the Sydney mum referenced her favourites, and said you can't go past a shoulder bag while out and about 'A big tote is perfect for when I've got my computer, running around. I chuck all the kids' stuff in it, that's ideal,' she said, while picking up the eye-catching Dior tote. 'This Loewe straw bag has been such a great investment. It is my holiday essential. I've taken it on every holiday since I've owned it,' Kate added of her chic basket bag. With the sun shining in Sydney and the cooler weather starting to feel like a thing of the past, Kate suggested pulling out all your winter coats and heavier items and storing them away from reach. A perfect layering item for the media personality is P.E Nation's Courtside zip-up jacket in black, retailing for $199, as well as a comfy yet practical blue denim jacket. Investment purchases: 'These are like my everyday bags. That's why they're out. I chuck them on the floor because they are my go-to's,' Kate said, drawing attention to Christian Dior's book tote (pictured), retailing for approximately $4,700 and Loewe's stylish basket bag at $805 Layering up: A perfect layering item for the media personality is P.E Nation's Courtside zip-up jacket in black (pictured), retailing for $199, as well as a comfy yet practical blue denim jacket Kate also suggested having a styling rack on hand to hang your everyday items, allowing for easy reach. And while we're yet to reach the end of Sydney's tough lockdown, Kate said she can't wait to wear her favourite Aje frocks when it's time to get back out and have fun. 'I wore this Aje dress to their fashion parade recently,' Kate said, holding up the brand's $696 Relic beaded midi dress in mint green. 'I loved it so much I actually got it in the black midi (for $575). It's super cute and I feel like it's the first dress I'll wear when we're back out and having fun.' Katie Hopkins was deported from Australia after claims she breached hotel quarantine in Sydney in July. The right wing pundit has denied she ever broke the rules - and on Sunday, the 48-year-old claimed she was back Down Under. Katie posted a photo to Instagram which showed her sitting on the floor of an airport alongside a luggage trolley. In town: Katie Hopkins (pictured) was deported from Australia after claims she breached hotel quarantine in Sydney in July. The right wing pundit has denied she ever broke the rules - and on Sunday, the 48-year-old claimed she was back Down Under. Katie posted a photo to Instagram which showed her sitting on the floor of an airport alongside a luggage trolley She wrote in her caption: 'The glamour is REAL people Let's get amongst it. Are you ready Australia? 'Deputy Prime Minister - I'm back with my bongos - you utter c**kwomble. #freeaustralia'. However, all may be not what it seems, as in the image the TV personality is using a wall socket to charge her phone which appears to be European, not Australian. She wrote in her caption: 'Are you ready Australia? Deputy Prime Minister - I'm back with my bongos - you utter c**kwomble.' However, all may be not what it seems, as in the image the TV personality is using a wall socket to charge her phone which appears to be European, not Australian. Additionally, there appears to be Spanish text on the trolley Additionally, there appears to be Spanish text on her rented luggage trolley. The British pundit was kicked out of the country with a $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine by opening her door to food deliveries naked and without a mask. However, in a lengthy video uploaded to her Instagram earlier this month, Katie claimed she never broke the rules - and says she was subject to 'harassment' from officials. Out: The British pundit was kicked out of the country with a $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine by opening her door to food deliveries naked and without a mask Katie also denied she leaned into a hotel corridor without her mask on, on July 16, for which she was fined. In the videos, the controversial media personality waved her $1000 fine at the camera, while repeatedly denying she ever breached quarantine. 'If you see any headlines saying was naked or broke quarantine or any of that, it is all bulls**t, it is all here on this piece of paper and they fined me $1000 for it,' she said. Star power: Hopkins was paid $200,000 and flown to Sydney by Channel Seven to appear on Australian Big Brother VIP, of which she is a former winner back home in Britain Hopkins was paid $200,000 and flown to Sydney by Channel Seven to appear on Australian Big Brother VIP, of which she is a former winner back home in Britain, before her deportation. But she was booted out of the show and kicked out of the country with the $1,000 fine after posting a bizarre video detailing her plans to break quarantine. 'The police officer who checked me in told me when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds until I can open the door,' she said in an Instagram Live video while breaking out into hysterics. Denied: Katie denied she leaned into a hotel corridor without her mask on, on July 16, for which she was fined. 'The police officer who checked me in told me when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds until I can open the door,' she said in an Instagram Live video Hopkins said she was 'lying in wait' to 'spring [the door] open and frighten the s*** out of them and do it naked with no face mask.' The controversial British social commentator boarded a Singapore Airlines flight from Sydney on July 19 after her 'critical skills' visa was torn up by the Federal Government. She continues try and claim her humiliating deportation as a victory, also telling her supporters she will never be 'silenced'. Iris Law looked incredible as she flaunted her toned abs at the Formula E 2021 BMW i Berlin E-Prix in Germany on Sunday. The model, 20, displayed her enviable midriff in a quirky blue plaid print dress with cut-out sections as she posed up a storm. The dress sported silver medallion detail and was paired with snakeskin print shoes. Wow: Iris Law looked incredible as she flaunted her toned abs at the Formula E 2021 BMW i Berlin E-Prix in Germany on Sunday The star wore tinted shades atop her newly blonde buzzcut and sported a radiant palette of make-up. The daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost accessorised with glittering jewellery. Last month Iris looked sensational as she displayed her long slender legs in a slinky red and white summer dress on Instagram. The model who debuted a blue buzzcut earlier this week, looked the picture of confidence as she sat on the step of a rustic building to pose for the camera. Wow: The model, 20, displayed her enviable midriff in a quirky blue plaid print dress with cut-out sections as she posed up a storm Blonde again: The star wore tinted shades atop her newly blonde buzzcut and sported a radiant palette of make-up Peace: The star flashed the peace sign as she climbed into a race car Fun: Iris posed with Formula E racing drivers Norman Nato and Edoardo Mortara There they are: Curtis and AJ Pritchard were also in attendance The midi dress perfectly highlighted Iris' tan and rode up a little in the warm breeze. The daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost wore a blue bra beneath her dress, almost matching the shade of her newly dyed hair. Iris gazed off into the distance from behind her shades as she munched on an apple. She accessorised with a simple gold chain necklace and matching bracelets on each wrist. Summer ready: Last month Iris looked sensational as she displayed her long slender legs in a slinky red and white summer dress on Instagram Summertime: The model who debuted her blue buzzcut recently looked the picture of confidence as she sat on the step of a rustic building to pose for the camera Daydreaming: The midi dress perfectly highlighted Iris' tan and rode up a little in the warm breeze In style: She accessorised with a simple gold chain necklace and matching bracelets on each wrist, while she wore some gold hoop earrings which glistened in the bright daylight Iris posted a snap of herself playfully posing with her friend as they ventured out into the local town at night and a picture of her belongings packed into a old fashioned carry suitcase, with the dress she'd earlier been wearing folded neatly on top. Earlier this week, Iris looked stunning as she captured her honed physique to social media in a rural field before uploading sultry snaps to her Instagram grid. She wrapped a white sarong around her waist, partially covering her abstract briefs and washboard stomach. Double trouble: Iris posted a snap of herself playfully posing with her friend as they ventured out into the local town at night Form-fitting: Earlier this week, Iris looked stunning as she captured her honed physique to social media New look: Iris debuted her new blue hair in an Instagram post earlier this week (left, right with her previous bleach blonde buzzcut) It comes after the blonde beauty was seen poking fun at her new buzz cut on social media last week. Iris shared a selfie comparing herself to bizarre snaps of Barbie dolls that had all of their hair chopped off. Iris captioned her post: 'Buzzed,' and that was all it took to entertain her followers. The London native debuted her buzz cut in British Vogue at the beginning of July and explained it was for her role in upcoming series Pistol where she plays Soo Catwoman. Hilarious: The rising star entertained her followers as she compared herself to bizarre-looking Barbie dolls that had all their hair chopped off She was alleged to have caused a rift between Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. And it's certainly not hard to see how Madison LeCroy could ruffle some feathers, after the Southern Charm star shared a sizzling leopard print bikini snap to her Instagram on Saturday. The Bravo reality star was seen in the picture showing off her bust, after revealing that she'd undergone breast augmentation surgery in October 2019. Her post comes just as A-Rod's ex-fiancee J-Lo unfollowed the former MLB superstar on Instagram, as well as wiping all their pictures together now she's moved on with Ben Affleck. Wild thing! Southern Charm star Madison LeCroy shows off her stunning body in leopard print bikini... after allegedly causing rift between A-Rod and J-Lo In May this year, Alex, 46, firmly denied 'factually incorrect' claims that he got in touch with Madison, 30, after his split from Jen, 52. 'I'm not sure who's looking to benefit from these types of rumors and false stories. They are factually incorrect. Alex is busy concentrating on his businesses and his family,' his representative Ron Berkowitz told DailyMail.com at the time. However, Madison did previously reveal that she and Rodriguez had chatted online, but insisted that 'we DMed, but other than that there was nothing.' She told Page Six later: 'He's never physically cheated on his fiancee with me.' A source in Alex' camp told the New York Post at the time: 'He doesn't know this woman. Look, does this mean he didn't DM her and liked a photo or two? I guess not, but he doesnt know her - and he definitely didn't hook up with her.' Signs of trouble: Although A-Rod denied anything happened with Madison, it wasn't long before his engagement to J-Lo was called off, and she has since wiped him from social media 'No users found': A search of her followers list also indicated that she no longer was keeping tabs on her ex Precise: Although the photos with Alex were noticeably absent, solo shots of the pop star performing were still on her page Taking it in his stride: Meanwhile, A-Rod was seen out on Saturday in NYC looking unbothered, as the news that J-Lo unfollowed him surfaced Smart: Alex made a very sharp appearance while fetching coffee on Saturday in New York Still, the rumors coincided with the eventual split of A-Rod and J-Lo - and by the middle of April they had officially ended their romance, which began in 2017 and graduated into an engagement in 2019. Jennifer then mid-2000s relationship with Ben, a relationship that caught the imagination of the public as 'Bennifer.' Eagle-eyed fans of the Out Of Sight star first noticed on Saturday that A-Rod was completely out of her (virtual) life. Turning up the heat: The reality show is known for showing off her flawless bikini body Idyllic: The Southern Charm star has 526k followers on her Instagram page Cheeky! The 30-year-old star is rumored to have caught the attention of A-Rod, though he denied anything happened between the pair Pretty in pink: Madison, 30, shows off another great look on her social media pages Fans first noticed that photos that featured the former couple were missing, including a set of photos that were taken near the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in January. The couple had traveled to the seat of government to celebrate the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and Jennifer sang America The Beautiful and This Land Is Your Land at the outdoor ceremony. Although the photos with Alex were noticeably absent, solo shots of the pop star performing were still on her page. A search of her followers list also indicated that she no longer was keeping tabs on her ex. The Maid In Manhattan actress shares twins Emme and Max, 13, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, while A-Rod has lookalike daughters Natasha, 16, and Ella, 13, from his marriage to Cynthia Scurtis. Moving on: Jen, 52, is now back with ex Ben Affleck, 49, (Pictured in 2003) SAG Award nominee Jason Momoa swept his Game of Thrones onscreen wife Emilia Clarke off her feet in a series of snaps they both posted on Sunday. 'When your sun and stars rolls into town you check that he can still bench press a Khaleesi,' the British 34-year-old - who boasts 26.9M Instagram followers - captioned her picture. Emilia also hashtagged:'#drinkingwithdrogoimamazedwesurvived #theboysarebackintown #likeheneverleft.' 'When your sun and stars rolls into town you check that he can still bench press a Khaleesi!' SAG Award nominee Jason Momoa swept his Game of Thrones onscreen wife Emilia Clarke off her feet in a series of snaps they both posted on Sunday Emilia also hashtagged:'#drinkingwithdrogoimamazedwesurvived #theboysarebackintown #likeheneverleft' The Honolulu-born, Iowa-raised 42-year-old replied in the comments: 'Love u forever moon of my life!' LBD-clad Clarke also hopped in Jason's lap during the mini-reunion while he sported a captain's hat and scrunchie on his wrist. 'MOON OF MY LIFE,' Momoa - who boasts 16.9M social media followers - gushed in his slideshow. 'You are wonderful love u forever @emilia_clarke #smilelyeyes.' The Honolulu-born, Iowa-raised 42-year-old replied in the comments: 'Love u forever moon of my life!' Cozy co-stars: LBD-clad Clarke also hopped in Jason's lap during the mini-reunion while he sported a captain's hat and scrunchie on his wrist Momoa - who boasts 16.9M social media followers - gushed in his slideshow: 'MOON OF MY LIFE. You are wonderful love u forever @emilia_clarke #smilelyeyes' The Justice League actor also included a loved emoji and seven heart emojis. The reason for the reunion appeared to have been a celebration for Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff. 'Happy birthday Benioff you handsome generous bada** leo! Aloha, J,' Jason wrote. Curiously, the six-time Emmy winner's 51st birthday does not happen until September 25. 'Happy birthday Benioff you handsome generous bada** leo!' The reason for the reunion appeared to have been a celebration for Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff (R) Say what? Curiously, the six-time Emmy winner's 51st birthday does not happen until September 25 10 years ago! Jason only played warrior Dothraki leader Khal Drogo in 10 episodes (between 2011-2012) of the hit HBO series, but fans fondly remember his arranged marriage to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia) Momoa only played warrior Dothraki leader Khal Drogo in 10 episodes (between 2011-2012) of the hit HBO series, but fans fondly remember his arranged marriage to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia). In an 'icky' August 2 interview with the New York Times, the 6ft4in action star was asked if he regretted the infamous rape scene. 'I've never really been questioned about "Do you regret playing a role?" We'll put it this way: I already did it. Not doing it again,' Jason (born Joseph) stated. 'As if an actor even had the choice to do that. We're not really allowed to do anything. There are producers, there are writers, there are directors, and you don't get to come in and be like, "I'm not going do that because this isn't kosher right now and not right in the political climate." That never happens.' 2019 family portrait: Momoa has two children - son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, 12; and daughter Lola Iolani, 14 - from his three-year marriage to Lisa Bonet aka Lilakoi Moon Blended family: The 6ft4in action star is also stepfather to the 53-year-old former Cosby kid's 32-year-old daughter Zoe Isabella (R, pictured in 2019) from her six-year marriage to four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz (2-R), which ended in 1993 Momoa has two children - son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, 12; and daughter Lola Iolani, 14 - from his three-year marriage to Lisa Bonet aka Lilakoi Moon. The biracial bohemian duo originally met at a 2004 Mickey Champion blues concert. Jason is also stepfather to the 53-year-old former Cosby kid's 32-year-old daughter Zoe Isabella from her six-year marriage to four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz, which ended in 1993. Momoa will next produce and star as grieving husband Cooper in his friend Brian Andrew Mendoza's feature directorial debut Sweet Girl, which premieres August 20 on Netflix. Premieres August 20 on Netflix! Jason will next produce and star as grieving husband Cooper in his friend Brian Andrew Mendoza's feature directorial debut Sweet Girl The father-daughter revenge drama thriller also stars Isabela Merced, Amy Brenneman, and Justin Bartha. Meanwhile, the four-time Emmy nominee confirmed last month that she'll join the MCU in Disney+ series Secret Invasion alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. 'The first people I spoke to from Marvel were their security team,' Emilia told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 'And I am convinced, there is a man outside my house, there's been a car parked there for a long time, and I swear to god, it's undercover. They schooled me, and I don't know what to do.' Surprise! Meanwhile, the four-time Emmy nominee confirmed last month that she'll join the MCU in Disney+ series Secret Invasion alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn Wrath of Man action star Scott Eastwood affectionately wrapped his arms around a mystery woman while vacationing on the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy on Saturday. The 35-year-old third-generation Californian beamed as he canoodled with his brunette companion while swimming in the Tyrrhenian Sea located in the Gulf of Salerno. Eastwood (born Reeves) and his lady friend then sunbathed together side by side on lounge chairs as she sipped wine. New flame? Wrath of Man action star Scott Eastwood affectionately wrapped his arms around a mystery woman while vacationing on the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy on Saturday Scott was previously romantically linked to Ashton Kutcher mistress Sara Leal, One Tree Hill alum Jana Kramer, and Playboy 2015 cover model Brittany Brousseau. And back in 2016, The Outpost actor told GQ Australia that it was 'harder to date' after his girlfriend Jewel Brangman was killed in 2014 from a defective airbag in her car. On Saturday, Eastwood posted a video of himself enjoying a female acrobat's limber performance at the nightclub Lio Ibiza in the 'amazing country' of Spain. Intimate: The 35-year-old third-generation Californian beamed as he canoodled with his brunette companion while swimming in the Tyrrhenian Sea located in the Gulf of Salerno Bronzing their bodies: Eastwood (born Reeves) and his lady friend then sunbathed together side by side on lounge chairs as she sipped wine Bachelor: Scott was previously romantically linked to Ashton Kutcher mistress Sara Leal, One Tree Hill alum Jana Kramer, and Playboy 2015 cover model Brittany Brousseau Scott - who boasts 5.2M social media followers - gushed: 'Amazing few days in the islands!' The 5ft11in heartthrob doesn't fall far from the tree as his famous father - four-time Oscar winner Clint Eastwood - is a notorious womanizer. The legendary 91-year-old fathered Eastwood and his sister Kathryn from his secret romance with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. Tragedy: And back in 2016, The Outpost actor told GQ Australia that it was 'harder to date' after his girlfriend Jewel Brangman was killed in 2014 from a defective airbag in her car Perched: On Saturday, Eastwood posted a video of himself enjoying a female acrobat's limber performance at the nightclub Lio Ibiza in the 'amazing country' of Spain Scott - who boasts 5.2M social media followers - gushed: 'Amazing few days in the islands!' Clint fathered six more children from his relationships with girlfriends Roxanne Tunis and Frances Fisher, as well as wives Maggie Johnson and Dina Ruiz. Eastwood - who directs and stars in western Cry Macho premiering September 17 on HBO Max - just endorsed Larry Elder for California governor in the recall election. 'Clint Eastwood just contacted me with a message of his support,' the 69-year-old Republican candidate tweeted last Tuesday. Mini-me: The 5ft11in heartthrob doesn't fall far from the tree as his famous father - four-time Oscar winner Clint Eastwood (R, pictured in 2019) - is a notorious womanizer Childhood snaps: The legendary 91-year-old (L) fathered Eastwood and his sister Kathryn from his secret romance with flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves (R) Fertile: Clint fathered six more children from his relationships with girlfriends Roxanne Tunis and Frances Fisher, as well as wives Maggie Johnson and Dina Ruiz (pictured in 2018) 'A shout out to Mr. Eastwood. You made my day. #WeveGotAStateToSave #RecallGavinNewsom.' Scott has acted in four of his dad's films - Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Grand Torino (2008), Invictus (2009), and Trouble with the Curve (2012). The LMU grad has three upcoming films - David Hackl's thriller Dangerous, Jason Orley's comedy I Want You Back, and Ariel Vromen's LA riot drama April 29, 1992. Australia should consider restarting the program to connect South Sea Islanders to their families in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, says Regenvanu Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna Tata Steel has outlaid a capital expenditure of Rs 3,000 crore for its European operations as its focus is to make the business "stronger", the company's CEO and Managing Director T V Narendran said. He made the remarks while responding to a question related to the company's strategy with respect to the Europe business, which Tata Steel could not sell earlier due to multiple reasons. "For (financial year) 2022, we have guided that our capex will be...Rs 3,000 crore for Europe. It is more for sustenance capex, environment related capex, capex on the product mix, enhancement that we are doing particularly in the Netherlands," he told PTI. In Europe, he said, the company's operation is being separated into Tata Steel Netherlands and Tata Steel UK which would help in cost efficiencies and management focus. The European business this year will be cash positive in terms of EBIDTA and PAT. It will be a strong year for European businesses as well. Tata Steel's focus is on the performance of European business. "We are not actively looking for any buyers. If you make the business stronger, that helps with the value of the business," Narendran said, replying to a question whether the plans to sell the business have been dropped. Speaking on the sale of its assets in Europe, the CEO further said it was SSAB which had reached out to Tata Steel. Also read: Global trends to dictate equity markets in holiday-shortened week, say analysts "We had not gone looking for them. The only time when we were actively working on it was when the Thyssenkrupp proposal was there..." SSAB was interested, they pursued then dropped it. Tata Steel is under no pressure to take any hasty action. The company will continue to focus on performance of the business, he said. According to the company, steel deliveries at Tata Steel Europe increased by 17.4 per cent year-on-year to 2.33 million tonne in the April-June quarter of the ongoing fiscal, and EBITDA improved sharply to 150 million pounds (around Rs 1,544 crore) in the first quarter. The India business recorded an EBITDA of Rs 13,946 crore during the period. On January 29, Tata Steel had announced that Swedish steel maker SSAB had withdrawn its initial interest for its Netherlands business. Tata Steel was in talks with SSAB on the potential sale of its Netherlands business, including Ijmuiden steelworks. Earlier, the proposed merger of Tata Steel's European operations with Thyssenkrupp of Germany hit a roadblock after the European Commission raised many objections to the deal. Tata Steel Europe and Thyssenkrupp had signed definitive agreements in June 2018 to combine their steel businesses in Europe to create a 50-50 pan European joint venture company which would have been the continent's second-largest steel company after Lakshmi Mittal's ArcelorMittal. At least 304 people were killed in a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti early Saturday, toppling buildings in the disaster-plagued Caribbean nation still recovering from a devastating 2010 quake. The epicenter of the shaking, which rattled homes and sent terrified locals scrambling for safety, was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) by road west of the center of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince. "Lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the hospital," 21-year-old Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicenter, told AFP. "Everyone is in the street now and the shocks keep coming." The long, initial quake was felt in much of the Caribbean. It damaged schools as well as homes on Haiti's southwestern peninsula, according to images posted by witnesses. The country's civil protection agency said hours after the quake that the death toll had jumped to 227, up from an initial report of 29 fatalities. "Hundreds wounded and missing," the agency said on Twitter, specifying that 158 were killed in the south of the country, in the area of the quake's epicenter. "Initial responses, by both professional rescuers and members of the public have led to many people being pulled from the rubble. Hospitals continue to receive injured," it added. Hospitals in the regions hardest hit by the quake were already struggling to provide emergency care, with at least three in the municipalities of Pestel, Corailles and Roseaux totally full with patients, according to Jerry Chandler, head of the civil protection agency. Haiti has declared a state of emergency in response to the disaster, and a White House official said US President Joe Biden has approved "immediate" aid efforts to begin. "In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake," Biden said, adding that his country was ready to "assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild." Residents shared images on social media of frantic efforts to pull people from the ruins of caved-in buildings, while screaming bystanders sought safety in the streets outside their homes. "Houses and their surrounding walls have collapsed. The roof of the cathedral has fallen down," resident Job Joseph told AFP from the hard-hit city of Jeremie on Haiti's far western end. Heavy damage was reported in the center of the city, which is composed primarily of single-story residences and buildings. The damage in the city of Les Cayes appeared to be significant, including the collapse of a multi-story hotel. "The government decided this morning to declare a state of emergency for one month following this disaster," Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry said, as he called on the nation to "show solidarity" and not panic. The prime minister added that he would visit the destruction alongside other authorities in the coming hours in order to "assess the situation as a whole." Shortly after the quake, the US Geological Survey (USGS) issued a tsunami alert, saying waves of up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) were possible along the coastline of Haiti, but lifted the warning soon after. A magnitude-7.0 quake in January 2010 transformed much of Port-au-Prince and nearby cities into dusty ruins, killing more than 200,000 and injuring some 300,000 others. More than a million and a half Haitians were made homeless, leaving island authorities and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge in a country lacking either a land registry or building codes. The quake destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, as well as administrative buildings and schools, not to mention 60 percent of Haiti's health care system. The rebuilding of the country's main hospital remains incomplete, and nongovernmental organizations have struggled to make up for the state's many deficiencies. The latest quake comes just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home by a team of gunmen, shaking a country already battling poverty, spiraling gang violence and Covid-19. Police say they have arrested 44 people in connection with the killing, including 12 Haitian police officers, 18 Colombians who were allegedly part of the commando team, and two Americans of Haitian descent. The head of Moise's security detail is among those detained in connection with the plot allegedly organized by a group of Haitians with foreign ties. Police have issued wanted-persons notices for several other people, including a judge from Haiti's highest court, a former senator and a businessman. Moise had been ruling the impoverished and disaster-plagued nation by decree, as gang violence spiked and Covid-19 spread. An Afghan lawmaker and the Taliban said the militants have seized a provincial capital just west of Kabul. The militants took Maidan Wardak, the capital of Maidan Wardak, on Sunday. That's about 90 kilometers from Kabul. Helicopters are landing at the US Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital. The rapid shuttle runs by helicopters came Sunday as wisps of smoke rose from the embassy's roof. US officials previously said that diplomats inside had begun destroying sensitive documents. An international system to share coronavirus vaccines was supposed to guarantee that low and middle-income countries could get doses without being last in line and at the mercy of unreliable donations. It hasn't worked out that way. In late June alone, the initiative known as COVAX sent some 530,000 doses to Britain more than double the amount sent that month to the entire continent of Africa. Under COVAX, countries were supposed to give money so vaccines could be set aside, both as donations to poor countries and as an insurance policy for richer ones to buy doses if theirs fell through. Some rich countries, including those in the European Union, calculated that they had more than enough doses available through bilateral deals and ceded their allocated COVAX doses to poorer countries. But others, including Britain, tapped into the meager supply of COVAX doses themselves, despite being among the countries that had reserved most of the world's available vaccines. In the meantime, billions of people in poor countries have yet to receive a single dose. Read | Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine doses to arrive in India by year-end: Report The result is that poorer countries have landed in exactly the predicament COVAX was supposed to avoid: dependent on the whims and politics of rich countries for donations, just as they have been so often in the past. And in many cases, rich countries don't want to donate in significant amounts before they finish vaccinating all their citizens who could possibly want a dose, a process that is still playing out. If we had tried to withhold vaccines from parts of the world, could we have made it any worse than it is today? asked Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior advisor at the World Health Organisation, during a public session on vaccine equity. Other wealthy nations that recently received paid doses through COVAX include Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, all of which have relatively high immunisation rates and other means of acquiring vaccines. Qatar has promised to donate 1.4 million doses of vaccines and already shipped out more than the 74,000 doses it received from COVAX. The US never got any doses through COVAX, although Canada, Australia and New Zealand did. Canada got so much criticism for taking COVAX shipments that it said it would not request additional ones. In the meantime, Venezuela has yet to receive any of its doses allocated by COVAX. Haiti has received less than half of what it was allocated, Syria about a 10th. In some cases, officials say, doses weren't sent because countries didn't have a plan to distribute them. Read | Covaxin shortage hits 70,000 eligible for second dose in Bengaluru British officials confirmed the UK received about 539,000 vaccine doses in late June and that it has options to buy another 27 million shots through COVAX. The government is a strong champion of COVAX, the UK said, describing the initiative as a mechanism for all countries to obtain vaccines, not just those in need of donations. It declined to explain why it chose to receive those doses despite private deals that have reserved eight injections for every UK resident. Brook Baker, a Northeastern University law professor who specializes in access to medicines, said it was unconscionable that rich countries would dip into COVAX vaccine supplies when more than 90 developing countries had virtually no access. COVAX's biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India, stopped sharing vaccines in April to deal with a surge of cases on the subcontinent. Although the number of vaccines being bought by rich countries like Britain through COVAX is relatively small, the extremely limited global supply means those purchases result in fewer shots for poor countries. So far, the initiative has delivered less than 10 per cent of the doses it promised. COVAX is run by the World Health Organisation, the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a group launched in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop outbreaks. The programme is now trying to regain credibility by getting rich countries to distribute their donated vaccines through its own system, Baker said. But even this effort is not entirely successful because some countries are making their own deals to curry favorable publicity and political clout. Rich countries are trying to garner geopolitical benefits from bilateral dose-sharing, Baker noted. So far, with the exception of China, donations are coming in tiny fractions of what was pledged, an Associated Press tally of vaccines promised and delivered has found. Dr. Christian Happi, an infectious diseases expert at Nigeria's Redeemer's University, said donations from rich countries are both insufficient and unreliable, especially as they have not only taken most of the world's supplies but are moving on to vaccinate children and considering administering booster shots. Happi called on Africa, where 1.5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, to increase its own vaccine manufacturing rather than rely on COVAX. Read | India isnt ready for another Covid-19 wave We cannot just wait for them to come up with a solution, he said. COVAX is well aware of the problem. During its last board meeting in late June, health officials conceded they had failed to achieve equitable distribution. But they still decided against blocking donor countries from buying up supplies themselves. At a subsequent meeting with partners, Gavi CEO Dr. Seth Berkley said COVAX intended to honour the agreements it had made with rich countries but would ask them in the future to adjust their allocated doses to request fewer vaccines, according to a meeting participant who spoke about the confidential call on condition of anonymity. Among the reasons Berkley cited for Gavi's reluctance to break or renegotiate contracts signed with rich countries was the potential risk to its balance sheet. In the last year, Britain alone has given more than USD 860 million to COVAX. Meeting notes from June show that Gavi revised COVAX's initial plan to split vaccines evenly between rich and poor countries and proposed that poor countries would receive about 75 per cent of Covid-19 doses in the future. Without rich countries' involvement in COVAX, Gavi said it would be difficult to secure deals with some manufacturers. In response to an AP request for comment, Gavi said the initiative is aiming to deliver more than 2 billion doses by the beginning of 2022 and described COVAX as an unprecedented global effort. "The vast majority of the COVAX supply will go to low- and middle-income countries, Gavi said in an email about its latest supply forecast. For many countries, it said, COVAX is the main, if not the only source of Covid-19 vaccine supply. Spain's donation to four countries in Latin America its first via COVAX reflects how even rich countries with a lot of vaccines are donating a minimum. Spain, which has injected 57 million doses into its own residents, shipped 654,000 the first week in August. The delivery totals three per cent of the 22.5 million doses Spain has promised, eventually, to COVAX. Gavi said COVAX now has enough money and pledged donations to one day cover 30 per cent of the population of the world's poorest countries. But it has made big promises before. In January, COVAX said it had secured volumes totaling 640 million doses to deliver by July 2021, all of them under signed agreements, not donations. But by last month, COVAX had only shipped 210 million doses, 40 per cent of which were donated. With COVAX sidelined, vaccine donations have become something of a political contest. China has already exported 770 million doses and last week announced its own goal of sending 2 billion doses to the rest of the world by the end of the year exactly the same amount as COVAX's initial plan. That's far ahead of the rest of the world, according to the AP tally of doses. Britain has delivered just 4.7 million, far short of the 30 million pledged, and the European Union has given 7.1 million and and another 55 million through COVAX contracts. If the donors are not stepping forward, the people who continue to die are our people, Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union special envoy on Covid-19 vaccine procurement, said. The United States has so far delivered 111 million doses, less than half of what was promised. Several US lawmakers from both parties argued Wednesday that the government should seize the opportunity for diplomacy by more aggressively seeking credit for the doses it ships overseas. I think we should make vaccines available throughout the Middle East, but I also think we should have the American flag on every vial, said Rep. Juan Vargas, a Democrat from California, at a hearing on the state of the pandemic in the Middle East. Even the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, recently decried Europe's lagging in donations in geopolitical terms as a loss to China. US President Joe Biden, in announcing the US donations that have finally come through, similarly described the doses as a way to counter Russia and China influencing the world with vaccines. The White House said the United States has donated more than 110 million vaccine doses, some via COVAX. In addition to its planned vaccine exports, China announced plans to donate USD 100 million to COVAX to buy more doses for developing countries. The key to strengthening vaccine cooperation and building the Great Wall of immunisation is to ensure equitable access, said Wang Xiaolong of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaking Friday after China hosted an online forum on fair vaccine distribution. The COVAX board has agreed to go back to its basic assumptions about vaccinating the world before the end of the year. High on its list: An updated definition of fair and equitable access. The Taliban movement's inner workings and leadership have always been largely shrouded in secrecy, even during their rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. As the hardline Islamic group appears to be on the brink of regaining power, here is a rundown of what little is known about its leadership. Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed leader of the Taliban in a swift power transition after a US drone strike killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016. Read more: Taliban hold all of Afghanistan's border posts Before ascending the movement's ranks, Akhundzada was a low-profile religious figure. He is widely believed to have been selected to serve more as a spiritual figurehead than a military commander. After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the religious scholar with praise -- calling him "the emir of the faithful". This which helped seal his jihadi credentials with the group's long-time allies. Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during a bitter power struggle following the assassination of his predecessor, and the revelation that the leadership had hid the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years. The leader's public profile has been largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays. Abdul Ghani Baradar was raised in Kandahar -- the birthplace of the Taliban movement. Like most Afghans, Baradar's life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s, transforming him into an insurgent. He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar. The two would go on to found the Taliban movement in the early 1990s amid the chaos and corruption of the civil war that erupted after the Soviet withdrawal. Following the Taliban's collapse in 2001, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of insurgents who approached interim leader Hamid Karzai with a letter outlining a potential deal that would have seen the militants recognise the new administration. Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar. This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban's political office and oversaw the signing of the withdrawal agreement with the Americans. Read more: Maidan Wardak, west of Kabul seized by Taliban The son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad, Jalaluddin Haqqani. Sirajuddin doubles as both the deputy leader of the Taliban movement while also heading the powerful Haqqani network. The Haqqani Network is a US-designated terror group that has long been viewed as one of the most dangerous factions fighting Afghan and US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan during the past two decades. The group is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years. The network has also been accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom -- including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014. Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis are believed to oversee operations in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council. The son of the Taliban's founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob, heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversees a vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency's strategic operations in the war. His lineage and ties to his father -- who enjoyed a cult-like status as the Taliban's leader -- serves as a potent symbol and makes him a unifying figure over a sprawling movement. However speculation remains rife about Yaqoob's exact role within the movement, with some analysts arguing that his appointment to the role in 2020 was merely cosmetic. A cloud of panic looms over Kabul as people try to flee the capital and the country. Taliban and Afghan govt leadership are said to be in talks over setting up a transitional government. Government officials confirmed that President Ghani left Kabul for Tajikistan as Taliban fighters entered some areas of the city. Stay tuned for updates. Taliban insurgents took control of the key eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad without a fight on Sunday, leaving the territory controlled by the crumbling government to little more than the capital Kabul. The United States was sending more troops to the encircled capital to help evacuate its civilians after the Taliban's lightning advances brought the Islamist group to the door of Kabul in a matter of days. Just last week, a US intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months. The fall of Jalalabad has also given the Taliban control of a road leading to the Pakistan city of Peshawar, one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. Read more: Frontline of fear: Afghan teen press-ganged by the Taliban It followed the Taliban's seizure of the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Saturday, also with little fighting. "There are no clashes taking place right now in Jalalabad because the governor has surrendered to the Taliban," a Jalalabad-based Afghan official told Reuters. "Allowing passage to the Taliban was the only way to save civilian lives." A second security official in the city said the Taliban had agreed to give safe passage to government officials and security forces while they leave Jalalabad. The decision to surrender was taken to avoid "casualties and destruction", the person added. After US-led forces withdrew the bulk of the their remaining troops in the last month, the Taliban campaign has accelerated as the Afghan military's defences appeared to collapse. US President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized the deployment of 5,000 troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an "orderly and safe" drawdown of US military personnel. AUS defence official said that included 1,000 newly approved troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. Taliban fighters entered Mazar-i-Sharif on Saturday virtually unopposed as security forces escaped up the highway to neighbouring Uzbekistan, about 80 km (50 miles) to the north, provincial officials said. Unverified video on social media showed Afghan army vehicles and men in uniforms crowding the iron bridge between the Afghan town of Hairatan and Uzbekistan. Read more: Timeline: The Taliban's sweeping offensive in Afghanistan Two influential militia leaders supporting the government - Atta Mohammad Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum - also fled. Noor said on social media that the Taliban had been handed control of Balkh province, where Mazar-i-Sharif is located, due to a "conspiracy." In a statement late on Saturday, the Taliban said its rapid gains showed it was popularly accepted by the Afghan people and reassured both Afghans and foreigners that they would be safe. The Islamic Emirate (Taliban) "will, as always, protect their life, property and honour and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation," it said, adding that diplomats and aid workers would also face no problems. Capital increasingly circled As the capital looked increasingly isolated as a government stronghold, Afghans streamed into Kabul, fleeing the provinces and fearing a return to hardline Islamist rule. Early on Sunday, refugees from Taliban-controlled provinces were seen unloading belongings from taxis, families stood outside embassy gates, while the city's downtown was packed with people stocking up on supplies. Hundreds of people slept huddled in tents or in the open in the city, by roadsides or in car parks, a resident said on Saturday night. "You can see the fear in their faces," he said. Western governments were accelerating plans to evacuate their embassy staff, citizens and Afghans who had worked for them. The State Department has reached out to advocates to request names of Afghans in Kabul who have worked with the Americans and need to be evacuated, two sources familiar with the matter said. The list of names could include journalists and human rights activists. The British ambassador will leave the country by Sunday evening, UK media reported. The country, which was sending 600 troops, sped up the departure of Britons due to the rising risk that the Taliban would overrun the airport, the reports said. Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in Qatar that any action that put US personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response." Closing in on Kabul Earlier on Saturday, the Taliban, facing little resistance, took Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province and 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul, according to a local provincial council member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Police officials, however, denied reports that the Taliban had advanced closer to Kabul from Pul-e-Alam, which is a staging post for a potential assault. Kandahar, the biggest city in the south and the heartland of the Taliban, fell to the militants' control on Friday. Herat, the biggest city in the west and near the border with Iran, also fell on Friday. Biden has faced rising domestic criticism as the Taliban have taken city after city far more quickly than predicted. The president has stuck to a plan, initiated by Republican former President Donald Trump, to end the US military mission in Afghanistan by August 31. Biden said it is up to the Afghan military to hold its own territory. "An endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me," Biden said on Saturday. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday held talks with local leaders and international partners, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Ghani and Blinken discussed urgent efforts to reduce violence in Afghanistan, the State Department said. Qatar, which has been hosting so-far inconclusive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said it had urged the insurgents to cease fire. Ghani has given no sign of responding to a Taliban demand that he resign as a condition for any ceasefire. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has left the capital Kabul for Tajikistan, a senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said on Sunday. Follow live updates on Afghanistan here Asked for comment, the president's office said it "cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani's movement for security reasons". A representative of the Taliban, which entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, said the group was checking on Ghani's whereabouts. Check out DH's latest videos: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Sunday that it was not in the interests of the United States to remain in Afghanistan, as Taliban insurgents entered the capital Kabul. Blinken said Washington had invested billions of dollars over four US administrations in Afghan government forces, giving them advantages over the Taliban, but they have failed to beat back the Taliban's advance. FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES ON AFGHANISTAN, HERE "The fact of the matter is weve seen that force has been unable to defend the country," Blinken said. "And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated." Pakistan said on Sunday that it was closely watching the evolving situation in neighbouring Afghanistan while making efforts for a political settlement, as the Taliban insurgents entered Kabul and moved closer to retaking full control of the war-torn country. Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri issued a statement about the current situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban control large areas of the country, Pakistan is closely following the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan will continue to support the efforts for a political settlement. We hope all Afghan sides will work together to resolve this internal political crisis, he said. Also read: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani leaves for Tajikistan Chaudhri said the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul was extending necessary assistance to Pakistanis, Afghan nationals and the diplomatic and international community for consular work and coordination of the Pakistan International Airlines flights. He said a special inter-ministerial cell has been established in the Ministry of Interior to facilitate visa/arrival matters for diplomatic personnel, UN agencies, international organisations, the media, and others. The Taliban on Sunday seized the last major city outside of Kabul held by the country's central government, cutting off the Afghan capital to the east. The collapse of Jalalabad leaves Afghanistan's central government in control of just Kabul and six other provincial capitals out of the country's 34. US President Joe Biden in April announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bringing to end the country's longest war, spanning across two decades. Since the US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban after the September 11, 2001 attacks, America has spent more than $1 trillion in fighting and rebuilding in Afghanistan. About 2,400 US soldiers have been killed, along with tens of thousands of Afghan troops, Taliban insurgents and Afghan civilians. Russia does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul as Taliban fighters reached the outskirts of the Afghan capital in their blistering military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian agencies Sunday. "No evacuation is planned," Kabulov said, adding that he was "in direct contact" with Moscow's ambassador in Kabul and that Russian embassy employees continued to work "calmly". According to the RIA Novosti agency, Kabulov also said that Russia was among a number of countries to receive assurances from the Taliban that their embassies would be safe. Read more: Taliban enter Kabul, say they don't plan to take it by force "We received these guarantees a while ago. It was not only about Russia," RIA Novosti quoted Kabulov as saying. The United States and other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens from the capital as Taliban fighters stood on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday. The Taliban is on the brink of a complete military takeover of Afghanistan. The militant group's spokesman said the fighters had been ordered not to enter the city. Kabul residents reported seeing insurgents peacefully enter some of Kabul's outer suburbs. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday vowed to protect the state against the "nefarious designs" of Pakistan and said "we want peace but will not tolerate any aggression or attack on our territory". Any threat to Punjab will mean danger to entire India, he underscored. Addressing the people of Punjab after unfurling the tricolour here on the occasion of the country's 75th Independence Day, Singh also pledged to continue fighting with the farmers for the repeal of the Centre's farm laws. Follow live updates on Independence Day here Calling for extreme vigil against Pakistan, he said, "We want peace but will not tolerate any aggression or attack on our territory." "We will teach them (Pakistan) the lesson of their lifetime if they try to be adventurous," he added. On the use of drones by Pakistan to smuggle arms and drugs into Punjab, Singh warned that Pakistan will not let go of any opportunity to take advantage of any of the state's vulnerabilities. Stressing the need to ensure peace in the state to promote the development of industry and the progress of its people, he said his government will not tolerate any threat, including those from gangsters and terrorists. "We will deal with them squarely," he said, adding that "any threat to Punjab will be a danger to our entire nation". Singh said since his government took charge, 47 Pakistani terrorist modules and 347 modules of gangsters have been busted. Some key gangsters have been deported from Armenia, the UAE and other countries while more are awaiting deportation. In his address, the chief minister also spoke about the legal efforts made by his government to get the sacrilege cases back from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The previous SAD-BJP government had handed over three sacrilege cases to the CBI. It had also handed over another three FIRs registered in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing cases to the central agency. Since taking over the cases from the CBI, the Punjab Police has filed charge sheets in four of these cases against 23 people, 15 police personnel have been suspended, 10 people have been arrested and 10 challans have been presented, the chief minister said. Later, during an informal interaction with mediapersons on the sidelines of the Independence Day function, Singh expressed concern about the continuing farmers' agitation against the Centre's agricultural laws. He said he raised the issue recently in his meetings with the prime minister and the Union home minister. He said he demanded the repeal of the farm laws that are "anti-farmer and against the spirit of the Constitution". Singh made it clear that he will continue to fight with the farmers for the withdrawal of these laws and will not let the sacrifices of those who lost their lives in this struggle go in vain. "The fight against these black laws is not political," he said. Hundreds of farmers are encamped at Delhi's border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since November 2020. They have been demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. The government maintains the laws are pro-farmer and will usher in new technology in farming. Several rounds of talks between farmer leaders and the government have failed to break the deadlock over these contentious laws. Check out DH's latest videos: When we talk of the Partition, we often only talk about the north and east of India and the brutal killings and forced migration that broke out there. But, in fact, the India-Pakistan Partition displaced 10 to 20 million people across the subcontinent, including Bengaluru, which was the Mysore State then. A project by ReReeti Foundation is documenting this lesser-talked piece of history. Its called Undivided Identities: Unknown Stories of the Partition. The Sindhi Colony in Cox Town was a direct result of the Partition, says Tejshvi Jain, founder-director of ReReeti that works to revitalise museums and heritage sites. The colony was built in 1953 to house the Sindhi Hindus who had fled the newly-created Pakistan. About 1,400 families had come in then and that count now stands at 4,300. Deepak Maharajs family had switched trains from Pakistan to Delhi to Mumbai to reach Bengaluru in September 1947. The head priest of the Sindhi community in the city says, My grandfather arrived with seven children and a few belongings that were packed in bedsheets and shawls. He left behind his cattle, his land of 700 acres, and his home in the Hyderabad province. He had buried gold coins in his land thinking he would go back when the tension settles and recover them. That never happened. Some also hid gold coins inside the wooden cot and some within the folds of their belt to escape the loot on the way, Jain learnt. Unlike Maharajs family, not everybody came right after the Partition. Unlike Delhi, Bengaluru was far away, so these families, who were often large in numbers, needed to plan their journey well. And also, think of the consequences as the language, food, festivals, people, all were going to be different. Many moved to Bengaluru later because they had relatives here (to get them started), says Jain. The initial years were difficult but soon, the entrepreneurial spirit of Sindhis would pave their future. The Sindhi families would earlier survive on the government rations and resources pooled in by the community. My grandfather was a priest, so he did not find a job straight away. But gradually, the Sindhis started sourcing wooden toys from Channapatna, cotton fabric from Sarjapura, which was a village back then, and silk looms from Doddaballapur to sell them in the city, Maharaj shares what his father had told him, who was five years old when he arrived. And women took to stitching (to make a living), adds Jain. As time wore on, they blended in the city. Many of the shops one sees on Commercial Street are owned by Sindhis. They are philanthropic people, so you see schools set up by them (on Kumarakrupa Road, and Hebbal). They introduced Bengalureans to their food like the Sindhi kadi, Sao saag, and Pragari, shares Jain. She has not only interviewed the Sindhis but also Bengalureans of that time, 25 in total. She explains why, Not only migrants but residents of the city were also adjusting to the idea of a new, independent India. They were in the same boat, so they were co-operative. She wanted to interview the migrants from Punjab too but the pandemic made going to gurudwaras impossible. Gurudwara is a meeting point for old people, who might have seen the Partition. If I had connected with one, they would have put me on to others, she explains. Jain is not only documenting these stories for an exhibition but shes also taking them to schools and colleges. Through online workshops, students have got a chance to speak to the survivors and their families. They have understood the hardships and uncertainties the common man had to live through during the migration, and the realisation that this could very well be them someday is deep and sobering, she says. Above all, its a lesson on why they must care for the past. History teaches lessons and these lessons can help you avoid those mistakes in the future. Did we learn lessons from the Spanish flu? Or, take the case of the SARS outbreak. Bengaluru wasnt affected but other parts of the world were, and so, they were able to adapt to the Coronavirus pandemic quickly, she makes a case. Upping the ante against the Opposition, seven Union Ministers on Sunday met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and demanded action against erring Opposition MPs who scuffled with marshals during the passage of the insurance bill. Sources said the ministers led by the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal also submitted a memorandum to Naidu demanding action against the MPs for what they called "unprecedented, extreme and violent acts" in the House on August 11. Also read: High drama in Rajya Sabha as Insurance Bill passed During the meeting, sources said, the ministers also spoke about marshals being "prevented from discharging their duties". Besides Goyal, Deputy Leader of House Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav and Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Murleedharan. Deputy Chairman Harivansh was also present in the meeting. Naidu also met presiding panel Vice Chairman Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair when the ruckus happened during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Act 2021. Also read: PM Modi giving same speech for seven years, nothing implemented on ground: Congress The House witnessed pandemonium on August 11 evening after the Chair announced the taking up of the insurance bill, which is aimed at enhancing private sector participation in public sector general insurance companies. The Opposition said that the government ignored their demand that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee and rushed through to pass the Bill. The Opposition benches also got support from YSR Congress and TDP, which had been soft on the government on passage of bills, in their demand for further Parliamentary scrutiny. However, as Patra continued to go ahead with the Bill, Opposition MPs attempted to climb the reporters' table to register their protest but were outnumbered by marshals. There were allegations and counter-allegations with MPs claiming that they were manhandled while the government claimed that marshals were injured in the scuffle. The Opposition walked out from the House with Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge saying that even women MPs were manhandled by marshals. If dependence on China increases, we will have to bow before it, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday. Speaking after hoisting the national flag at a Mumbai school on the 75th Independence Day, the RSS chief also said "swadeshi" means doing business on Indias terms. We use the internet and technology a lot. Our country does not have the original technology. It comes from outside, Bhagwat said. No matter how much we shout as a society about China and boycott Chinese items, but from where does everything that is in your mobiles come from? If the dependence on China increases, then (we) will have to bow before China, Bhagwat said. Economic security is important, he said, adding the adaptation of technology should be based on our terms. "We have to be swa-nirbhar", he said. Swadeshi does not mean ignoring everything else. International trade will remain, but on our terms, he said. We have to be self-reliant for that, he added. " Also read: PM announces Rs 100 lakh cr Gatishakti scheme for holistic infra growth What we can manufacture at home should not be brought from the market," he said. He said the economic vision should be to produce more and competition should be for the best quality of produce. We are not against international trade and commerce but our production must be in villages. It should not be mass production but production by masses," he said. A decentralised production will help Indias economy to generate employment and self-employment opportunities, he said. With more producers, more people will be self-reliant, he said, adding the revenue generated should be distributed equitably. Industries should get encouragement from the government, Bhagwat said. The government should act as a regulator and not do business itself, he added. The government will appeal and urge industries to manufacture what is important for the development of the country and formulate policies to encourage industries, he said. We don't believe in complete nationalisation but it is also not true that the nation has nothing to do with industries. All these should function together as a family unit," he said. Small industries should complement bigger industries, he said, adding the focus should be people-centric and not profit-centric. The focus should be on research and development, MSMEs and cooperation sectors, he added. "Considering the economic unit as a family will help the economy to be an employment generator," he said. The governments job has to be to support and encourage industries. The government should give directions to produce what is important for the development of the country. A controlled consumerism is necessary to ensure there is no exploitation of natural resources, he said. The standard of living should not be decided by how much we earn, but by how much we give back, the RSS chief said. We will be happy when we consider the welfare of all. To be happy, we need sound finances and for this, we need financial strength," Bhagwat said. Delhi reported 53 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday that took its tally to 14,37,091, while the positivity rate stood at 0.08 per cent, according to a health department bulletin. No fresh deaths were reported. The death toll stands at 25,069, the bulletin said. Sixteen people have succumbed to the disease so far this month. So far, 14.11 lakh patients have recovered in the city, the bulletin said. On Saturday, the national capital had reported 50 Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent and one death. On Friday, the city had reported 50 cases with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent and zero deaths. There are 513 active Covid-19 cases in Delhi. Of these, 169 are under home isolation, the bulletin said. The number of containment zones in the city stands at 243, it said. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH The bulletin said 65,007 tests, including 45,971 RT-PCR tests, were conducted the previous day. Delhi battled a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a large number of lives, with the shortage of oxygen at hospitals across the city adding to the woes. On April 20, Delhi had reported 28,395 cases, the highest in the city since the pandemic started last year. On April 22, the case positivity rate was 36.2 per cent, the highest so far. The highest number of 448 deaths was reported on May 3. The city government has been ramping up the health infrastructure to prevent a repeat of the crisis witnessed during the peak of the second wave of coronavirus in April and May. Steps have been taken to increase the number of hospital beds to accommodate up to 37,000 patients a day and become self-reliant in terms of oxygen supply. According to officials, around 160 PSA oxygen generation plants with a total capacity of 148.11 metric tonnes are being installed at various government and private hospitals in the city. While 66 plants are being installed at Delhi government hospitals, 10 are being set up at central government hospitals and 84 at private healthcare facilities. According to government data, 1.15 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the national capital since the inoculation exercise started on January 16. Over 32 lakh people have received both doses. The health department had recently told the Delhi Disaster Management Authority that it will take another year to vaccinate against coronavirus all eligible beneficiaries aged above 18 at "the present rate of vaccine supply". Around 1.5 crore beneficiaries are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination in the national capital and three crore doses are required to fully inoculate them. Around 45 lakh doses are required every month to complete the vaccination by December 2021. Democracy is the basis of the special bond between the United States and India, President Joe Biden said on Sunday. Biden recalled Mahatma Gandhis message of truth and non-violence as he greeted India on its Independence Day. Today, that foundational commitment to respecting the will of the people through democracy continues to inspire the world and is the basis of the special bond between our two nations, said the US President. The Biden Administration has of late been subtly nudging Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to continue to uphold democratic principles and arrest the perceived backsliding in freedom of speech and religion in India, notwithstanding displeasure in New Delhi. This has been emerging as an irritant in India-US relations, despite growing strategic synergy between the two nations, along with other democracies like Japan and Australia, to counter communist Chinas hegemonic aspirations in the Indo-Pacific region. In this moment of great challenges and opportunities, the partnership between India and the United States is more important than ever, Biden said on Sunday, adding: Together, we must show the world that our two great and diverse democracies can deliver for people everywhere. Bidens Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during his recent visit to New Delhi had tacitly prodded the Modi Government to support media, judiciary and civil society to continue to freely uphold democratic principles in India. He had also underlined that the shared commitment of India and the United States to democratic values was part of the bedrock of the relationship between the two nations. He had also acknowledged all democracies, including the one in the US, too had flaws. Also read: The daunting task of making freedom endure Over the decades, the ties between our people, including a vibrant community of more than four million Indian-Americans, have sustained and strengthened our partnership, the US President said in his message on the occasion of the Independence Day of India. He noted that the US and India had come together in new ways as they dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, including working in partnership with Japan and Australia through the Quad to expand global manufacturing of safe and effective vaccines against the coronavirus and to strengthen the last-mile coordination to reach people throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Blinken also on Sunday underlined that the cooperation between the US and India was expanding at an exponential pace as the two nations continued to work together, alongside other partner nations, to advance the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The bonds between the United States and India began over seven decades ago and have transformed into a growing partnership. From climate action and clean energy to space technologies, US-India bilateral cooperation is wide-ranging and stronger than ever before, Bidens Secretary of State said. As I said during my visit to New Delhi, there are few partnerships more vital than the one between the United States and India. Mindful of our seventy-four years of friendship, our two democracies will continue to build a better tomorrow. Happy Independence Day! Blinken said in his message on the occasion of the Independence Day of India. A curfew was clamped in Meghalaya capital Shillong on Sunday evening and use of mobile internet was prohibited following violence in parts of the city since Saturday in which a police team was also attacked. Unidentified persons pelted stones at police and set fire on a police van as many local residents staged a protest against the recent killing of Chesterfield Thangkhiew, a former insurgent leader. Also read: Top militant killed in encounter in Meghalaya Thangkhiew, who had surrendered two years ago as a leader of HNLC, a militant group was killed in an alleged gunfight on Friday. Police claimed that Thangkhiew had opened fire on a team of security forces and he was killed in retaliation. Meghalaya police had launched an operation following an IED explosion allegedly by HNLC on Tuesday, in which two persons were injured. Police claimed they had evidence suggesting Thakgkhiew's involvement in two such blasts recently. Also read: Peaceful Independence Day celebrations in Assam after nearly 4 decades His family members, however, alleged that the former insurgent leader was killed by police in "cold blood." His aides, supporters and some human rights activists staged a protest in Shillong on Sunday demanding the resignation of Meghalaya home minister Lahkmen Rymbui and a judicial inquiry into the incident. An order issued by Isawanda Laloo, district magistrate of East Khasi Hills district said the curfew was imposed in Shillong in view of a serious breakdown of law and order, violence, arson and theft. "There is every likelihood of breach of peace which may lead to incidents of causing loss of life and property," it said. The curfew will remain in force from 8 pm on Sunday till 5 am on Tuesday. Ban on the use of mobile internet was also imposed in East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi districts fearing the use of social media to spread violence and tension. Bomb blasts by militants, markets shut, deserted streets and people fearing to hoist the tricolour. This has been the scene on almost every Independence Day and Republic Day in Assam for nearly four decades. However, the situation on India's 75th Independence Day on Sunday was different. Markets remained open, there was no violence, or boycott calls by insurgent groups and people were out on the streets like a normal day to celebrate the day. Ulfa-independent, the biggest militant group, which issues a call to boycott the celebrations, for the first time did not issue such a diktat. In fact, the outfit, which has been carrying on with "an armed movement" since 1979 for "sovereign Assam", on Saturday extended its unilateral ceasefire by another three months citing the Covid-19 pandemic. On August 11, in a statement emailed to DH, Rumel Asom, a member of Ulfa-I's publicity cell said the outfit decided not to register an "armed protest" or issue a boycott call due to several reasons including Covid-19, border conflicts, flood and erosion and unemployment. Also read: Independence Day: The art of moving goalposts "This is perhaps after four decades, people of Assam celebrated Independence Day peacefully and without any fear. I want to thank Ulfa-I for not issuing any such boycott call," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in his speech after hoisting the tricolour at the College of Veterinary Science playground in Guwahati. Formed in 1979, Ulfa has been claiming that Assam was never part of India and it was not even transferred to India by the British. Hundreds of civilians have died in bomb blasts and firing by Ulfa and many were abducted and killed by the outfit since then. Many members of the outfit have also been killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces. Soon after becoming the new CM, Sarma on May 10 appealed to Ulfa leader Paresh Baruah to come forward for talks. Baruah too reciprocated but stated that the issue of sovereignty should be on the agenda of the dialogue. On Sunday, Sarma again appealed Ulfa-I and Baruah to come forward to resolve the issues through talks. "No more youths in Assam should die," he said. Although the Independence Day celebrations were peaceful, Ulfa-I hoisted its flags at several places, particularly in eastern Assam districts (Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat), where it still has a strong presence. While most Indian territories were declared independent from colonial and other powers on August 15, 1947, the state of Goa would remain under Portuguese power for over a decade after that. Even after Indian became a sovereign nation, the Portuguese refused to accede power to the Union. After a series of failed negotiations, under Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister, India decided that military intervention was necessary to unite the coastal state with the rest of the country. While sporadic revolts were prevalent, Goa Liberation Movement became a war cry to oust the European powers out of the state. Also read: Explained | What is Indian Independence Act? On December 19, 1961, a 36-hour military operation, code-named 'Operation Vijay', by the Indian forces that included the Indian Army, the Navy and the Air Force cornered the Portuguese forces with little resistance. The deposed governor general Manuel Antonio Vassalo-e Silva agreed to surrender, effectively ending 450 years of colonial rule in Goa. India's seven young gallant sailors and other personnel were killed in the operation on the day, which is marked as Goa Liberation Day. The War Memorial at Indian Naval Ship Gomantak was constructed in memory of seven young gallant sailors and other personnel who laid down their lives on 19 Dec 1961 in the Operation Vijay undertaken by the Indian Navy for the liberation of Anjadip Island and Territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, Indian Navy says on its website. December 19 is of great significance across the state and is celebrated grandly. Even as the Taliban militants entered Kabul and the government led by President Ashraf Ghani collapsed, India has not yet shut down its embassy in the capital of Afghanistan. A few senior officials of the Afghan Government however arrived in New Delhi on Sunday. India is closely monitoring the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan to decide on the evacuation of its diplomats from the capital of the war-torn country, a source said in New Delhi on Sunday. Though Ghani left Afghanistan, New Delhi is keeping tab on efforts by his predecessor Hamid Karzai, the chairman of Afghanistans High Council for National Reconciliation and veteran warlord and politician Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to form a coordination council as well on negotiations with Taliban to set up a transition government in Kabul. Though some officials of the Embassy of India in Kabul returned to the country on board Air Indias regular Kabul-Delhi flight AI 244 on Friday, New Delhi has not yet evacuated its senior diplomats from the capital of Afghanistan. New Delhi had shut down the Embassy of India in Kabul when the Taliban had taken over power in Afghanistan in 1996. Indias then acting envoy to Afghanistan, Azad Singh Toor, and other officials had left Kabul by a special aircraft of Ariana Airlines on September 26, 1996 just before the Taliban entered the capital city and taken over power. The Taliban militants had not found any Indian diplomats when they had raided and ransacked the Embassy of India in Kabul. India joined the United States and several other nations to warn the Taliban repeatedly over the past few weeks that if it returned to power in Kabul through violent means without going through a political process or without working out a negotiated settlement, its government would lack legitimacy and Afghanistan would turn into a pariah State. New Delhi, however, has not yet made it clear if a transition government comes to power in Kabul as a result of the Talibans negotiations with the coordination council led by Karzai, Abdullah and Hekmatyar. A source in New Delhi, however, said that the Government of India would also factor in the possibility that the transition government could just be a prelude to the complete return of the Taliban to power in Kabul. India evacuated its officials from its consulates in Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat and Jalalabad in Afghanistan over the past few weeks before the four provincial capitals along with many others came under the control of the Taliban. The consulates were not officially shut down, but left to be run only by the local employees, who continued to issue visas to people seeking to leave Afghanistan and travel to India. Indias ambassador to Afghanistan, Rudrendra Tandon, had a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar on Saturday. He was also in touch with senior officials of the Afghan Government as well as with some of Indias old friends in Afghanistan on Sunday, even after the Taliban reached close to the outskirts of the national capital and Afghan President left the country. He was also in touch with Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who monitored the situation from New Delhi. Check out DH's latest videos: India is responding to the twin threat of terrorism and expansionism strongly, but in a restrained manner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, tacitly referring to the challenges posed by Pakistan and China to the security and sovereignty of the nation. Today the world is looking at India from a new perspective. There are two important aspects of this perception one is terrorism and the other is expansionism. India is fighting both these challenges and is also responding strongly in a restrained manner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech on the occasion of Independence Day. Our defence preparedness has to be equally strong if India has to fulfil its obligations properly. He was obviously referring to the responses by the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces against cross-border terrorism exported from Pakistan from across the Line of Control (LoC), but also to counter the move by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). India has also given the message of the might of New India to the enemies of the country by carrying out surgical and airstrikes. the Prime Minister said, referring to the Indian Armys raid on a terror camp across Indias LoC with Pakistan in September 2016 as well as the bombing by the Indian Air Force in another terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in February 2019. It shows that India is changing. India can change. India can take the toughest decisions and it does not hesitate and stop in taking even the toughest decisions. Follow live updates on Independence Day here The nation celebrated its 75th Independence Day even as the more-than-16-month-long stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA in eastern Ladakh could not be completely resolved yet. Though long-drawn negotiations resulted in mutual withdrawal of troops from both the banks of Pangong Tso (lake) in February and from Gogra Post this month, the two sides could not yet agree to pull back soldiers from several other face-off points, including Hot Springs, Demchok and Depsang Plains. The Indian Army and the Pakistan Army on February 25 this year agreed to strictly adhere to the 2003 ceasefire pact and avoid firing at each other across the LoC or the undisputed stretches of the border between the two nations. This de-escalated tension along the LoC and fuelled speculation about back-channel talks leading to a thaw. The two sides, however, of late restarted to war of words, with New Delhi blaming Prime Minister Imran Khans government and Pakistan Army for exporting terror to India and Islamabad blaming spy agencies of India for terrorist attacks in Pakistan. I assure the country that we will leave no stone unturned to strengthen the hands of our forces engaged in the defence of the country, the Prime Minister said on Sunday. India is also worried over the possibility of Pakistan gaining a strategic edge in Afghanistan after the resurgence of the Taliban following the withdrawal of troops by the United States and its NATO allies. The Taliban in the past extended support to anti-India terrorists based in Pakistan, including during the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft in December 1999. Modi on Sunday also highlighted his governments push for raising Indias self-reliance in the defence sector, particularly in manufacturing military hardware. We are making constant efforts to provide new opportunities to our hard-working entrepreneurs and to encourage Indian companies to make the country self-reliant in the field of defence, the Prime Minister said. Check out DH's latest videos: The opposition parties in Parliament have probably shown the "worst possible" behaviour that they could and have left nothing to imagination in destroying the foundation of Indian democracy, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said. The Prime Minister introduced ministers in both the Houses and that is a tradition that's been going on for 70-odd years and the opposition for the "first time" did not even allow that, he said. "They have left nothing to imagination in destroying the very foundation, the very pillar of our Indian democracy, richly earned, richly deserved, but sadly put at this altar of competitive opposition competitive politics," the minister said at the TIMES NOW India at 75: The Freedom Summit. He added that this time around, the opposition has exceeded all limits of tolerance. "That is the reason we demanded action, and there needs to be deterrence... Maybe even stricter deterrence... We are grateful to the honourable Supreme Court for the very strong judgement and strictures in the Kerala Assembly matter. And I do believe that this time around, some of the members will have to suffer the consequences of their actions," Goyal said. Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on August 11, bringing an end to the stormy Monsoon session which was scheduled to conclude on August 13. Opposition protests over the Pegasus snooping row, farm laws and other issues had continuously marred the proceedings since the start of the session on July 19. The Question Hour witnessed disruptions on most of the days during this session, while the House managed to pass a raft of bills, including the Constitution amendment bill that will allow states to make their OBC lists. Further, the minister said that it truly is a "very unfortunate" situation that when the country is preparing to celebrate India at 75, "we have had this very unfortunate and very unpleasant experience over the last four weeks where some sections of Parliament have demonstrated a deep frustration at the series of losses, a deep sense of insecurity about their future". Goyal alleged that the disruption was a pre-planned strategic decision, which was made well before the session. "And sadly, that gradually translated into a competitive scenario where parties were wild with each other for space not to show good performance, not to show to the people their active participation or high-quality debate, high-quality speeches, important issues which affect the people of India, but really a competition of who can disrupt better, who can harm the temple of democracy more," he said. Check out DH's latest videos: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of petitions, including those filed by the Editors Guild of India and senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar, seeking an independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping matter. A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Suryakant and Aniruddha Bose will continue hearing the matter. On August 10, the top court had taken exception over "parallel proceedings and debates" on social media by some petitioners who have sought independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping issue and said there must be some discipline and they must have "some faith in the system". The top court had said that it would take a call on August 16 on whether to issue notice to the Centre on pleas seeking probe into the Pegasus row and emphasised that it is not against debate but when the matter is pending in the apex court it should be deliberated upon here. The bench had said that it expects that petitioners who are interested in the matter would answer whatever queries the court would put to them by way of proper debate "in the court and not outside". Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the court that he needs instructions from the government on the batch of pleas. The apex court is hearing a batch of pleas, including the one filed by the Editors Guild of India, seeking independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping matter. They are related to reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus. Also read: Pegasus issue to be TMCs key weapon against BJP in upcoming polls An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware. Earlier, during the hearing of the matter, the top court had said that allegations of Pegasus related snooping are "serious in nature" if reports on them are correct. It had also asked the petitioners whether they had made any efforts to file a criminal complaint on this. The apex court, which had asked the petitioners to serve the copies of the pleas to the Centre, had also questioned why the matter has suddenly cropped up now when it had come to light way back in 2019. Editors Guild of India has sought in its plea that a special investigation team be set up to conduct a probe into reported surveillance of journalists and others. The Opposition on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address as full of "rhetoric and empty slogans" and alleged that the "same speech" was delivered for years with several announcements that are not meant for implementation. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the country has been listening to the "same speeches" by the Prime Minister since he assumed power but no solutions are offered to those impacted, including farmers. He found fault with the government for not repealing the three contentious farm laws. "Modi announces new schemes but these are never implemented or seen on the ground. He says a lot of things but never adheres to them. And now, by bringing the three new farm laws, he has spelt doom for the farmers," he told reporters. Emphasising that the country will not progress by criticising the Congress, again and again, he said, "The Congress has done a lot of work for this country during its regime like providing irrigation systems for the farmers. Manmohan Singh-ji and Sonia Gandhi-ji waived farmers' debt when the UPA was in power." Also read: India takes pride in world's largest Covid-19 vaccination programme: PM Modi CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Prime Minister's speech was marked by "rhetoric, empty slogans and disinformation". "No reassurance to crores suffering from Covid-19 mismanagement and vaccine shortages. Growing unemployment, poverty, hunger, backbreaking prices and misery. Ominous warning that our lives will continue to be ruined further," he tweeted. Rhetoric, empty slogans & disinformation mark PMs speech. No reassurance to crores suffering from Covid mismanagement & vaccine shortages. Growing unemployment, poverty, hunger, backbreaking prices & misery. Ominous warning that our lives will continue to be ruined further. Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) August 15, 2021 Senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said Modi's speech has failed to inspire people especially as it came after the Covid-19 second wave. Families who lost their loved ones and livelihood needed healing touch. Referring to the addition of 'sabka prayas' (everyone's efforts) to his slogan 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka viswas', Jha said one should see how Modi goes on to the huge pile of rhetoric. "This sabka prayas (everyone's efforts) sounds so ironic. We have seen people fighting for oxygen themselves. Does he want that kind of situation? Is it that on issues of lives and livelihood, people should do it on their own and the State won't come into the picture?" he said. "What the Prime Minister has given to them is again a set of empty rhetoric. I think he might have been applauded by a select audience there, but the people on the streets, whose livelihood have been lost, lost someone in the family, it means nothing. CPI General Secretary D Raja said the Prime Minister's speech was disappointing as he did not offer solutions to any problems facing the country. Instead, he said, the Prime Minister gave empty slogans while ignoring the plight of unemployed youths and farmers in the country. Referring to the announcement of Rs 100 lakh crore investment in the infrastructure sector, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, "It has been two years since August 15, 2019. At least, the 100 lakh crore figure could have been changed." - ! .. pic.twitter.com/P9aAWHrwox Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 15, 2021 Check out latest videos from DH: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has scant knowledge of history and demanded an apology from him for incorrectly saying that freedom fighter from West Bengal, Matangini Hazra, hailed from Assam. The BJP said that the TMC was unnecessarily creating a controversy over the gaffe made during the prime minister's Independence Day speech, and claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also made many faux pas in her speeches in the past. Also Read | Independence Day: Key announcements by PM Narendra Modi West Bengal TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that the prime minister has scant knowledge of history and merely read out a written text in a "dramatic style". The TMC spokesperson tweeted, "@BJP4India Matangini Hazra from Assam? R u mad? U don't know history. U have no feelings. You just read a written speech (that also by others) with drama." "This is an insult to Bengal. You must beg apology. Hope Your LOP from East Midnapore will also condemn such a mistake," Ghosh added, while attaching a purported clipping of the speech. .@BJP4India Matangini Hazra from Assam? R u mad? U don't know history. U have no feelings. You just read a written speech ( that also by others) with drama. This is insult to Bengal. You must beg apology. Hope Your LOP from East Midnapore will also condemn such a mistake. pic.twitter.com/azMV45GN7f Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) August 15, 2021 The TMC leader sought a response from Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Nandigram's BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, who had often referred to the contribution of Medinipur, from where Matangini Hazra hailed, to the freedom struggle. The TMC tweeted on its official handle, "Matangini Hazra is a freedom fighter from Bengal, Mr. @narendramodi!" "With such scant regard for our glorious history, you have insulted all of #Bengal once again. Is @BJP4India committed to erasing our history? Mocking it as they please? SHAME," the party said, attaching a purported video with the post. Matangini Hazra is a freedom fighter from Bengal, Mr. @narendramodi! With such scant regard for our glorious history, you have insulted all of #Bengal once again. Is @BJP4India committed to erasing our history? Mocking it as they please? SHAME. pic.twitter.com/jG5DctVHtA All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) August 15, 2021 Reacting to the controversy, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said, "It was a minor mistake on the prime minister's part and the TMC is deliberately highlighting it while trying to overlook other parts of his speech where he spoke about many projects initiated by the Centre." Also Read | Bengal Governor urges people to take oath to uphold human rights on 75th Independence Day BJP state vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said, "It was a slip of tongue. What about the series of gaffes made by the chief minister on our freedom fighters and history? Did she ever apologise for those blunders?" Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said, "It was a serious mistake by the PM showing his ignorance about Bengal's history and its contribution to the freedom struggle." State Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, "Things like these happen if someone who has grown up with RSS teachings does not care to read or find out on his own and depends on the text prepared by his office without even checking." Hazra (1869-1942), who lived in Tamluk in present-day Purba Medinipur district, was shot dead by the British Indian Police while she was leading a procession as part of the Quit India movement launched across the country by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942. Her death triggered widespread condemnation and steeled Indians' resolve against the British colonialists, giving more impetus to the freedom struggle. Hazra is a familiar figure across West Bengal and there is a statue of her in Maidan area in the heart of Kolkata. She is remembered while paying tributes to freedom fighters and both the TMC and the BJP had invoked her during the high-voltage campaign in Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts during the assembly elections this year. Two men were arrested Sunday for allegedly uploading a video on Facebook, claiming that Jawaharlal Nehru University would be attacked on the 75th Independence Day, police said. The accused have been identified as Vikas Sehrawat (30), who can be heard making the statement in the alleged inflammatory video, and Raja Kumar both residents of Uttam Nagar, they said. According to police, Sehrawat was arrested earlier for allegedly threatening and using foul language for senior Delhi Congress leader and former MLA Alka Lamba in a video. Read more: PM Modi unveils roadmap of new India with ambitious schemes; warns of terrorism, expansionism He told police that he has been associated with Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) since 2018. Police, however, said that they are verifying his credentials. Sehrawat has no association with JNU and made the video to seek attention, they said. Kumar is the owner of the phone from which the video on JNU was uploaded, they added. "We received a PCR call from a JNU student on Sunday at 1.51 am at Vasant Kunj (North) police station stating that a video has been uploaded on Facebook page 'Mahakal Youth Brigade' alleging that the varsity would be attacked," Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Ingit Pratap Singh said. After receiving the PCR call, police personnel were deployed in plain clothes at all gates. A few other calls were also received in this regard, police said. The student came to police station and filed the complaint. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) office bearers wrote similar complaint where they alleged that the video promotes disharmony and enmity, using inflammatory language and also openly issuing threats of physical hurt," the DCP said. The video on the page was seen and heard and a case registered under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway, police said. A giant mural on Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters along with thematic artworks depicting India's military might, technological achievements and cultural heritage was on display at the main gate of the Red Fort here for the 75th Independence Day celebrations. The makeshift wall of shipping containers was set up for security reasons but artists had turned the stacked metallic containers into eye-catching canvases with a strong patriotic theme. It was for the first time that such a temporary fortification was done on the occasion of Independence Day, a move that came after farmers protesting against three central agri laws had stormed the Mughal-era monument, which is also a UNESCO heritage site, on Republic Day and hoisted a religious flag. Also Read | PM Modi unveils roadmap of new India with ambitious schemes; warns of terrorism, expansionism The organisers had ensured that the dull industrial objects served as a backdrop for creating appealing artworks. The face of the towering stack of containers, opposite the 17th-century fort's magnificent front wall was adorned with a mega mural depicting freedom fighters -- Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Rani Laxmibai, and scores of other unsung heroes who made the supreme sacrifice for the country's freedom from the British Rule. While six containers were stacked up in the middle section of the temporary wall, three to four of those were lined up vertically, flanking the middle section. A standard container is about 8 ft high. On the towering middle section facing the fort, India's technological and engineering achievements and its military prowess were portrayed through colourful images of an LCA aircraft, Delhi Metro train, Atal Tunnel under Rohtang Pass, BraMos missile system. Also Read | Patriotic fervour grips Delhi on 75th Independence Day The slogan 'Rashtra Pratham' (in saffron letters), Sadaiv Pratham'(in green letters)' had been mounted in huge size on top of the stack. On the side facing the main street (Netaji Subhas Marg), the middle section had a fabric canvas with thematic artwork printed depicting the cultural heritage and diversity of India, with 75th Independence Day embossed on it. The stack of containers facing the street and flanking the middle section was coloured in saffron-white-green, depicting the tricolour, in succession vertically, and a smaller blue container was kept on top of both the left and right sides. On the front wall of the fort, a decoration was mounted with two peacocks on either side and the numeral 75 adorned on it, marking the 75th Independence Day. The multi-layered security ring, including NSG snipers, elite SWAT commandos, kite catchers, canine units and sharpshooters on high-rise buildings, were placed around the Mughal-era fort, and social distancing norms were in place as last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to freedom fighters and revolutionaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar, Queen Chennamma, Bhagat Singh and others from across the country for their efforts towards independence and nation-building. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 75th Independence Day, Modi said the country recalls its freedom fighters and bows before them. "...whether it is Mahatma Gandhi who transformed the freedom struggle into a mass movement, or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who sacrificed everything for freedom of the country, or the great brave revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan and Bismil (Ram Prasad Bismil), the country remembers all of them," Modi said. During his 90-minute speech, Modi said, "Be it Nehru ji, the first prime minister of India, Sardar Patel, who united the nation, or Babasaheb Ambedkar, who showed India the way to the future, the country remembers every such personality. The country is indebted to all of them." Also read: PM announces Rs 100 lakh cr Gatishakti scheme for holistic infra growth Modi also emphasised the role of women revolutionaries from across the country and specifically mentioned queen of Jhansi Rani Lakshmibai, queen of Chittoor (in Andhra Pradesh) Chennamma, Queen Gaidinliu (from Nagaland) and Assam brave-heart Matangini Hazra and expressed the country's gratitude for their contribution. He said the country remembers each person and each personality who contributed in the freedom struggle, and will forever remain indebted to all of them. Underlining that for centuries India struggled for preserving its culture, land and freedom, Modi said many names might not have been not registered in the pages of history, but the nation bows to all who fought for it. Check out latest videos from DH: In a major initiative, union minister Narayan Rane has started working on a major plan to boost up coconut production in the coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra. Rane, the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, in the Narendra Modi-government held back-to-back meetings with Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Rane, who is a former Maharashtra Chief Minister and ex-Leader of Opposition, is one of the tallest leaders from the Konkan region of the state. During the meeting with Vaishnaw, Rane handed over a letter urging him to allow coconut plantation on land available at both sides of Konkan railway track to boost coconut production and also the coir industry in Konkan. At his meeting with Tomar, he requested him to open a regional office of Coconut Development Board in Sindhudurg district. The aim is to enhance coconut production in Konkan and also to give boost to the coir industry, which will help immensely in generating employment and uplifting standard of life, said Rane. From adding 'Sabka Prayas' to his trademark call of 'Sabka Saath...' to coining the phrase of 'chhota kisan bane desh ki shaan' to encourage small farmers, Prime Minster Narendra Modi used several catchy slogans in his Independence Day speech on Sunday. He also underlined his faith in the youth of the country, and said, "This is a 'can do generation' and it can achieve every goal." During his nearly 90-minute speech, the prime minister, who wore a traditional kurta and a churidar complemented by a blue jacket and a red-patterned saffron headgear, stressed heavily on every citizen to come together to achieve the goals of the 'Naya Bharat' envisioned on the centenary of Independence. Also Read | Independence Day: Key announcements by PM Narendra Modi Describing the next 25 year as "amrit kaal", a reference to deriving the best in every field, he said the nation cannot wait so long to attain these goals, making it imperative for everyone to make efforts for this. "Yahi samay hai, sahi samay hai, Bharat ka anmol samay hai (This is the moment, it is the right moment, it is precious time for India)," he said, reciting a poem at the end of his speech. The wording of his poem, further went like: "Asankhya bhujaon ki shakti hai, har taraf desh ki bhakti hai. Tum utho tiranga lehra do, Bharat ka Bhagya fehra do... (Power of countless arms it is, everywhere wave of patriotism is. Rise and hoist the flag, wave the fate of India)". Charting the roadmap for the next 25 years, he said the country has to change and citizens too will have to change in conjunction. "To achieve our goals, we need 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas', and also Sabka Prayas (everyone's effort). This is important to accomplish it," Modi said. The prime minster invoked his oft-quoted slogan of 'Sankalp se Siddhi Tak', saying on the threshold of the 75th year of India's Independence, "we have to set our vision for the next 25 years." Also Read | PM Modi recalls freedom fighters, revolutionaries in Independence Day speech "The resolves can be realised if we attain heights of hard labour and valour ('Parishram aur Parakram ki Parakashtha')," he said. Emphasising that scientific advancements have to be coupled with agriculture to ensure its advancement, Modi asserted that the government's vision is taking into account the condition of the small farmers who own less than 2 ha of land and account for 80 per cent of the total farmers. Modi cited various schemes of the government, including direct benefit transfer, to assert that his government has prioritised the interest of small farmers, and gave a new slogan, 'chhota kisan bane desh ki shaan (small farmers should become India's pride)'. In his eighth consecutive address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 75th Independence Day, Modi called for making the next 25 years glorious for India with "new thresholds, aspirations and dreams" in the run-up to the centenary of its independence from the British colonial rule. This will lead to an India which will have every modern infrastructure of the world, and where there will be no divide between a city and a village, he said. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Sunday pointed towards a "sorry state of affairs" as lack of adequate and quality debates in Parliament resulted in the passing of laws with a "lot of ambiguity and gaps". He expressed concern on "falling standards of debates and discussion in Parliament in recent time, in comparison with initial years after independence." Different laws used to be debated and deliberated upon then. So, the burden of the courts in interpreting or implementing the laws used to be less. We had a clear picture (of) what the legislature wanted to tell...why they were making such a legislation. Now (there is a) sorry state of affairs," Justice Ramana said. "We see a lot of ambiguity and gaps in legislations (now), there is no clarity in laws, we don't know what purpose law is being made, this is causing of lot of litigation, inconvenience to the people and loss to government," he said. Also read: PM Modi unveils roadmap of new India with ambitious schemes; warns of terrorism, expansionism The CJI felt that this was so since there were not enough intellectuals, professionals and lawyers in the House. He recounted how Indias independence struggle was led by lawyers like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Babu Rajendra Prasad. "If you take into consideration the first members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state Assemblies. They were filled with lawyers. Unfortunately over a period of time, you know what has been happening in Parliament...This is what happens if intellectuals and professionals like lawyers are not there in the Houses, the CJI regretted. He called upon the lawyers to contribute more towards public causes and actively participate in public life. "It is time the legal community and lawyers have to lead. They should not confine themselves to the profession, earning money and living comfortably. They must actively participate in public life," he said. He was speaking at a flag hoisting ceremony organised by SCBA on 75th Independence Day at the SC premises. In his address, the CJI also highlighted the role played by the Supreme Court in protecting the rights of people. The Supreme Court has given more than what the Constitution thought of. Not only by interpreting the Constitution but also by expanding the scope and providing rights to the people taking into consideration problems of the citizenry. The Supreme Court has taken an active role and I hope and expect we will contribute more, he said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday called for strengthening voices against all forces that try to stifle freedom. She unfurled the National Flag and took salutes from various police wings during a parade on Red Road here on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day. The chief minister also awarded various police personnel for their gallantry and paid floral tributes at the Police Memorial and a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, whose 125th birth anniversary was celebrated this year. Read more: Burhan Wani's father hoists national flag in Pulwama Though Banerjee did not address the people, she tweeted, "On the 75th Independence Day, let us all come together to strengthen our voices against all forces that aim to stifle our freedom. We must never forget the sacrifice of those who fought a long and hard battle for this day. Warm wishes to all my brothers and sisters. Jai Hind!" On the 75th Independence Day, let us all come together to strengthen our voices against all forces that aim to stifle our freedom. We must never forget the sacrifice of those who fought a long and hard battle for this day. Warm wishes to all my brothers and sisters. Jai Hind! Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 15, 2021 Colourful tableaux themed on various schemes and campaigns of the state government were taken out at the event. Many dignitaries, including Chief Secretary H K Dwidevi, Home Secretary B P Gopalika and Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra, were present at the programme. Meanwhile, community clubs and social organisations also took out rallies, while the National Flag was hoisted at educational institutions and government offices. Various political parties also observed the day their offices. On August 15, 2017, in his fourth speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of building a "new India" by 2022, the year India will mark the 75th anniversary of its independence. Today, on August 15, 2021, as India celebrated the 74th anniversary and entered the 75th year of its independence, the PM spoke of building a "new India" by the year the country celebrates its hundredth Independence Day in 2047. Could it be that the scourge of Covid-19 has impeded the country's progress by as much as 25-years? The PM did not elaborate on why the goalpost has shifted by a quarter-century. However, in his speech four years back, the PM had implored citizens to take the "new India pledge and move ahead". Quoting from scriptures, the PM had said, "If we don't accomplish work within a stipulated time, we shall not be able to get the desired results." Today, the PM said that "we should not limit the occasion of 75 years of the Indian independence to just one ceremony." He said this was a time to "lay the groundwork for new resolutions" and termed it to be a start of a 25-year long journey, from now to 2047, as the "Amrit Kaal", or period, "of creation of a new India". "We have to start now. We don't have a moment to lose," Modi said. The PM seemed to suggest that it was no longer the job of only the government to build this "new India". He asked citizens to change themselves, to adapt to the changing era. Modi gave the slogan of "sabka saath, sabka vikas", or development for all, in 2014. He had added "sabka vishwas", trust of everyone, five years later, on May 26, 2019. Today, Modi said "sabka prayas", or effort by everyone, was vital to achieving these goals. Follow live updates on Independence Day here In his speech four years back, Modi had envisioned that India of 2022 would be a country where each family would have a pucca house and access to electricity. Farmers' income would double, the country would be cleaner, healthier, and free of terrorism, communalism, casteism, corruption, and nepotism. These were ambitious targets even for mid-2017. Intriguingly, the Press Information Bureau website, the government's publicity arm, has a section on "promises and delivery". Under this, the PIB posts a table on the promises made in the PM's speeches delivered from the Red Fort and delivery. The last such "fact sheet" relates to the PM's "new India" speech of 2017. The PIB has not updated the section since. It is likely that this failure to update and post "fact sheets" for the PM's subsequent three speeches from the Red Fort, from 2018 to 2020, could be a case of oversight. But in his speech today, the PM seemed conscious that he should present a report card of the seven years of his government's social welfare scheme to the country. However, the PM sidestepped quoting specific numbers of beneficiaries of these schemes, which he did in his earlier speeches. Modi said that millions have benefitted from the many schemes started in the last seven years. He noted every poor of the country knows the importance of Ujjwala to Ayushman Bharat. "But it does not end here. We have to achieve saturation (of the schemes)," the PM said. The PM did not give any deadlines for achieving the hundred per cent saturation in these schemes, nearly all of which are ongoing from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-2004) and Manmohan Singh (2004-2014) led governments. Modi said that all villages should have roads, all households should have bank accounts, all the beneficiaries should have Ayushman Bharat cards, and all eligible persons should benefit from Ujjwala Yojana and have gas connections. The PM said that "now have to move ahead to achieve saturation of schemes, and, for this, we do not have to keep a distant deadline." While there was no reference to 2022, he said, "we have to make our resolutions come true within a few years." With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls looming large, the PM referred to his government granting constitutional status to the OBC (Other Backward Classes) commission. He also sought to defend the government's three farm laws. He said his government's agricultural reforms would benefit small farmers, which comprise 80 per cent of the country's farmers who have less than two hectares of land. If in his speech from the Red Fort in 2020, the PM had promised an investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in revamping India's infrastructure, today he promised Rs 100 lakh crore for a newly christened "Gati Shakti' National Infrastructure Master Plan. It will lay the foundation of holistic infrastructure and integrate India's means of transport. He did not detail the progress of the previous promise. The speech was realistic in some other respects too. For example, the PM did not mention making India into a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25. In 2017, the PM had asked citizens that to achieve the goal of "new India", they should replicate the "collective resolve" that was visible during the five years from 1942 (Quit India Movement) to 1947 (Independence). He said that it had forced the British to quit India within five years. "We will have to exhibit the same resolve from now on in the 70th year of independence to 2022, the 75th year of independence," Modi had said. In their way, the people have reprised those five years. Protests had marked the period between 1942 to 1947 to achieve freedom from colonial rule. Some of the biggest protests have taken place from the summer of 2017 to now. The firing and killing of farmers in Mandsaur, in Madhya Pradesh, in June 2017 had triggered countrywide farmers' protests in 2017-18. In 2019-2020, millions hit the roads to protest the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the farmers' agitation against three central laws will soon complete a year. Check out DH's latest videos: Gundlupet police have registered a case against a person for allegedly selling fake RT-PCR negative certificates to the passengers entering the state from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The accused is Anilkumar, 35, of Hangalapura village, in the taluk. Acting on a tip-off, the Gundlupet Police, under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Divya Sara Thomas, raided the computer shop at the village and found models of RTPCR certificiate on his computer system. It is alleged that Anil had downloaded the replica of the Covid negative report and sold the reports to the passengers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who did not possess the certificates, by filling their names and other details. The fake report racket came to the fore when the officials were checking the certificates of the passengers near the Tamil Nadu border check post on Friday and found one fake certificate. Upon inquiry, they came to know that Anil of Hangala village was selling fake negative reports with Government of Karnataka logo and Gundlupet taluk hospital address for the last 20 days. They immediately alerted Gundlupet police. Police raided the shop and took the youth into custody and seized the computer system and other materials. It is alleged that he was selling the fake certificate for Rs 300 to Rs 500. A case was registered against him on Saturday, according to police. Check out DH's latest videos: Enraged over the photo of Veer Savarkar along with other freedom fighters on Swatantrya ratha, an Independence Day rally vehicle in Kabaka, the SDPI workers allegedly tried to disrupt Independence Day celebrations, at Kabaka Gram Panchayat premises. The photo of Savarkar drew flak and SDPI workers demanded replacing Savarkars photo with Tipu Sulthan. This created tension at the gram panchayat premises for some time. As gram panchayat president Vinay Kumar flagged off the vehicle and slogans were raised in favour of India, the SDPI workers stalled the vehicle. The SDPI workers entered into an argument and shouted slogans against the gram panchayat. Gram Panchayat President and PDO tried to persuade the protesters to stop the protest. However, they were adamant and demanded to replace the photo of Savarkar with that of Tipu Sulthan. The police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd. A case has been registered in Puttur town police station following the complaint by Kabaka Gram Panchayat authorities alleging disruption to Independence Day celebrations. Action demanded Condemning the incident, Minister for Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary said that SDPI workers tried to create ruckus over the photo of Savarkar in Swatantrya ratha in Kabaka. The issue has already been brought to the notice of the BJP state president and minister. We will not allow Taliban culture in Dakshina Kannada. The government should initiate strict action against those who tried to create ruckus. MLA Sanjeeva Matandoor urged the police to consider the issue seriously and slap sedition charges against them. As a precautionary measure, the police had stepped up security in the area. Additional SP Dr Shivakumar visited Puttur and collected information on the incident. Meanwhile, VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders have submitted a memorandum to Home Minister demanding to arrest the miscreants under sedition charges. Though SDPI had scheduled a protest condemning the move, it was cancelled later. DK SP Rishikesh Sonawane said that three persons K Ajeej (43), Shameer (40) and Abdul Rahiman (34) have been arrested following the incident and remanded in judicial custody. Check out DH's latest videos: Circa 1857: East India Companys elitist attitude and the Doctrine of Lapse had already set the ball rolling. At the ebb of their tolerance, while smaller kingdoms like Jhansi, Gwalior, Karnataka, and the Paikas (foot soldiers) from Odisha were preparing for what would be called the first war of independence, brewing in the little villages was a food reaction that would leave the colonial rulers baffled and in paranoia for a long time to come. It was what Dr Gilbert Hadow in his letter to his sister described as the most mysterious affair going on throughout the whole of India at present. He was referring to the chapati movement or as the British tabloid and reports would call, the chupatty movement. Such was the psychological effect of this remarkable yet inexplicable event that it kept the Britishers on their toes long after the actual war was culled, and their frontrunners executed and labelled characterless and traitors. In fact, the Chupatty movement remains one of the fascinating mysteries that even today is explained with theories that range from ruse to prevent cholera to a food shortage to open rebel against the execution of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Interestingly, this wouldnt be the first time that food would prove to be more of a deterrent to the Britishers than an actual revolt. The second incident that left The Crown equally perplexed was over sweets when revolutionaries started using laddoos, pedas, khaja and even the box itself to send encrypted messages without the chance of getting caught. In fact, sweetmeat shops and peths which were these weekly haats set by pre-colonial rulers across India would soon become the breeding and breathing ground for revolutionaries. Food partly was how even the tawaifs or the courtesans contributed to the war of independence. Known for their tehzeeb, wit and charm, these ladies would not only finance the mutiny, but also play informer, messenger, and even offer their premise as the food adda for brave heroes. The years that followed the first war of independence saw India divided into two factions: the one on the top was made of the British, their clubs and gymkhanas where the new English and Anglo-Indian cuisine developed, and the love was shared by the new breed of royals, aristocrats and zamindars who took on a western style of life. The bottom belonged to the commoners and families of defamed and executed revolutionaries, erstwhile royalty and radical thinkers thanks to the era of Enlightenment Cuisine and the Era of Excess during King Edward VIIs rule faced with forced food shortage, higher taxes, and new ingredients on the one hand, and on the other this rising culture of eat shops (restaurants were late 20th-century thing) set by khansamas who not so long ago cooked for the real royalty. Between 1870 and 1901 food and food habits changed drastically on both sides. While the elitist outsiders began adopting native ingredients, especially vegetables and fruits into their meal, partly because of its availability and partly to avoid the maladies of hot and humid weather, the rest of India lived on street food that went from the once a lavish affair to a more practical hearty meal of poori bhaji, poha-sheera, parathas, nalli nihari and naan and a variety of fried snacks including the Konds Chaula Bara in Odisha. In fact, it was the time when two distinct cuisines made their mark in the food streets of India first, the Kayastha food that belonged to the erstwhile bureaucrat community and that of the merchants, especially of the Marwaris and Gujaratis who had developed a food culture that was filling and could be found pan India. Hearty, satiating and versatile enough to adopt new ingredients and serving styles, these two cuisines laid the foundation of the Shahjahanabad that we see today replete with khau gallis where India ate. In fact, most of the popular dishes we see today from bedmi aloo poori to kachori to Calcutta Roll and even the chaat galli in Indore to military cafes down South were a result of the change in the food topography that evolved from the best of native produce to food that helped nourish people, especially revolutionaries who could afford one good meal which had to be wholesome, filling and gave the energy boost. In fact, the military cafes that were originally designed by the Maratha to avoid dependency on the villagers became instrumental in curating our understanding of wholesome meals. A similar effect was brought by rice plate hotels across other parts of the country. The dwindling economy of a country that had post-1857 unanimously given up meat in defiance forced the food makers to turn to produces that grew in abundance, irrespective of its unwanted association. Thus, began a series of dishes where potatoes became the main vegetable and frying, grilling became the preferred way to prepare the dish. However, there were a few traditional specials that continued to be a part of the new food culture like the lassi, matta, rabri milk and imarti, kullad wala doodh and a variety of halwas that served as these little bowls of joy which revolutionaries like Shahid Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad would often indulge in. In fact, every city across India adopted newer grains and ingredients but remained loyal to a few dishes that were considered the last symbols of the rich legacy. The poha, the strength secret of Maratha warriors, was in fact one such dish that saw versions pop up across India post-1857 as one of the power meals for the heroes of the resistance. For a generous part of our modern history, these food lanes made food with an aim to not just feed a nation that had suffered quite a few man-made famines and shortages, but also to ignite the want for freedom through sweets, dishes that could be adopted with the same ease as chapatis across India, and of meals that provided strength to revolt. That explains why every Independence Day is celebrated with a laddoo and the omnipresent poori aloo (and not just the bedmi poori) after all, these were dishes that played a key role in not just uniting a country but also feeding a nation for its freedom. Police are urging the public to be extra vigilant after a rise in recent reports of scammers using fake bank apps to con victims out of money. Reports have indicated that people have lost money after selling items on well-known online selling platforms. Bogus buyers are making contact with sellers and once the transaction is agreed, the buyer shows what appears to be a completed transfer into the victims account. These transfers are being carried out on fake bank apps and no money is being transferred. In one incident, a victim agreed to meet a supposed buyer to arrange the sale of an iPhone XS and whilst the buyer showed him a banking app in which the money appeared to be transferred, this money was never received. On another occasion, a victim attempted to sell an Xbox 1 and again, whilst the bogus buyer appeared to show the agreed money being transferred, the money was not received. Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Saunders, from the PSNI's Criminal Investigation Branch, said: We have noticed an increase in fake bank app scams and would encourage members of the public to be very careful when selling items online. Fraudsters are continuously coming up with more sophisticated ways of taking money from unsuspecting victims and people of all ages and backgrounds are being conned out of money. We would advise people to never hand over goods until they have payment either in the form of cash in their hand or in their bank account which they have checked online. Once funds have been transferred they usually appear in an account within minutes so please take the time to check before parting with goods. For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni. If you have any concerns about unsolicited calls, emails or letters then report it to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040. You can also call police on the non-emergency number 101. Producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri after backing '83 and Thalaivi announces franchise 'Azad Hind' to celebrate unsung heroes On India's 75th Independence Day, producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri of Vibri Motion Pictures has announced a film franchise titled "Azad Hind", as a tribute to the unsung heroes of the country's freedom struggle. Induri, producer of upcoming features like "83" and "Thalaivi", said the first film to launch the franchise would bring to life the untold story of freedom fighter and revolutionary Durgawati Devi, popularly known as Durga Bhabhi. "Exhibiting courage, valour and strength, she fought British Raj, inspiring the legendary freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad. Durgawati was also referred to as 'The Agni Of India' by British Secret Service Bureau MI 5," a statement from the makers read. The producer said the team aims to chronicle stories of freedom fighters who are lost in history and could not get prominence despite their contribution to the freedom struggle. "'Azad Hind' franchise will capture those films and the first film in the franchise is about Durgawati Devi who inspired the likes of Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad," Induri said in a statement. According to the makers, after India's independence, Durgawati started living as a common citizen in anonymity and exclusion in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. She started a school for poor children in Lucknow and died in Ghaziabad on 15 October 1999 at the age of 92. The makers are currently looking to cast a leading actor for the title role. Other details, including the name of the director, are under wraps. Salman Khan joins forces with Anees Bazmee for an out-and-out comedy; film to go on floors next year May it be romance, action or drama, Bollywoods Bhaijaan Salman Khan has done it all! He perfectly fits into any character he plays on-screen and successfully wins the audience over with his performance. However, the one genre that seems the most natural on him is definitely comedy! Just look at his phenomenal work in films like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Ready, Kick and Partner. Well, much to our delight, Salman is now ready to shine on the big screen once again in a comic entertainer which will be helmed by Anees Bazmee. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Salman Khan (@beingsalmankhan) In a report shared by Pinkvilla, a source was quoted saying, After acting in comedies like Andaz Apna Apna, Biwi No. 1, Judwaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, No Entry, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Partner and Ready, Salman has been keen to do another comedy for a while now. He was on a look out for the right script and it seems to have finally come his way as he has been in advanced conversation with Anees Bazmee and other stakeholders over the last month for this comic entertainer. The report further reveals that this project will be backed by Salman Khan Films with Zee Studios and Murad Khetani. For the uninitiated, Murad and Salman were in talks for the Hindi remake of Thalapathy Vijays Master. However, things did not work out. Murad then offered him a Korean remake, but once again Salman declined the offer. With this comedy, the two have finally arrived on the same page. Paperwork is still underway, but the film is expected to go on floors towards the end of next year. Currently, the superstar is busy with Tiger 3 and also has Bhaijaan and Ravindra Kaushik biopic in the pipeline. Shang Chi star Simu Liu slams Disney CEO for calling his Marvel film "an interesting experiment" Actor Simu Liu, who headlines "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", has hit out at Disney CEO Bob Chapek for terming the upcoming Marvel superhero film an "experiment" for the studio. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chapek made the comment during an earnings call on Thursday while discussing the company's future plans for theatrical releases, calling Shang-Chi "an interesting experiment for us" as the film only has a 45-day theatrical window. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, "Shang-Chi" will be released theatrically on September 3. Also starring Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng, Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh, the film will arrive on the company's streamer Disney Plus 45 days after its release in cinema halls. Liu, who plays the titular martial arts superhero Shang-Chi, dismissed Chapek's remarks on Twitter Saturday saying the film is "not an experiment" but a "celebration of culture and joy" in these testing times. "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise," the Chinese-Canadian actor said. "I'm fired the f*** up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US," Liu, 32, added in his tweet. We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. Im fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US. pic.twitter.com/IcyFzh0KIb Simu Liu () (@SimuLiu) August 14, 2021 "Shang-Chi" marks Disney's second live-action tentpole featuring Asian leads released amid the pandemic. The first was "Mulan", which was released on September 4, 2020 and was made available on Disney Plus Premier Access the same day. An unknown hacker returned $600 million worth of cryptocurrency which he stole from Poly Network Exchange, a company that claims to be building the next generation internet infrastructure, when they posted a letter on Twitter urging him to do so. In a fatherly way, Poly Network reminded the hacker that the money they stole is large enough to attract major consequences from law enforcement. They firmly stated their disappointment with the hacker by saying it is fairly unwise for you to do any further transactions. Additionally, the firm echoed the statement think of the children by reminding the hacker that the money belongs to thousands of community members, which I am guessing have families and mouths to feed as well. Surprisingly, the pleading and veiled scolding worked, giving Poly Network their money back and all of us a lesson in parenting, if your child stole hundreds of millions of dollars online that is. Poly Network Hack: Hacker Returns Crypto Millions Worth Millions Soon after the cyber attack, the hacker themselves alerted the Poly Network by posting notes on the public blockchain and asking for different ways to launder their stolen crypto. Following which the Poly Network alerted its user base of the illicit transaction. After that, the firm posted the now-famous Dear Hacker letter on Twitter and soon got their money back. The anonymous hacker said in an online Q&A that they arent interested in money and only stole the money for fun and also to bring to light the vulnerability in the Poly Networks system. In exchange for, I guess we can call it a good job, the Poly Network promised the hacker a sum of $500,000 and immunity. To this, an FBI official said, "private companies have no authority to promise immunity from criminal prosecution. As of now, most of the stolen money is back with the Poly Network and they are continuously working with the hacker to get the rest of their crypto back. The hacker still has $33.4 worth of Tether, a stable cryptocurrency, with them. The main reason for attacking the Poly Network was to protect it, said the hacker in an online Q&A. When he spotted the vulnerability he couldve politely asked the network to fix it but given the $1 billion at stake, anyone could become a traitor, the hacker further said. So they took it upon themselves to solve the issue, read the Q&A. 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. Clovis Mayor and Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority Chairman Mike Morris addresses the crowd during Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony for the Finished Water 3A Phase of the authority's Interim Groundwater Pipeline system. PORTALES - Thursday's groundbreaking of the latest Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System phase had the elements of any other groundbreaking, with the speeches, the shovels and the hardhats that serve only as decoration. But the palpable feeling in Portales, the next stop on the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority, was that the event was more of a family reunion. The latest phase in the Interim Groundwater Project, Finished Water 3A, will begin the roughly 16-mile trek from Portales' water system to the ENMRWS connection point at Cannon Air Force Base. The crowds between the Memorial Building in Portales, and the groundbreaking site roughly six miles away, featured current and former members of the water authority and its predecessor, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority that was technically a joint powers agreement. Authority Chair and Clovis Mayor Mike Morris said he felt like the new guy on the team while addressing a crowd that included former project manager and state engineer Scott Verhines. "We're all here celebrating the groundbreaking for Finished Water 3, which is itself worth celebrating," Morris said. "We're seeing people getting things done together that no one person could accomplish." Vice Chair and Portales Mayor Ron Jackson spoke about how quickly things have moved over the last few years after decades of work. "As you see that blue pipeline, it gets a little more real," Jackson said. "We know it's still a few years away, but the water will be in the pipeline soon. We'll need it sooner rather than later." The celebration then hit the road to N.M. 467, with the groundbreaking ceremony at a turnoff just south of Mile Marker 5. Throughout the drive to the site and the miles beyond, that blue 20-inch pipeline rested in fields waiting for its upcoming burial and connection. The pipeline will cross the highway near its curve in front of what's commonly known as the Portales gate of the base and then turn near Curry Road R on its way to the connection point. The authority has the money set aside to fund both phases of the project, the $19.4 million 3A phase and the 3B phase that is still awaiting design and easement acquisition. The authority, which is working with contractor SmithCo Construction, anticipates 3A to be complete sometime in June. There was more optimism down the proverbial pipeline, as Diane Ventura of Sen. Martin Heinrich's office announced the recent infrastructure bill that passed the Senate includes the entire federal portion for the ENMRWS, which would eventually connect the interim groundwater system to the Ute Reservoir in Quay County. Plenty of fingers were crossed, however, as the measure still requires House approval and a presidential signature. Also, the funding Ventura referenced was for five rural water projects across the country, of which the ENMRWS is the youngest and lowest on the priority line. Authority Executive Director Orlando Ortega said the news out of the Senate was a positive development, but countered, "We're focused on what's happening today." Morris also noted that with the federal's 75% portion paid, there would still be the 15% state share and 10% authority share. "The state's a little farther ahead at this point," Morris said. "I can't speak for the other communities in the authority, but Clovis is prepared to put forward its portion." A critically acclaimed movie shot in Cork has been picked up for free streaming on Amazon Prime in Ireland. Beyond the Woods is award-winning director Sean Breathnachs feature film debut and was shot on location in Cullen and Crosshaven. The film stars Irene Kelleher (Game of Thrones), Sean McGillicuddy (Game of Thrones), Ross Mac Mahon (Penny Dreadful) and Claire Loy (Casualty). The supernatural horror is set in an isolated house in a forest and follows the ordeal of seven friends who have decided to meet up after not seeing each other for a long time. Since the film's release in 2018, Beyond The Woods has gained critical success amongst horror fans and was also nominated in the best thriller category at the National Film Awards UK in London. The film was also highly praised by Empire Magazine. Sean said he is delighted about the film's release on Amazon Prime here in Ireland. "Beyond the Woods has been available on streaming platforms and on DVD and VHS since 2018, but this is the first time it's been released here in Ireland for free streaming," he said. " It's always special to have your film widely available in your home country. People are always asking me where they can watch it. "I had been trying to come up with a good concept for a low-budget horror film for a while. I'd written a few, but none of them hit the spot. Then one evening I ended up watching the sci-fi film Coherence. I was very impressed with what they achieved with minimal locations and a small cast and crew. I was mulling over the film the next day when I came across a story about a fiery sinkhole opening in China. "That was the lightbulb moment - marrying those two ideas - bringing together drama and horror, and making the sinkhole a gate to the underworld." The film initially showed at film festivals all over the world, before it was picked up for distribution by UK-based Left Films. Sean added: "It's a real thrill to see my film on the shelves in outlets such as HMV or Tower Records. I used to look into branches of the stores both here abroad - in places like Exeter, London, Cardiff and Aberdeen - and there it was. It's also a thrill to see it up on Amazon in Japan and Germany, and to hear it dubbed in Russian. "It's wonderful to see how far the film has travelled, and how well it has been received." About 30,000 children aged 12 to 15 received Covid-19 vaccines in the first two days of the rollout to that age group in Ireland. Health Service Executive chief executive Paul Reid said 90,000 children in the cohort had been registered for a vaccine appointment by Sunday. Some vaccine centres began to give jabs to 12 to 15-year-olds on Friday but the main rollout began in earnest on Saturday. The children, who need the consent of a parent or guardian to get vaccinated, are receiving Pfizer or Moderna jabs. There are about 280,000 children in that age group in Ireland. Mr Reid said he was not concerned at the uptake level so far and expected there to be continuous registrations over the coming two weeks, ahead of the new school term. He also confirmed that children who are fully vaccinated would not have to isolate if they were identified as a close contact of a positive case within the school environment, as long as they were not displaying symptoms. Mr Reid said those children who had not been vaccinated would still have to isolate. We now have almost 90,000 12 to 15-year-olds who are registered on the portal or may have just received it directly from a GP, he told RTE Radio One on Sunday. Theres 30,000 in total vaccines administered to 12 to 15-year-olds since we commenced on Friday in some locations, but primarily yesterday. Mr Reid said 81% of the adult population in Ireland was now fully vaccinated and 90% partially vaccinated. Vaccinations at City Hall Cork City on Saturday 14th Auguest 2021. 15-year-old Donal O'Sullivan from Ballinspittle was delighted to receive his first jab on Saturday. He said the isolation policy for schools was aligned with public health advice for the population as a whole. You are more exposed if you are not fully vaccinated and you are highly more protected if you are vaccinated, so its really aligned with the public health advice that weve put in place throughout, he said. He also expressed concern at rising Covid-19 case numbers in Ireland. The 2,074 confirmed cases reported on Saturday was the first time since January that the daily total had exceeded 2,000. Mr Reid said hospital numbers had increased six-fold in six weeks. There were 248 patients in hospital on Sunday and 48 in ICU. Another 1,758 confirmed cases were reported on Sunday. Mr Reid said the figures had to be viewed in context and stressed that the vaccination programme was having a significant impact. Vaccinations are working, they are reducing hospitalisations, they are reducing illness, ICU and mortality, he said. If you think back to January, we had 2,020 people in hospital and 212 people in ICU. We do have a concern with the rising numbers, rising everyday case numbers. Vaccinations at City Hall Cork City on Saturday 14th Auguest 2021. 13-year-old Ivy Boland getting her first dose vaccination at Cork City Hall, from medic (retired Dr) Sheila O'Sullivan. Were now at over 2,000 and equally just seeing some rise in case numbers across all ages and across the whole country. Mr Reid was also asked about inconsistencies around partner access at different maternity hospitals in Ireland. He said he had asked senior officials, including chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, to meet patient advisory groups and advocates next week in an attempt to address some of the issues. We do want to find a shared pathway out of this, he said. Earlier, Mr Reid said Irelands vaccine programme would become increasingly reliant on the mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna and would be moving away from the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson also known as the Janssen vaccine jabs. He told Newstalk: Thats the likely trajectory, the likely trajectory at EU level. At the EU level, the steering board has recommended each country make a decision to suspend the further delivery of Johnson & Johnson or indeed AstraZeneca. And thats the approach that we will likely be taking. Mr Reid highlighted that the recent vaccine supply deal with Romania would see 700,000 mRNA vaccines delivered to Ireland in the coming weeks. Your support helps Excelsio to keep delivering open content. A small contribution is so valuable for us. In the darkness, it took a moment for my eyes to register what was moving along the ground several yards away. It was after 10 p.m. in late June, and, to escape the summer heat, I was taking my dog on a nighttime walk along the River Walk south of downtown. As we approached the bridge at Arsenal, I saw it: a black-and-tan-patterned snake, 5 or 6 feet long, slithering toward us along the abutment. It wasnt just the snakes size that stopped me in my tracks. It was also the third I had spotted along the river in less than two weeks, including one I nearly stepped on during a late-night run past the South Alamo Street dam. In the weeks that followed, I would encounter six more, from Western rat snakes longer than I am tall to shoestring-sized blind snakes. This spring, San Antonio recorded nearly 13 inches of rain, 3.64 more than is typical. Consistent thunderstorms continued throughout an unusually cool summer, drenching the area in an additional half-foot of rain. Frogs and toads, which thrive in wet conditions, become more active after precipitation as do the snakes that hunt them. Now Playing: A nature preserve courses through San Antonio Video: Lauren Caruba / Staff On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios 4-day rain total nearly equals 4-month norm If the prey items are out moving, they know that its the time to go out and eat. Theyre opportunistic hunters, said Brian Eisele, herpetology manager at the San Antonio Zoo. Theyll know when its time to get out and move. Theyre in tune with the weather more than we are. More importantly, seeing so many snakes is a sign that an ecosystem is working as intended. And thats just what the San Antonio River is an environment thats home to fish, turtles, ducks and geese, herons, egrets, lizards and snakes, nearly all of which are nonvenomous. They are a reminder that there is a slice of wilderness running through the heart of San Antonio, giving residents a unique opportunity to experience nature just a few steps from neighborhoods and the city center. People will see them and then freak out, said Shaun Donovan, a biologist who oversees the environmental sciences department at the San Antonio River Authority. We just tell them: The beauty of a place like the Mission Reach, where youre on the river, is the opportunity to observe wildlife in their own setting. As long as youre not antagonizing them, theyre not going to come after you. Such sightings became much more possible for residents after the River Walk underwent extensive renovations throughout the early 2000s. And when it became clear that the outdoors greatly reduced coronavirus transmission, it became a place where people could escape the endless monotony of their homes. That night in June, I gave the snake which I would later learn was a rat snake a wide berth as I guided my dog toward the edge of the water. As I filmed the snake on my phone, I was soon more mesmerized than fearful. There was something graceful about its movements and exciting about being so close to the biggest snake I had ever seen outside of a zoo. I watched until it vanished into the night. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer A river transformed The River Walk of Chris Belchers youth was radically different from what it is today. When he was a high schooler in the early 1980s, the River Walk meant the commercial downtown area and little else. As the river extended north and south from the city center, large swaths of it became inaccessible to pedestrians. Near the missions, the river was flanked by grassy banks. In 2019, after a 26-year career in the Army, Belcher moved back to his hometown. He started a photography business, thinking it would serve as his second career. Then the pandemic hit. He was stuck at home, unable to shoot portraits and beset with boredom. A nature enthusiast, he decided to set out on a tour of the 240-plus parks and hundreds of miles of trails throughout San Antonio. Robin Jerstad /Contributor He was delighted to learn that, in the years he was gone, the River Walk had undergone a striking transformation. The water, which Belcher remembered being clogged with trash and debris, was much cleaner. On ExpressNews.com: Mixed-use development would transform a section of San Antonios River Walk North of downtown, the Museum Reach abounded with new walkways that linked Brackenridge Park to the Pearl, which had not existed before Belcher left San Antonio. To the south, a new sidewalk extended over the water, linking the King William stretches of the river to Blue Star Arts Complex and beyond. There were now 15 miles of contiguous sidewalks and trails along the river, making it possible to walk from Brackenridge to Mission Espada. No longer was the River Walk simply a tourist trap it was now a popular destination for people to bike, run, kayak, fish, bird-watch and walk their dogs at all times of the day and night. Like the Pearl, it had become an integral part of the city in a short amount of time. Robin Jerstad /Contributor To document his exploits, Belcher started Explorist Media, a website focused on the citys parks that also fulfilled requirements toward a multimedia journalism masters degree. He visits trails or parks nearly every day and fishes at the Mission Reach several times a week. On one outing in spring 2020, he witnessed something rare three diamondback water snakes in the same pool he was fishing from. At one point, one swam underneath his line. Snakes scare Belcher, but he knew how to spot poisonous ones such as water moccasins. These were harmless. A lot of people forget that we have an ecosystem, even inside the city, said Belcher, 54. Those water snakes are a part of that ecosystem. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer Escaping into nature The Mission Reach alone now attracts more than a half-million visitors each year, according to the river authoritys trail counts. While visits plummeted this past winter, when San Antonio was also gripped by a severe wave of coronavirus infections, they rebounded in the spring. In March, nearly 60,000 people visited the area. Among them were Sylvia Dimas, 56, and Virginia Gonzales, 58, two longtime Southtown residents who began walking together along the river three to four days a week after the start of the pandemic. Even during periods of high transmission, it felt safe and comforting. Dimas liked how they would see something different each time. We wanted to do something; we need to be outdoors, get out, she said. At least we have a venue where we can be outside and still have that relief. But the river improvements project was more than a beautification and recreational effort it has also revitalized the environment. Robin Jerstad /Contributor Over the past two decades, the river authority has restored plants, grasses, trees and water features that were removed when the river was channelized for flood control. Since the habitat restorations were completed, a wide range of birds have made the area their permanent or temporary home, according to an avian study the agency launched in 2015. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio River Authority celebrates the 5th anniversary of the Mission Reach The authority has also worked to remove invasive species and reintroduce native ones, including the Guadalupe bass, the state fish of Texas. Robin Jerstad /Contributor In mid-July, Robert Turner, a graduate environmental science student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, started riding his bike along the Mission Reach trails, surveying anglers for hours at a time. Turners efforts are his thesis, but theyre also part of a joint study by UTSA, the river authority and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on how the areas swelling fishery is affecting the local economy. In some cases, Turner said, fishermen are coming to the San Antonio River specifically to fish for Guadalupe bass. Robin Jerstad /Contributor On his first day of surveys, none of the people he talked to was harvesting they simply loved being on the river. Turner, who had the same impression of the River Walk as Belchers younger self, is having a blast exploring the Mission Reach for the first time. One man he encountered fishes at the same spot every day, catching and releasing. Its just a stress reliever for him, Turner said. He really loved that San Antonio put the time, effort and money into restoring that part. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer The soul of San Antonio After my encounter with the rat snake, I was nervous about walking along the river at night. I worried it wasnt safe. It was easy to mistake every fallen stick and branch for one poised to strike. There is no need for such concerns, said Eisele, the San Antonio Zoo snake expert. Along the river, garter, rat, ribbon and diamondback snakes are predominant. Only rarely are there water moccasins, which can closely resemble diamondbacks. The tell is the pupils (round for nonvenomous, cats eye for poisonous) and the tails (thick for cottonmouths, tapering for diamondbacks). At night, Eisele said, just take a flashlight, watch where you step and give any snakes some space. In accordance with his instructions, I began keeping an eye out for snakes and other critters what Eisele called herping, a riff on herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer My camera roll was soon filled with dozens of photos and videos: turtles poking their heads out of the water and basking in the sun, skink lizards moving faster than the blink of an eye, toads that had taken up residence in the drainage pipes built into stone benches. On ExpressNews.com: Youre not supposed to be here At 34, he needed new lungs after COVID wreaked havoc And snake after snake. My favorite (Number 5, as I called it) was another long rat snake that had wrapped itself around a metal railing underneath the Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard bridge. It took several minutes for it to lazily unwind its body and begin traveling north along the edge of the sidewalk. It was fun, but also restorative. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer The river is also a source of solace for Darin Grant. Even when he lived on the Northeast Side, he regularly drove down to the river to walk and clear his head. After his divorce, he moved as close to the river as he could, first to an apartment complex on Ninth Street and then to the condominiums atop the Grand Hyatt in early July. He walks every other day for 3 to 6 miles at a time for his mental and physical health. To me, its therapy. Its where I go to get some exercise and get my mind back and help me deal with the stresses and pressure of life, said Grant, 51. Were lucky to have it. On ExpressNews.com: COVID nearly killed this uninsured nurse. A year later, hes still recovering. What Grant was feeling, Belcher said, was biophilia the idea that humans have an innate affinity for nature and other living things and that it has a healing effect. My most recent snake sighting (Number 9) was at a quarter past 9 on Wednesday night. Just past the South Alamo dam, a shorter, thick-bodied snake was disappearing into the tall grasses along the flood wall. On the other side of the bush, I trained my flashlight and waited for it to emerge. Almost black, it looked menacing, but its pupils reflected round in the light, and it had a tapering tail. Probably a diamondback. In two months time, I had gone from dreading to delighting in seeing the snakes. For his part, Grant has an aversion to snakes and will avoid them at all costs. But nothing can keep him from coming back, again and again. I travel the United States, and there are a lot of downtowns with no soul, Grant said. San Antonios river is its soul. Jessica Phelps /Staff photographer lcaruba@express-news.net A Pentagon edict in late July required anyone entering Defense Department buildings in places with substantial or high coronavirus spread to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. That included Joint Base San Antonio. And it put the three Texas school districts located on military installations here in an even more uncomfortable position than other school systems, public and private, now being fought over by state and local officials. The dilemma for most school districts ordered by the Metropolitan Health District to mask up and by Gov. Greg Abbott not to require masks is playing out in the courts. But that wont change anything for Randolph Field, Fort Sam Houston and Lackland independent school districts, which must follow the Pentagon directive. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office is trying to quash a local judges order, welcomed by some school leaders, that led to the health authoritys directive. The state also is trying to stamp out various other rebellions against Abbotts ban on mask mandates that have broken out in major cities and school districts. Superintendents of the military school districts whipsawed by contradictory authorities and conflicting parental preferences like other school leaders asked Brig. Gen. Caroline Miller, the JBSA commander, for guidance last week. Miller had already implemented the mask requirement and raised the commands health protection condition to Bravo-plus. After a review, she told the military school districts to stick to the base rules. There is no meaningful exception for me to grant at this time, Miller said, according to JBSA officials. The health, safety and welfare of our military families remain our top priority. Schools at Fort Sam, Lackland and Randolph Field ISDs small but highly regarded districts, consistently ranking high on the Texas school accountability system will soon be open and masked. They are under the authority of the Texas Education Agency, so theyll be violating Abbotts order if his order is upheld by the courts. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / On Friday, Paxtons office was unable to convince the 4th Court of Appeals to invalidate the temporary restraining order that allowed Metro Health to impose mask mandates on all local K-12 schools. The city of San Antonio and Bexar County seek a more permanent ruling Monday in a lawsuit against Abbott. The lawsuit also challenged parts of the latest TEA guidance that told schools they dont have to inform parents of positive coronavirus cases or conduct contact tracing. The TEA said parents can still send their children to school even if they are a close contact of a student found to be infected. Public health experts want contact tracing and quarantining for the same reason they want mask mandates in schools because classrooms can either worsen or help control the pandemic, whose delta variant is swamping Texas hospitals and sickening children at the highest rates since it started. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / We are torn between beliefs and whats best for our stakeholders, said Rolando Ramirez, Southside ISDs superintendent. You have this belief that there has to be order and we have to follow whatever directives are given to us. But we dont agree with (the states) orders. We feel like its compromising the safety of our students and our staff. Classes start Monday at Southside. Like most school districts in Bexar County, it implemented a mandatory mask policy, made possible by the local lawsuit. Some districts, including Northside ISD, the areas largest, are waiting to see if Metro Healths order survives in court. On ExpressNews.com: Citing early spike in cases, North East ISD warns COVID spread could close schools Southside ISD trustees Thursday authorized Ramirez to write to Abbott asking for local control of pandemic-related safety measures. Ramirez said it was a respectful way to voice their growing concern to the state, but he knows the day-to-day decisions will continue to be defined by outside forces. You figured that after a year of this, we would have already become accustomed and (these issues) wouldnt be much of a problem, but it feels like we are experiencing it for the first time, he said. On Wednesday, East Central ISD hosted a virtual town hall meeting to explain to parents the quickly changing start-of-the-year policies. Superintendent Roland Toscano told the nearly 300 viewers that masks will be required for now to comply with the local mandate. In the comment section, where parents were encouraged to send questions, some were quick to respond with Unmask our children! pleas, while others asked why they couldnt keep their children learning remotely. I wish we werent right in the middle of all this. But these are the circumstances that we find ourselves in, Toscano told them. We just ask for grace. We ask for patience and for us to all work together. Where we land on this personally, politically, may be different than how we have to operationalize it. This school year, the state is no longer funding virtual learning. Districts can receive funding only for up to 20 days to keep students remote if they test positive or are exposed to COVID-19 and for students who have a temporary health condition. For smaller districts, or those without a hefty budget reserve, funding virtual learners out of pocket wont be feasible at any significant scale or for the long term. Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox At Southside, officials weighed the option of having half of their students about 2,800 go virtual for 30 days to monitor the spread of the virus, Ramirez said. But that would cost the district about $15 million in lost state funding. The governor has repeatedly called on Texans to exercise personal responsibility in fighting the pandemic. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said Abbott is increasingly focused on Republican primary voters as he prepares for a 2022 re-election battle against other GOP candidates. How this plays out for Abbott very much remains to be seen, because the Republican primary electorate is convinced at this point that mandates are unnecessary, Jillson said. But the delta variant may well win out by driving up infections and hospitalizations to levels we have not seen in the better part of a year. The military school districts will be at odds with Abbott regardless of the outcome of the legal battles. A July 31 letter the Randolph district sent to parents put the problem simply: As of today, state, federal and JBSA guidance do not align. Im between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes, said Burnie Roper, a retired Army colonel with 35 years in the service, now in his 13th year as superintendent at Lackland ISD, which enrolled 890 students last spring. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / By weeks end, Lackland and Fort Sam ISDs were telling parents they will require masks when classes start Monday. So will Randolph Field ISD, according to the joint base, though it had not posted that decision on its website as of Friday. Randolph Fields first day of school is Aug. 25. The districts receive state funding as well as federal impact aid for school systems that have no property tax base. They are not part of the Department of Defense Education Activity, which oversees 160 schools in seven states, two U.S. territories and 11 foreign countries. Fort Sam ISDs superintendent, Gary Bates, a retired Naval Reserve petty officer first class whose district has 1,530 students, said military school district leaders met with Miller, the JBSA commander, to make sure collectively were on the same page. Data has shown that by wearing masks it has slowed down the transmission of COVID, so thats why were doing this here at Fort Sam, he said. Its not about politics 101. sigc@express-news.net The Texas Department of Transportation is set to pay nearly $25 million for the construction of a nearly 2-mile concrete barrier along the border in Eagle Pass, giving the first glimpse into the potential cost of a state-funded border wall pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Under the project, the state also has contracted for a temporary fence near the right of way along State Loop 480, which the Department of Public Safety has designated a high-traffic area for illegal immigration. The region has seen an increase in illegal border crossings in recent years. The fence, construction of which Abbott has touted online, cost the state $280,000. The contract also paid for clearing of vegetation around the area where the barrier will be built. The remainder of the $25 million estimate will go into a concrete barrier along the same right of way that will be able to remain permanently or be relocated if needed, said Ryan LaFontaine, a spokesperson for the transportation department. The work is scheduled to be completed in December. The money for the wall is being taken from the transportation departments maintenance division budget. LaFontaine said the department anticipates reimbursement but had no information on where that reimbursement would come from. Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, said the construction is part of three initiatives done in conjunction with Operation Lone Star, the governors effort to secure the border. Those three include: building a border wall, utilizing strategic barriers and erecting temporary fencing. The transportation departments contract, she said, is part of the effort to build strategic barriers. A $25 million contract was awarded to a company to build a barrier at the border on state land that the Texas Department of Public Safety identified as a high traffic area for illegal immigration, she said. DPS has also been working with Texas Military Department engineers to identify locations for temporary fencing as a deterrent to illegal immigrants entering Texas. Its clear from the Governors announcement that these are all separate and unique projects as part of his overall border security plan to protect Texans and our state, she said. Abbott announced his plans for a state-funded border wall in June after declaring a state of disaster at the border because of an increase in illegal immigration. That month, Abbott said he would transfer $250 million from the Texas Department of Criminal Justices 2023 budget to the Texas Facilities Commission to be used as a down payment for the border wall. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also said it expects to be reimbursed. Abbott acknowledged that the wall, which he believes could extend for hundreds of miles, could cost more than $250 million but said the state would pay for it. He also launched a state fundraising campaign, which has raised about $936,000 in private donations over the last two months. At the cost that TxDOT is incurring to build the Eagle Pass concrete barrier, $250 million would build about 20 miles of wall. Texas has about 1,000 miles along its border with Mexico where no barrier has been built. Abbott has moved quickly to erect what hes called a border barrier. By July 20, the state already had stood up a temporary fence in Eagle Pass that would make it easy for state law enforcement to arrest migrants who crossed it on charges of criminal trespassing another part of his effort to slow down migrant crossings. That speedy construction was made possible by the transportation departments emergency contract process, which expedites the awarding of the contract and reduces the number of bids the state must consider before issuing the contract. The rest of the border wall likely will take longer to build. Abbott ordered the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager to oversee the procurement of contracts. Hiring for that position is following the states purchasing requirements, and the application closes on Aug. 20. More than one program manager may be hired. After that, the program manager will determine how many miles of wall will be built and what the cost should be. The contracting and construction process would then take months, at least, if it follows the states regular purchasing requirements. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org. On July 28, Gov. Greg Abbott, via executive order, instructed state troopers to stop any vehicle suspected of transporting migrants who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19 and to send them back or impound the vehicle. In a press release, Abbott stated, The dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings has also led to a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases among unlawful migrants who have made their way into our state, and we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities. Abbott continued, This Executive Order will reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure in our communities. However, the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides the right of the people to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. Katz v. United States instructs that the Fourth Amendment protects people, not places. This protection is tied to the voluntariness of ones presence, not ones legal status. The only conceivable outcome from this directive which a federal judge has temporarily halted is the rampant profiling of persons of color in Texas. Law enforcement officers are generally permitted to make traffic stops when there is probable cause or reasonable suspicion. For example, a police officer can witness a car driving erratically, swerving from lane to lane at 3 a.m. in a bar district. The officer can assert, based on years of experience, it was likely this person was driving under the influence of alcohol. But, pragmatically speaking, how does one articulate there is a reasonable suspicion that an individual is at risk for carrying COVID-19? Notwithstanding the illegality and patently discriminatory motives behind this executive order, Abbott woefully misattributes the Texas COVID-19 increase to migrants. In March, Abbott declared it was time to reopen Texas 100% when he lifted the mask mandate. This executive action has correlated with an increase in COVID-19 cases. Abbott has also signed legislation that makes it illegal for businesses to require vaccinations and has also banned government entities from requiring masks. With school beginning, Texas kids younger than 12 will be unvaccinated while Abbott has also banned schools from requiring masks in the classroom. Districts across the state are challenging this ban on mask mandates. The delta variant poses a severe risk to unvaccinated individuals nearly half of all Texans. Texas is also the most uninsured state in the nation, and Abbott has refused to expand Medicaid. While Abbott has committed to not imposing another mask mandate, he has readily committed to shutting down shelters for migrant kids, building a border wall and jailing migrants in state facilities on state charges. The rhetorical link between immigrants and disease isnt novel, but its nonetheless insidious. Theres also no evidence to support these claims. Texans appalled and embarrassed by Abbotts deference to COVID-19 and unabashed display of xenophobia against migrants should get vaccinated, mask up and dedicate themselves to electing a new leader in 2022. One who cares about Texans health and safety. Alyssa N. Shallenberger is a graduate of South Texas College of Law Houston and is a doctoral merit fellow and Ph.D. student at the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Texas State University. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is asking the Biden administration to provide direct assistance to cities in need of medical staff during this latest wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations She pointed out that the federal government has already helped Mississippi, Louisiana and Arizona with staffing needs. I have visited with a number of hospitals in our community and spoken to school district leaders as well, Jackson Lee said in a letter sent Thursday. There is a desperate need for a real commonsense response to the lack of hospital beds and the lack of nurses. Abbott on Wednesday said the state would deploy 2,500 out-of-state medical staff to help strained Texas hospitals handle thousands of COVID-19 patients. With a nationwide shortage of nurses, however, it remains unclear how soon Texas will be able to meet that goal. The Houston Democrat also asked Secretary of Education Michael Cardona to issue a federal mask mandate for schools. Cardona on Friday wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott warning that his prohibition of masks in schools may violate districts authority to provide safe learning conditions from students. Several cities, counties and school districts have issued mask mandates in defiance of Abbott, which have been upheld so far in Texas courts. The state Supreme Court, however, has the ultimate say; the body is expected to issue a decision within the coming days. The Houston region, meanwhile, on Saturday reached more than 3,600 COVID-19 hospitalizations, more than the peak of the January surge. The hunt for missing Democratic Texas House members escalated late Thursday and Friday, as the sergeant-at-arms and law enforcement visited some of the absentees homes with the aim of bringing them to the Capitol. Earlier this week, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan issued civil arrest warrants for 52 Democrats who have refused to report to the House for a month now, depriving the Republican majority of the 100-member quorum needed to vote on legislation during two special sessions. The warrants allow law enforcement to order, and even escort, members back to the chamber. But given that they are not guilty of a crime, members are not at risk of going to jail. The first step in the search came Wednesday, when the sergeant-at-arms stopped by the Democrats Capitol offices and left copies of the warrants with their staffs. On Thursday and Friday, law enforcement visited the homes of at least a few Austin Democrats, with the aim of bringing them back to the chamber, but found none of them. HIGH COURT GO-AHEAD: Texas Supreme Court clears way for civil arrest of AWOL Democrats It remains to be seen whether the slow-rolling pursuit will force the Democrats hands. The majority of the partys members spent weeks in Washington, D.C., in protest of GOP priority elections legislation that they say amounts to voter suppression. Theyd hoped to sway Congress to pass federal elections legislation that would override such state laws, but that window has closed, at least temporarily, now that both U.S. chambers have recessed for summer. Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, said a neighbor who was watching her home Thursday let her know that law enforcement had come by in the late afternoon. She said they left a copy of the arrest warrant signed by Phelan, which shed already received by email. Im taking it one day at a time, but I will say that the Republicans actions dont encourage me to come back to the House floor, Goodwin said. Ive said it a number of times, but what I think we need to be addressing is the spike in COVID, the delta variant and making sure our schoolchildren are safe. Goodwin added that Republicans have proposed a bill that would cement in law an executive order by Abbott that prevents schools from requiring face masks. The order is being challenged in court; on Friday, a judge in Travis County granted a temporary stay upholding a Harris County health order requiring masks at schools and day care centers. I just feel like if we do go back to the House floor, were going to have to fight over that, and we dont have the numbers to keep that from happening, so no, Im not planning to go back to the House floor, Goodwin said. Its definitely about voting rights and elections, but there are other things mixed in. Meanwhile, Texas Republicans have grown restless waiting for the missing members to return. TEXAS HOUSE MEMBERS WITH CIVIL ARREST WARRANTS OUT Rep. Alma Allen of Houston Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton Rep. Diego Bernal of San Antonio Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland Rep. John Bucy III of Austin Rep. Liz Campos of San Antonio Rep. Sheryl Cole of Austin Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth Rep. Philip Cortez of San Antonio Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas Rep. Yvonne Davis of Dallas Rep. Joe Deshotel of Beaumont Rep. Alex Dominguez of Brownsville Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins of San Antonio Rep. Jessica Gonzalez of Dallas Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin Rep. Ana Hernandez of Houston Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin Rep. Donna Howard of Austin Rep. Celia Israel of Austin Rep. Ann Johnson of Houston Rep. Jarvis Johnson of Houston Rep. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch Rep. Ray Lopez of San Antonio Rep. Mando Martinez of Weslaco Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio Rep. Terry Meza of Irving Rep. Ina Minjarez of San Antonio Rep. Christina Morales of Houston Rep. Penny Morales Shaw of Houston Rep Sergio Munoz, Jr., of Palmview Rep. Victoria Neave of Dallas Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez of El Paso Rep. Lina Ortega of El Paso Rep. Leo Pacheco of San Antonio Rep. Richard Pena Raymond of Laredo Rep. Mary Ann Perez of Houston Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson Rep. Ron Reynolds of Missouri City Rep. Eddie Rodriguez of Austin Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., of Fort Worth Rep. Toni Rose of Dallas Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston Rep. Carl Sherman Sr., of DeSoto Rep. Shawn Thierry of Houston Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Houston Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie Rep. Hubert Vo of Houston Rep. Armando Walle of Houston Rep. Gene Wu of Houston Rep. Erin Zwiener of Driftwood See More Collapse A little bit frustrated that the biggest item on an agenda in this body today is a prayer, said Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, as she led the invocation as the House was gaveled in Friday. Thats some wrong thinking. A conservative, self-described constitutionalist group called Texas Freedom Force on Twitter offered crowdfunded rewards $200 worth of barbecue and Shiner Bock beer for any law enforcement officer and their department who arrests a Democratic House member. The group encouraged members to videotape or photograph the arrest and email it to them. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Despite the groups reference to other law enforcement agencies, a Phelan spokesman said he is aware of only the Department of Public Safety having a role in serving the civil arrest warrants at this time. Not quite hiding out House Democratic Caucus Chair Chris Turner, of Grand Prairie, did not appear to be shaken by the threat of arrests of members. Republicans decision to seek our arrest does not deter our continued and fierce opposition to their attacks on the freedom to vote, Turner said, though he declined to give details on the Democrats plans. Caucus officials declined to comment on how many members remain in Washington. Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, was still there Friday and said the partys House coalition remains united, despite some internal divisions earlier in the week over three Democrats who had reappeared on the House floor. Certainly the best-case scenario for us would be we stand solid and together and make any decisions that way, Hinojosa said. Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, returned to Texas last week but has not disclosed his location. He said Friday that he was unaware of any widespread effort to physically collect folks and was for the most part going about his life. Im certainly not running around wearing Jon Rosenthal campaign gear or anything like that, he said. But I feel comfortable being outside and doing the things that normal humans do. An engineer by training, Rosenthal said he was still having meetings with constituents by phone or Zoom, as he has throughout much of the pandemic. I wouldnt engage in anything like this if it wasnt such an important, fundamental core issue, he said. Also Friday, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, urged the Justice Department in a letter to intervene in Texas and determine that Abbott and Republican lawmakers were engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and violating Democratic members constitutional rights by using the threat of a civil arrest to compel attendance. The process for restoring a quorum is outlined in rules of the House that were unanimously adopted by members, including the Democrats, in the spring. Johnson said hed spoken with Black lawmakers Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, Joe Deshotel of Beaumont and Ron Reynolds of Missouri City and all of them supported Justice Department intervention. The adding of this bounty enhances our concern and further clarifies why federal intervention is needed, wrote Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP. taylor.goldenstein@chron.com jeremy.blackman@chron.com The Serbian government will discuss the potential acquisition of eight Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft for Air Serbia at the Serbian - Russian economic forum in October, which will be attended by over a hundred Russian companies. The Serbian Minister without a portfolio in charge for innovations and technology, Nenad Popovic, said numerous agreements will be signed at the event. In June, a delegation from Serbia attended the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, where negotiations resumed over the acquisition of the Superjet 100 aircraft, as well as the Irkut MS-21 jet. Air Serbia has shown little interest in the aircraft, which is why talks have been elevated to an inter-governmental level. The Serbian government will discuss the potential acquisition of eight Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft for Air Serbia at the Serbian - Russian economic forum in October, which will be attended by over a hundred Russian companies. The Serbian Minister without a portfolio in charge for innovations and technology, Nenad Popovic, said numerous agreements will be signed at the event. In June, a delegation from Serbia attended the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, where negotiations resumed over the acquisition of the Superjet 100 aircraft, as well as the Irkut MS-21 jet. Air Serbia has shown little interest in the aircraft, which is why talks have been elevated to an inter-governmental level. Sukhoi first approached and pitched the SSJ100 to the Serbian carrier in late 2015. In 2017, the plane manufacturer reiterated it was negotiating with Air Serbia over a potential aircraft order. In December 2019, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said his countrys aviation sector was prepared to assist in the renewal of Air Serbias fleet. However, meetings stalled afterwards, primarily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Supplying Russian-made aircraft to Serbia is being discussed in various formats. In particular, Sukhoi is working with the Serbian national carrier Air Serbia to upgrade the airline's fleet by purchasing the Superjet 100 aircraft. As for the MC-21, this type may be of interest to Air Serbia in the future, Russian officials have said. The Sukhoi Superjet has the capacity to seat between 87 and 108 passengers, depending on cabin layout and seat configuration. The Russian manufacturer is planning a new generation of the regional jet with extended capacity, new wings and new engines, which is expected to appear after 2025. Air Serbia itself has not commented on the Russian governments comments over its interest in acquiring the aircraft. The Serbian carrier added two Airbus A319 jets to its fleet last year but returned one A320 and one ATR72 to the lessor. It also shelved plans to lease additional ATR72s last year with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and retired three Boeing 737s from its fleet. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Rural America lost more population in the latest census, highlighting an already severe worker shortage in the nation's farming and ranching regions and drawing calls from those industries for immigration reform to help ease the problem. The census data released last week showed that population gains in many rural areas were driven by increases in Hispanic and Latino residents, many of whom come as immigrants to work on farms or in meatpacking plants or to start their own businesses. Weve struggled on this issue for a long time to try to come up with a more reasonable, common-sense approach, said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, which is part of a group lobbying Congress for new immigration laws. Vilifying immigrants "just makes it harder to get there. The population trend is clear in Nebraska, where only 24 of the state's 93 counties gained residents. Of those 24, just eight reported an increase in the white population, suggesting that most of the growth was driven by minorities, said David Drozd, a research coordinator for the University of Nebraska Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research. Drozd crunched the census data and found that Nebraska counties with the greatest racial diversity are a who's who of where the meatpacking plants are," even though many plants are in rural areas that are often perceived as mostly white. In the rural areas, if you didn't have the Latino growth, employers would be struggling even more just to fill those positions, Drozd said. In New Mexico, populations declined across 20 rural counties that stretch from the Great Plains at Oklahoma to the U.S. border with Mexico. Desperate for laborers for its annual chile harvest, the state this week pledged up to $5 million in federal pandemic relief to subsidize wages for pickers and workers at chile-processing plants boosting available wages as high as $19.50 an hour. Some Republican state legislators blamed the labor scarcity on supplemental unemployment benefits, which they say create a disincentive to work because they pay more than some low-wage jobs. Democrats see a persistent labor crisis. The New Mexico Chile Association trade group says the industry is short about 1,350 seasonal laborers of the 3,000 workers needed. The problem is just as bad for poultry farmers in North Carolina, where meat processors help power the economies of many rural counties. Half of the state's 100 counties have lost residents since 2010, the census data showed. Bob Ford, executive director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, predicted that labor shortages at poultry plants will only worsen as people continue to leave rural communities and migrant workers gravitate to other industries, such as building and construction. He said higher pay for workers and better health care and housing benefits could help alleviate widespread labor shortages, but broader changes to immigration policy are probably the best solution. The National Pork Producers Council is pushing federal lawmakers to change the H-2A visa program so that migrant workers can remain employed longer. Bladen County, North Carolina, is home to the worlds largest pig slaughterhouse, Smithfield Foods Tar Heel plant. Between 2010 and 2020, the county's population dropped by 15.9%. Bertie County, which is home to a large Perdue Farms poultry processing facility, saw a population decrease of 15.7%. In Kansas, some rural Republicans say Congress needs to find a practical solution. Nancy Weeks, secretary of the Haskell County Republican Party in southwestern Kansas, said if immigrants living in the United States illegally want to move to the area and work, they should be provided a way to gain legal status so that they pay taxes like I do. I dont have a problem with them coming here as long as they get legal, Weeks said. Its the ones that dont get legal that I have a problem with. The challenge is exacerbated in Midwestern states that already have many of the nation's lowest unemployment rates, said Al Juhnke, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association. Juhnke said his group would like to see changes that would allow seasonal immigrant workers to stay in the country longer. These folks buy houses. They bring their families. They go to our churches. They earn money and spend it locally, he said. It's really a win-win-win for these communities. In Iowa, Latino leaders eagerly awaited the census numbers in hopes that they would show population growth that would translate into more political clout for their communities and better conditions in the food production and construction industries. Republican politicians often try to tie reforms at the U.S.-Mexican border to pathways to citizenship for workers already here, said Joe Henry, political director for the League of United Latin American Citizens local council in Des Moines. But Henry said the two issues need to be separated, and agricultural companies understand that they cannot survive without immigrants. They know they need that labor," he said. Rachel Gantz, a spokeswoman for the National Pork Producers Council, said her group will continue to press Congress for changes. Simply put, pork producers are drawing from a rapidly diminishing pool of applicants, she said. Our producers fear and the recent census data suggests that this trend is unlikely to change anytime soon. ___ Pitt reported from in West Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bryan Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Andrew Field in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte Korean War casualty Pfc. Louis Nelson Crosby of Orangeburg has returned home after more than 70 years. His remains arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Saturday, being received by the U.S. Army Honor Guard. A processional to Orangeburg followed. Crosby, 18, was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. On July 27, 2018, North Korea turned over to the U.S. more than 55 boxes that had been purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. Louis Crosbys remains were accounted for on April 21, 2020, with an announcement made in July. A graveside service with full military honors is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, which would have been the soldier's 89th birthday. The service and burial will be at Crestlawn Cemetery next to his parents. Thompson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Earlier story by T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton The remains of a Korean War veteran from Orangeburg will return to his hometown on Saturday. Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. On July 27, 2018, following a summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea turned over 55 boxes that had been purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. Coming home: Korean War vets remains returning to Orangeburg The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Aug. 1, 2018, and were then sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for identification. The agency announced on July 8 that Louis Crosbys remains were accounted for on April 21, 2020. A graveside service with full military honors is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, which would have been the soldier's 89th birthday. The soldier will be buried in Crestlawn Cemetery next to his parents. Thompson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Wall of Remembrance Bill Jackson, manager of Thompson Funeral Home, said Crosby's remains will be picked up at 9:58 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C. They will be met by the N.C. Patriotic Guard Riders at the airport. They will take us to the Interstate 77 rest area, where theyll hand us off to the S.C. Patriot Guard Riders. Theyll be escorting us back to the funeral home. The motorcycle groups are all veterans, and this is what they do and want to do, Jackson said. Jackson said the route back home will begin from Interstate 77 to Interstate 26 before heading off at Exit 145, which leads to U.S. Highway 601 in Orangeburg. They will then hit U.S. Highway 301 and proceed to the funeral home at 1012 Whitman St SE in Orangeburg. EDITORIAL: Finally, soldier from Korea returns home He said Crosby's memorial service will include singing, an airplane flyover and a presentation of his awards and medals. "This is a big thing for the state of South Carolina," Jackson said. Scientists from the DPAA used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to identify Crosby's remains. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA analysis. Orangeburg resident Mac Crosby has said his 92-year-old father, Henry M. Crosby Sr., is especially looking forward to having the remains of his youngest brother arrive home. TheTandD.com: Full access for 3 months for just $1 DNA was taken from the 92-year-old and placed on file to eventually be used to identify his brothers remains. They took his DNA a few years back so they would have that on file. Then when they brought the remains over, they did identify him as one of them, Crosby has said. The soldiers name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Jackson said he is proud to be able to handle the arrangements for the special service. It is just an honor for us to be able to serve his family. Its something that doesnt happen every day, he said. Crosby has said, Weve got the full military ceremony coming (Aug. 18) with the 21-gun salute, folding of the flag, pallbearers and all that good stuff. We would like for the community to know that he's coming home. Growers are urging the government to reinstate Scotland's valuable seed potato trade with Europe following the opening of Solana Seeds' new Scottish base. NFU Scotland, which was at the opening of the new base in Wester Meathie, near Forfar, called for the government to find a sustainable solution to the issue. With more than 75% of GBs seed potato exports coming from Scotland, the lack of an export market to Europe has caused chaos for many businesses. Following Brexit, the UK and EU are negotiating to secure an agreement on equivalence, which would allow sales of Scotland's seed to the bloc to resume. Industry bodies continue to lobby hard and are liaising with Scottish government, the UK government, Defra, the European potato trade and membership bodies, as well as the wider potato sector. NFU Scotland's vice president Andrew Connon said it was 'apparent' that European growers sought Scottish seed potatoes, and vice versa. The EU trade situation is a bad one for the whole potato sector, with no winners," he added. "As we move forward, we must think about whats best in the long-term for the Scottish potato sector. "Seed potato trade with the EU and GB must be reciprocal, this is an established principle that must remain in place for our members interests." He said any one-way trade deals with individual members states would 'undermine this principle' and would be 'extremely unwelcome'. However, almost 80,000 tonnes of Scottish seed potatoes are exported to non-EU countries, Mr Cannon noted, with the potential for increased trade with Egypt, Morocco, Israel and Thailand. We want to see Scotlands reputation for seed potatoes continue to grow worldwide and it is truly refreshing to see Solana Seeds investing in a Scottish base at Wester Meathie. Bollywood has time and again made some brilliant films based on stories from the battlefield. Right from the Independence struggle to wars with other countries, movies have been made to showcase the glory of the martyrs and the brutality of war. Be it winning against another country or fighting internal battles to save ours, weve had films like Border, Raazi, Uri and many more to stir our souls and wake the patriot in us. As we celebrate the 75th Independence Day today, heres looking at 10 films that are sure to make you proud and hold your head up high with patriotism. Take a look. Border (1997) Directer by JP Dutta, Border is a classic and one of the most watched war movies to come out of Indian Cinema. Based on the Battle of Longewala, it covers the the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Haqeeqat (1964) This film touched upon the Sino-Indian War from 1962. It throws light not only on the brutality of war but also the consequences of it. With a fictionalised representation of the events, the film follows a small platoon into the war and narrates their life and how the war impacted them. 1971 (2007) As the name suggests, this one too talks about the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and tells the story of 6 prisoners of war and how they escape the Pakistan army. It also shows the internal unrest in Pakistan when the East side wants to separate itself from the West. LOC Kargil (2003) Based on the 1999 Operation Vijay, the film takes you into the lives of the soldiers fighting the war against Pakistani intruders who tried to strategically occupy the Kargil Sector. This is also the longest running film ever made with a runtime of 255 minutes. Raazi (2018) This one takes you away from the war front and into the life of a spy. Sehmat, marries into a Pakistani home to spy for her nation. The sacrifice and love for her country makes Sehmat an unsung hero. Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) This is a fictional dramatisation of true events of the retaliation of 2016 Uri attack. This was a surgical strike by our army against four terrorists near who conducted grenade attacks near the town of Uri in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) Bhagat Singh is one of our Indian Freedom Fighters who will forever be remembered for his undying will to make India free of the British Raj. This film takes you through his journey as a freedom fighter and narrated the brave acts he committed before he was sentenced to death. He refused to bow down to the British and thus became a legend for the generations after him. Kesari (2019) This follows the story of the battle of Saragarhi that was fought between just 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikhs of the British Army and 10,000 Afridi and Orakzai Padhtun tribesmen in 1897. Its one of the most astounding stories of bravery. Neerja (2016) Another movie that is away from the war but stirs up the patriot in you. Neerja Bhanot was a Indian head purser on the Pan Am Flight 73 that was hijacked in 1986. Apart from active negotiations, she saved many lives and lost her own in the struggle to keep all passengers safe. She was posthumously award the Ashoka Chakra Award. Shershaah (2021) The story of Captain Vikram Batra, a young braveheart who was responsible for Indias victory during the 1999 Operation Vijay. This film also tells you the story of an unsung hero, Dimple Cheema, Batras fiance who spent her life like a widow after he was martyred in war. TAIPEI, TAIWAN / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2021 / In the past decade, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Google and other types of social media applications have accumulated a large number of users. Most corporations have already understood that Internet advertisements can make social media users notice brands. As a result, corporations are searching for professionals to assist with advertisement promotions. FANSDOOR, a social media marketing service company, has upgraded its TALock technology this month. The upgraded TALock system uses a more precise AI system analysis tool to find the correct target audience for customers, which can effectively reduce advertising costs and increase promotion effectiveness by 16%. FANSDOOR's TALock advertisement target analysis system integrates AI and advertisement database, professional advertisement analysts, and marketing consultants to find a more precise target audience for corporations. In addition, FANSDOOR also assists customers by providing online marketing strategy planning and overall image management services, which help corporate customers gain a competitive edge and find business opportunities on the Internet market. In the past decade, FANSDOOR has already implemented Internet advertisement plans for over 3,200 corporate customers in the North America region. The industries in which these customers are involved include business, finance, manufacturing, food, art, retail, and agriculture. In 2020, FANSDOOR has helped customers reach over 1.02 billion YouTube video views connected with 2.2 billion Facebook and Instagram reach. According to statistics, there are over 3.6 billion social media users in the world. By 2025, this number is expected to reach 4.4 billion. Currently, social media is one of the world's most important public relations channel. The FANSDOOR team states that although many corporations do not have an official website, they do have a Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube account. These same companies also hope to use the Internet and digital media to implement comprehensive exposure. Our experience shows that advertising on social media requires skills. In addition to operating the advertising system, it also requires big data and analysis tools to expand advertising benefits. FANSDOOR's technical manager says, "Most of our customers are corporations in Europe, North America, India, and the Greater China area. They know the importance of social media for their branding and reputation. They also look forward to using social media to expand their Internet market." FANSDOOR has always improved our Internet marketing techniques to help our customers increase their product exposure rate while assisting corporations in creating more brand value. About FANSDOOR FANSDOOR, a leading social media marketing service company and advertisement software developer. Our international technology and marketing teams help customers improve their reputations by using precise advertisement services and professional Internet public relations experience to increase exposure for corporate products and brand value. Contacts: Company Name: FANSDOOR Contact person: Elijah Lannister Email: fansdoor@gmail.com SOURCE: Fansdoor North America View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659797/FANSDOOR-Upgrades-New-TALock-Technology-to-Optimize-Advertising-Effect-of-Social-Media In early 2020, Xiaomi announced an aggressive roadmap for its Mi line up of smartphones. Taking this plan to reality, the company launched the Mi 10 series smartphones last year. Likewise, in 2021, Xiaomi launched a slew of devices, including the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro. Among the three smartphones launched so far in the Mi lineup this year, the Mi 11X Pro is an affordable flagship offering. Here is a review to see if this device can perform and succeed in the competition. Box Contents Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro smartphone USB Type-C Cable 33W charger SIM ejector tool Clear protective case User manual Display, Hardware, and Design The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro bestows a 6.67-inch ultrawide AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 400ppi. The screen supports HDR10+ content and has a maximum brightness of 1300 nits. This makes the display visible even under bright sunlight. Also, similar to the other best-performing devices in this price category, this Xiaomi offering supports a fast refresh rate of 120Hz for smooth navigation and has a 360Hz sampling rate that will come in handy while playing games. The smartphone uses Samsungs E4 panel that is bright and delivers an impressive contrast ratio. The punch-hole cutout at the top to house the front-facing camera measures just 2.76mm, thereby making it too small that it doesnt interrupt the visuals. In addition to these, Xiaomi offers features such as True Display and MEMC technology, which got it an A+ from DisplayMate. Not to mention the presence of Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front and rear. Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro has a similar design as the Mi 11X. The 6.67-inch display dominates the front of the smartphone, surrounded by narrow bezels at the bottom. However, the rear panel grabs our attention with an attractive gradient finish despite its plastic build. Talking about its rear, the camera module protrudes significantly from the body. In fact, it persists even after snapping on the case bundled in the package. Besides the camera setup, there is a minimalist design with the Xiaomi and 5G brandings in silver so that these do not look too contrast. There are not many surprises in the port and button placements as compared to other Xiaomi smartphones. It comes with an IR emitter at the top, which is hidden inside the grilles. The volume rocker sits at the right alongside the power button. The latter appears to be slightly elongated as it doubles as a fingerprint sensor. There is a card slot at its bottom that can house two nano-SIM cards and no microSD card slot, alongside a Type-C port and a speaker grille. The other notable aspect is the inclusion of stereo speakers. Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro measures 7.8mm in thickness and features curved edges that add to its ergonomics. If you take the protruding camera module into account, then it will become thick. The other highlights you need to know include an IP53 rating and a weight of 196 grams. Notably, it is large enough to make it unsuitable for single-handed usage. Otherwise, you can choose to buy the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro in three color options Celestial Silver, Cosmic Black, and Lunar White. Camera The Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro adorns a 108-megapixel primary sensor with a q 1/1.52-inch sensor and an f/1.75 aperture. The other camera sensors include an 8-megapixel f/2.2 wide-angle shooter and a 50-megapixel f/2.4 telemacro camera. The pinching cutout houses a 2-megapixel sensor. The camera interface is quite identical to the already existing Xiaomi smartphones. While it has a 108-megapixel sensor, it has to be enabled from within the menu. The Samsung HM2 sensor can capture 12-megapixel images by default, and it uses the nine-pixel binning method to capture high-resolution images. The images captured in daylight shots are impressive and have a good color reproduction, though there is a loss in the sharpness of zooming in. The AI mode is capable and detects the subject in a scene efficiently. The close-up shots result in a natural bokeh effect and the colors pop out well, but the edge detection isnt too accurate. The 108-megapixel sensor captures many details, but colors arent vibrant, and some parts appear slightly washed out. On the other hand, low-light photos retain details and control the noise levels. Even the night mode has improved sharpness and colors. Check out the camera samples captured by the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro. Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro can shoot 8k videos at 30fps, but it misses out on dynamic stabilization. The notable video recording features include magic zoom, slow shutter, and audio zoom. Even the selfie camera does a pretty good job but there is a lot of noise in the selfies. While the Mi 11X Pro cameras are not on par with flagship smartphones, it makes justice for its pricing category. Software, UI, and Apps Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro runs Android 11 topped with MIUI 12.5. It has a ton of useful features including the brands exclusive apps Mi Pay, Mi Credit, and others, and a few preloaded bloatware too with apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, etc. Thankfully, many of these can be uninstalled. There is an app drawer, a utility section, and more. MIUI 12.5 also offers a calendar, shortcuts, etc. on-screen. However, some issues might be rectified with an update. Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock The fingerprint sensor at the side is quite fast, and it unlocks the device in just a blink of an eye. It lets you register various fingerprints as well. Also, there is a face unlock that appears to work pretty decently even in low-light conditions. Music player, FM Radio and Multimedia The Mi 11X Pro uses the default Music Player with the usual audio effects and equalizer presets. There is FM Radio with recording capability and the stereo speakers are quite loud. It comes with Widevine L1 support making it possible to stream HD videos. Dual SIM and Connectivity It supports Dual 4G VoLTE, thereby supporting 4G on both SIM cards at the same time. It features other connectivity aspects such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. There is USB OTG support as well. Performance The Mi 11X Pro uses the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 chipset based on the 5nm SoC. It is teamed up with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM that makes it blazing fast. The device does not hang or stumble at any moment with this hardware. Even gaming turned out to be impressive with game titles such as Call of Duty Mobile and Garena Free Fire. It delivers smooth graphics performance with Adreno 660 GPU. But it heats up after gaming for over 30 minutes at a stretch. For storage, there are 128GB and 256GB storage options. Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below. Battery Life Xiaomi Mi 11X Pros battery is one of the most highlighted facets. It uses a 4520mAh battery that delivers great endurance. It can last up to one day on a single charge. The device can last up to 12.5 hours on average usage. The device bundles a 33W charger touted to charge it from 10 to 100 percent in nearly an hour. Conclusion The Mi 11X Pro is a great option that will not be disappointing, thanks to its capabilities, while its priced under Rs 40,000. It bundles a stunning display, capable battery life, and a camera department that needs improvement. It competes against rivals including the OnePlus 9R and iQOO 7 Legend that fall in the same price bracket. The phone starts at Rs. 39,999 for the 8GB + 128GB version and is available from Amazon.in, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores. Pros Good display Attractive design Superior performance Long-lasting battery life Cons Protruding camera bump No telephoto camera Galveston, TX (77553) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High 92F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. For serious solutions to I-70, it's time to come together CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXT Energy Solutions Inc. ("NXT" or the "Company") (TSX: SFD; OTC QB: NSFDF) today announced the Company's financial and operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. All dollar amounts herein are in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise identified. Q2 Financial and Operating Highlights Key financial and operational highlights for Q2-21 are summarized below: The Company recorded survey revenue of $3.14 million in Q2-21 and YTD 2021; Net income per common share for Q2-21 was $0.02 basic and $0.02 diluted, including stock-based compensation and amortization expense of $0.50 million; Cash flow provided by operating activities was $0.73 million during Q2-21; Net income per common share for YTD 2021 was $0.00 basic and $0.00 diluted, including stock-based compensation and amortization expense of $0.96 million; Cash flow used in operating activities was $0.15 million for YTD 2021; Cash and short-term investments at June 30, 2021 were $3.78 million; The Company acquired the rights to use the SFD technology to explore for geothermal resources; technology to explore for geothermal resources; The Company received $1,000,000 from the Business Development Bank of Canadas Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (the "HASCAP Loan"); General and administrative ("G&A") expenses decreased by $0.13 million (16%) as compared to Q2-20, due primarily to the receipt of a higher Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy ("CERS") and lower professional fees; and G&A for YTD-2021 as compared to YTD-2020 decreased by $0.22 million (12%), mostly due to receiving the CERS in 2021, decreased professional fees, and no business development travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key financial and operational highlights occurring subsequent to Q2-21 are summarized below: On July 1, 2021 energy exploration veteran, Gerry Sheehan, joined the Board of Directors; and The Company began receiving advisory services and funding of up to $50,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to support the research and development of the SFD technology for geothermal applications. Message to Shareholders George Liszicasz, President and CEO of NXT, commented, With $3.14 million of revenue, net income of $0.02 per share and cash flow from operations of $0.73 million, this quarter showed modest but initial results of our business development efforts. We were also pleased to have recently announced NXT was able to further strengthen its financial foundation by securing the HASCAP Loan of $1,000,000, that energy exploration veteran Gerry Sheehan joined our Board of Directors, and that NXT is now receiving advisory services and funding from NRC IRAP to support the research and development of the SFD technology for geothermal applications. On the business development side, hydrocarbon survey opportunities continue to progress well in our core areas of focus in Africa, Mexico, Asia, and in South America. In addition, we are in discussions with multiple geothermal companies about providing SFD services to them. For these reasons, we are optimistic about the second half of 2021, and will remain focussed on contract-execution in order to deliver value to our shareholders. On behalf of our Board of Directors and the entire team at NXT, I want to thank all of our shareholders for their continued support. Summary highlights of NXT's 2021 second quarter financial statements (with comparative figures to 2020) are noted below. All selected and referenced financial information noted below should be read in conjunction with the Company's second quarter 2021 unaudited condensed consolidated interim Financial Statements, the related Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"). (All in Canadian $) Q2-21 Q2-20 2021 YTD 2020 YTD Operating results: Survey revenues $ 3,144,373 $ 136,566 $ 3,144,373 $ 136,566 Survey costs, net 383,211 231,885 648,694 533,846 General & administrative expenses 682,851 810,172 1,583,160 1,806,171 Amortization 444,171 442,180 885,995 890,561 Other Expenses 100,934 132,038 136,869 (282,002 ) 1,611,167 1,616,275 3,254,718 2,948,576 Net income (loss) $ 1,533,206 $ (1,479,709 ) $ (110,345 ) $ (2,812,010 ) Income (loss) per common share: Basic $ 0.02 $ (0.02 ) $ 0.00 $ (0.04 ) Diluted $ 0.02 $ (0.02 ) $ 0.00 $ (0.04 ) Common shares outstanding as at end of the period 64,556,305 64,406,891 64,556,305 64,406,891 Weighted average of common shares outstanding for the period: Basic 64,526,430 64,406,891 64,499,475 64,406,891 Diluted 66,007,218 64,406,891 64,499,475 64,406,891 Cash provided by (used in): Operating activities $ 729,564 $ (1,097,591 ) $ (153,756 ) $ (1,696,781 ) Financing activities 1,016,590 (31,357 ) 1,036,225 (42,515 ) Investing activities (176,617 ) 834,302 14,644 863,726 Effect of foreign rate changes on cash (63,769 ) (159,499 ) (78,268 ) (37,313 ) Net cash inflow (outflow) 1,505,768 (454,145 ) 818,845 (912,883 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period 2,003,223 2,399,507 2,690,146 2,858,245 Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period 3,508,991 1,945,362 3,508,991 1,945,362 Cash and cash equivalents 3,508,991 1,945,362 3,508,991 1,945,362 Short-term investments 269,623 2,957,568 269,623 2,957,568 Total cash and short-term investments 3,778,614 4,902,930 3,778,614 4,902,930 Net working capital balance 4,638,000 5,086,263 4,638,000 5,086,263 NXT's 2021 second quarter financial and operating results have been filed in Canada on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and will soon be available in the USA on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar, as well as on NXT's website at www.nxtenergy.com. Details of the conference call are as follows: Date: Monday, August 16, 2021 Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (2:30 p.m. Mountain Time) North American Participants Call: 1-(855)-783-0506 Participant Pass Code 6992038 About NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy Solutions Inc. is a Calgary-based technology company whose proprietary SFD survey system utilizes quantum-scale sensors to detect gravity field perturbations in an airborne survey method which can be used both onshore and offshore to remotely identify traps and reservoirs with exploration potential. The SFD survey system enables our clients to focus their exploration decisions concerning land commitments, data acquisition expenditures and prospect prioritization on areas with the greatest potential. SFD is environmentally friendly and unaffected by ground security issues or difficult terrain and is the registered trademark of NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy Solutions Inc. provides its clients with an effective and reliable method to reduce time, costs, and risks related to exploration. Contact Information For investor and media inquiries please contact: Eugene Woychyshyn George Liszicasz Vice President of Finance & CFO President & CEO 302, 3320 17th AVE SW 302, 3320 17th AVE SW Calgary, AB, T3E 0B4 Calgary, AB, T3E 0B4 +1 403 206 0805 +1 403 206 0800 nxt_info@nxtenergy.com nxt_info@nxtenergy.com www.nxtenergy.com www.nxtenergy.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain information provided in this press release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "will", "expect", "plan", "schedule", "intend", "propose" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or an outlook. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, information regarding: business negotiations, opportunities, discussions, including the timing thereof and business strategies. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including those related to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV/COVID-19), and the potentially negative effects thereof on the Company's workforce, its supply chain or demand for its products. Additional risk factors facing the Company are described in its most recent Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2020 and MD&A for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021, which have been filed electronically by means of the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) located at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Non-GAAP Measures This news release contains disclosure respecting non-GAAP performance measures including net working capital which does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by US GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other entities. This measure is included to enhance the overall understanding of NXTs ability to assess liquidity at a point in time. Readers are urged to review the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures in NXTs MD&A for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021 which is available under NXT's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, for a further discussion of such non-GAAP measures. The financial information accompanying this news release was prepared in accordance with US GAAP unless otherwise noted. Management's discussion and analysis of financial results and the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and notes for the three months ended June 30, 2021, are available through the Internet in the Investor Relations section of www.nxtenergy.com or under NXT's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (Hoegh or the Company) (NYSE: HMLP). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Hoegh and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On July 27, 2021, after trading hours, Hoegh announced that it had reduced its quarterly common unit distribution by 98% to preserve cash. The Partnership also revealed that its refinancing plans for the PGN FSRU Lampung facility collapsed after the charterer of the vessel announced plans to enter arbitration to terminate the charter. Further, the Partnership announced that its parent company, Hoegh LNG Holdings Ltd., will no longer provide financial support to the Partnership. On this news, the Partnerships common unit price fell $11.57 per share, or 64%, to close at $6.30 per common unit on July 28, 2021. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com . VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) (Teck) today announced a donation of $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross and $50,000 to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) in support of emergency efforts in response to the wildfires in British Columbia. A further $25,000 will go to match donations made by Teck employees. Tecks donation to the Canadian Red Cross will help provide food, clothing and temporary accommodation for evacuees, and the donation to the BC SPCA will support the rescue and relocation of pets and farm animals in affected regions. In addition to this donation, Teck is supporting employees that live within the area of evacuation orders in the Thompson-Nicola region and is also engaging directly with Indigenous communities in the region to support wildfire relief efforts. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the wildfires in different parts of British Columbia, said Don Lindsay, President and CEO. This is an extremely challenging time for many British Columbians and Teck will continue working with our local partners to ensure we are offering all the support we can at this time. Go to www.redcross.ca for information on how to support the Canadian Red Cross and to www.spca.bc.ca for information on how to support the BC SPCA. About Teck As one of Canadas leading mining companies, Teck is committed to responsible mining and mineral development with major business units focused on copper, zinc, and steelmaking coal, as well as investments in energy assets. Copper, zinc and high-quality steelmaking coal are required for the transition to a low-carbon world. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Tecks shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TECK.A and TECK.B and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TECK. Learn more about Teck at www.teck.com or follow @TeckResources. Teck Media Contact: Chris Stannell Public Relations Manager 604.699.4368 chris.stannell@teck.com Teck Investor Contact: Fraser Phillips Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Strategic Analysis 604.699.4621 fraser.phillips@teck.com Governor Northam Announces Composite Manufacturer to Expand in Frederick County, Creating 84 New Jobs Evolve Services to increase production capacity with $1.25 million investment RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that Evolve Services, Inc., a producer of composite productions and reproductions, will invest $1.25 million to expand its operation in Frederick County. The company will enlarge the plant by adding a second production line, tripling its facility space, and increasing production for its major customers, which include 84 Lumber, Lansing Building Products, ABC Supply, BFS, and Home Depot. The project will create 84 new jobs. Evolve Services is a key employer in Frederick County, and we are pleased to support the growth of another manufacturer reinvesting in the Commonwealth, said Governor Northam. This expansion is further evidence of the Shenandoah Valleys ability to attract and retain businesses with its infrastructure, workforce, and livability. Founded in 2013, Evolve Services, Inc. is one of the most prominent specialty composite manufacturers in the United States with its products displayed throughout the world. Its network of companies includes Evolve Stone, Evolve Play, and Createk by Evolve Custom. As the company has grown, it has expanded its services beyond nature-related composites to include the re-creation of virtually any object. The company is expanding its Evolve Stone line that is the worlds first artificial stone that is face nailed, making installation fast, intuitive, and easy, which is helping to solve some of the skilled labor shortages in the construction industry. Small businesses are the cornerstone of a thriving economy, and we celebrate Evolve Services continued success and the addition of 84 new jobs in Frederick County, said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. The company has experienced impressive growth since its founding eight years ago, and we are excited to see Evolve already tripling its facility size and adding production lines. Evolve chose Virginia as its home because of its business-friendly environment, access to a diverse workforce, and small business support network, said Evolve Services CEO Greg Fritz. Virginia is the complete package for doing business. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Frederick County to secure the project for Virginia and will support Evolve Services job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginias commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens. We are excited for Evolve Services continued growth in Frederick County, said Charles S. DeHaven, Jr., Chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors. Evolves decision to increase capacity at its Frederick County facility is a testament to our communitys workforce and business environment, and reinforces the Commonwealths position as a top state for business. This project elevates our local economy and further expands the Countys largest employment sector, advanced manufacturing. Evolve Services expansion marks a significant investment in our region and speaks to the great economic development partnerships Virginia offers, said Senator Jill Vogel. We are excited for this outstanding company to expand in Frederick County, creating quality jobs and economic revenue. These are the type of announcements we look forward to hearing more about for our area, said Delegate Bill Wiley. Congratulations to Evolve on being a valued member of the business community here in the Shenandoah Valley. It is important that we continue to promote opportunities like this one to better our community, offer job opportunities, and keep taxes low. # # # A team at the University of Oregon is working to give bicyclists smoother rides by allowing them to communicate with traffic signals via a mobile app. The latest report to come out of this multi-project research effort introduces machine-learning algorithms to work with their mobile app FastTrack. Developed and tested in earlier phases of the project, the app allows cyclists to passively communicate with traffic signals along a busy bike corridor in Eugene, Oregon. Researchers hope to eventually make their app available in other cities. The overall goal is to give bicyclists a safer and more efficient use of a citys signaled intersections. The current project attempts to use two deep-learning algorithms, LSTM and 1D CNN, to tackle time-series forecasting. The goal is to predict the next phase of an upcoming, actuated traffic signal given a history of its prior phases in time-series format. Were encouraged by the results. Stephen Fickas, Principal Investigator Their latest work builds on two prior projects, also funded by the National Institute for Transportation a Communities: V2X: Bringing Bikes into the Mix, completed in 2018, and Fast Track: Allowing Bikes To Participate In A Smart-Transportation System, completed in 2019. In those first two projects, Fickas and his team successfully built and deployed a hardware and software product called Bike Connect which allowed people on bikes to give hands-free advance information to an upcoming traffic signal, using their speed and direction of travel to increase the likelihood the signal would be green upon arrival. The V2X project focused on giving bicyclists a virtual call button that they could use on their phones. During that project, researchers collected detailed real-time data from an actuated signal on the study corridor. The FastTrack project developed a real-time display for non-actuated signals showing GLOSA (Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory) informationmore often referred to as a green wave. While a technology available to drivers, GLOSA is not widely available for bicyclists. This real-time display (ideally mounted on handlebars for hands-free viewing) offered bicyclists real-time information on whether to slow down, speed up, or maintain speed in order to make a green light. The latest project uses ideas from both prior studies: It uses the data collected from the actuated signal in the first phase to train and test two machine-learning algorithms to forecast the signal phases. It sets the groundwork to extend the FastTrack app to include both non-actuated and actuated signals, as bicyclists are likely to encounter both of these types of infrastructure while riding. Researchers chose to explore two separate machine-learning algorithms. Both have a good track record with time-series forecasting: One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Nets (1D CNN for short) and Long Short-Term Memory models (LSTM for short). To measure the effectiveness of each algorithm, they used three metrics: Precision is concerned with when the model does predict that the rider will arrive at a green light, how often is it correct? A high Precision score says that the model is not prone to have the rider slamming on brakes, mistakenly told to expect a green. Recall asks for all the actual green lights the rider encountered, how many did the model get correct? A high Recall score says that the rider is not missing many greens. Accuracy is the number of correct predictions. The LSTM and 1D CNN scored nearly identical results on all three metrics. Researchers were able to predict the next phase with roughly 85% accuracy, for each of the time-series forecasting algorithms. Both algorithms were able to predict a single sample within one secondreasonable for inclusion in the FastTrack app, the researchers said. We believe we are in the ballpark of being acceptable in terms of adding a prediction component to our existing FastTrack app. Stephen Fickas This would open up green-wave capability for non-fixed-time intersections. Based on what they learned, the researchers plans for next steps are: Gain access to a dataset with a larger range of days, perhaps an entire season. (Currently, the team has its eyes on Better Naito Parkway in Portland, Oregon, a bike-friendly corridor which contains multiple actuated intersections to draw data from.) Typically, more data leads to stronger results when looking at machine-learning algorithms. Move to a multivariate dataset that includes date and time, and perhaps weather as well. This would not be a huge change to data preparation, and may allow a single model that covers all four seasons. The FastTrack app requires a real-time feed from upcoming traffic signals on the bicyclists path. Cities with older equipment or with older Traffic Management Systems (TMS) may not be able to provide this feed. However, as cities replace older equipment and bring on a modern TMS, they will be fully capable of using a FastTrack app that is effective with both fixed and actuated intersections, giving their biking community green-wave opportunities. The researchers have made their code available in a Colab Jupyter notebook for those interested in replicating the work or exploring further. Resources A study by researchers at CU Boulder and Edinburgh Napier University finds that high-density, low-rise environments such as those found in Paris are the optimal urban form when looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over their whole life cycle. There is a growing belief that building taller and denser is better. However, urban environmental design often neglects life cycle GHG emissions. Here we offer a method that decouples density and tallness in urban environments and allows each to be analysed individually. We test this method on case studies of real neighbourhoods and show that taller urban environments significantly increase life cycle GHG emissions (+154%) and low-density urban environments significantly increase land use (+142%). However, increasing urban density without increasing urban height reduces life cycle GHG emissions while maximising the population capacity. These results contend the claim that building taller is the most efficient way to meet growing demand for urban space and instead show that denser urban environments do not significantly increase life cycle GHG emissions and require less land. Pomponi et al. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (LCGE) versus number of people accommodated for a fixed land area. Pomponi et al. The work, recently published as an open-access paper in npj Urban Sustainability, contributes to a growing debate around the design of future urban environments. The built environment is a big contributor to carbon emissions, global energy demand, resource consumption and waste generation. In the US, it accounts for 39% of all greenhouse gases emissions, while in the European Union, it accounts for 50% of all extracted materials and 42% of the final energy consumption. Jay Arehart, an author on the paper and instructor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at CU Boulder, said the work challenges current conventional understanding that tomorrows cities must be densely packed and stretch upwards to address and curb greenhouse gas emissions. The idea being that tall buildings make optimal use of space, reduce operational energy use for heating and cooling and enable more people to be accommodated per square meter of land. Both the urban sprawl that we see in the suburbs of the United States and the high-rise that we see in places like New York City are not necessarily optimal. We showed that new development should focus on minimizing whole-life carbon of buildings, not just the emissions from their operations or their materials. That density is needed for a growing urban population, but height isnt. Jay Arehart The team investigated four different urban typologies: High density, high-rise (HDHR) (e.g., Manhattan); Low density, high-rise (LDHR) (e.g., Le Corbusier Radiant City); High density, low-rise (HDLR) (e.g., Central Paris); and Low density, low-rise (LDLR) (e.g., suburbs). a HDHR, b LDHR, c HDLR, d LDLR. The height of each building is mapped to the color with blue as low heights and red as high heights. Pomponi et al. The researchers simulated 5,000 environments based on real-world data to establish their lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. This approach considered both premium for land (the extra land needed to build low-rise compared to high-rise) and premium for height (the extra materials to build high-rise compared to low-rise) to make comparisons fair, said Francesco Pomponi, the lead author on the paper and professor at Edinburgh Napier University. We developed a novel urban density metric to measure things up as accurately as possible. Our results show that density is indeed needed for a growing urban population, but height isnt. So it seems the world needs more Parises and fewer Manhattansas much as I love New Yorkin the next decades. Francesco Pomponi Urban Sustainability is the newest addition to the Nature Partner Journals series. Resources GREENWICH The mad dash in the race for the 36th District State Senate seat is nearly at the finish line with polls set to open at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Voters throughout the district, which includes all of Greenwich and portions of Stamford and New Canaan, will be looking to fill the remainder of the term of former state Sen. Alex Kasser, who resigned unexpectedly in June. They will be deciding between three candidates: Republican Ryan Fazio, Democrat Alexis Gevanter and petition candidate John Blankley. All three candidates were focused this weekend on getting the last voters on their team before polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Volunteers were expected to fan out all over the district doing door knocking, calling and building up support for what is shaping up to be a close election. At the final of three candidate forums and debates Thursday night, all three laid out their cases about why they would be the best candidate to fill the now open seat. Fazio, a member of Greenwichs Representative Town Meeting and an investment analyst for small businesses, said at the Round Hill Association forum that he was running to create a positive change in our state government and a brighter future for everyone in our community. I grew up in this district, Fazio said. Its my home. I volunteer here. Ive served in local government. Ive worked in business locally in the renewable energy sector. I think its the greatest place imaginable to build a life. We have good people, strong community, perfect location and natural beauty. Yet our community and our state are facing enormous challenges. Fazio ran for the seat last year but lost to Kasser. Gevanter, a business attorney and the former Connecticut Chapter leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said she has spent my life advocating for others. As a Connecticut state leader, I did what I have always done, Gevanter said. I listened. I built coalitions. I worked together to find common ground and I delivered results. That is not always easy because even here in Connecticut, the gun lobby is fierce; but I did not back downNow I am stepping up to run for the State Senate so I can take the same approach to protecting our quality of life. Blankley, a former member of the RTM and Greenwichs Board of Estimate and Taxation, founded and runs an IT firm in the state. There is a heightened degree of partisanship and it is for that reason I am running as an independent, he said at the forum. I am looking for your vote to send an independent candidate to HartfordMy appeal is to independent voters and my slogan is, Make a statement. Send an independent to Hartford. Blankley, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2016, had originally sought the Democratic nomination after Kassers resignation but filed to run as a petition candidate after the party backed Gevanter. He has said that he would not caucus with either the Democrats or Republicans if elected, and called himself the man in the middle with a campaign targeting unaffiliated voters. Gevanter has received the endorsements of key Democrats, as well as district residents Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep Jim Himes along with Kasser herself. She has also been endorsed the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, the Stamford Professional Fire Fighters union and several gun violence prevention groups. Fazio has been endorsed by the Greenwich and Stamford police unions, the Connecticut Realtors and Stamford mayoral candidate Bobby Valentine, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, as well as New Canaan State Rep. Tom ODea, R-125. The seat had been a secure Republican seat for more than half a century until Kasser was elected in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican L. Scott Frantz. Prior to that, a Democrat had not been elected to the seat since 1930 when H. Allen Barton held it. Kasser showed the ability to turn a red seat at least purple with strong support from Stamford. In 2020, when she was reelected over Fazio, she increased her support in both Greenwich and New Canaan, even though Fazio won both towns, and was able to defeat him by a larger margin overall than she beat Frantz by in 2018. Gevanter will be looking to replicate that success. Republicans have pushed hard to get the seat back in GOP control. The 2020 election had the headwinds of a high turnout presidential election with strong feelings about the future of the party. There has been strong interest in absentee ballots with the same rules in place for the 2021 elections that allowed for absentee ballots in 2020 for any registered voter who requested them over concerns about the pandemic. In Greenwich, as of Friday, there had been 3,505 absentee ballots requested with 2,727 returned. Registered Democrats in town had requested 1,674 ballots and had returned 1,306. The towns registered Republicans have requested 1,213 ballots with 965 returned. Unaffiliated voters, who make up the towns biggest voter bloc, have requested 1,213 absentee ballots and returned 965. There have also been 35 requested and 28 returned by those registered with other parties. People will be able to request an absentee ballot in Greenwich until 4 p.m. on Monday. People will not be able to request absentee ballots on Tuesday when they can vote in person at their polling places. Stamfords numbers on Friday showed that a total of 1,392 absentee ballots had been requested so far with 1,018 returned. The partisan breakdown, according to the Town Clerks office, was that 893 had been requested by registered Democrats with 681 returned, 307 issued to registered Republicans with 219 returned and 180 issued for unaffiliated voters with 110 returned. Stamford Town Clerk Lyda Ruijter said that 12 ballots had been issued to voters registered for the Independent Party and eight had been returned. Absentee ballots can be requested from Stamford until the office closes at 3:45 p.m. Monday. Ruijter said that due to the pandemic they prefer people make appointments before coming in but walk-ins are allowed. For New Canaan, there had been 485 absentee ballots requested as of Friday morning. The Town Clerks office there said that 237 of those requests have come from registered Democrats, 188 from Republicans, 59 from unaffiliated voters and one from a voter registered for a minor party. Of the 386 that had been returned, 179 were from registered Democrats, 163 from Republicans, 43 unaffiliated and one from the minor party voter. The cut off in New Canaan to request an absentee ballot will be 3 p.m. Monday. All parts of the district have secure drop boxes where people can drop off their completed absentee ballots. Last month, Greenwichs Democratic Registrar of Voters Mary Hegarty advised people that if it was getting close to the Aug. 17 election date, people should not mail their ballots they should instead drop them off in the secure drop boxes or at the Town Clerks office. Any ballots received after Aug. 17 will not be counted, no matter what the postmark on the ballot says, officials said. Greenwich also issued a reminder to voters in District 7 that they will be voting at Central Middle School for the special election, not Greenwich High School as they traditionally do. Separate polling locations will be set up at Central for District 7 and for District 8, which traditionally votes there. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com GREENWICH The town is enjoying a financial windfall from the red-hot real estate market, as many families moved out of New York and into Greenwich during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $10,172,839 in conveyance taxes was collected during the 2020-21 fiscal year more than double the amount projected by the town, according to the towns Finance Department. The unexpected total was celebrated by First Selectman Fred Camillo, who noted that it was not only more revenue for the town but also a sign of the popularity of moving to Greenwich. It confirms what weve always thought, that our town is one of the best towns in the United States for lots of reasons, Camillo said. That includes the high civic involvement that our residents have. When people move here, they dont just move here. They start to get involved. They roll up their sleeves and start to volunteer. Its a win-win-win for everybody. Camillo said he has met with many of the new residents who moved to town over the past year. Theyre happy to be here, and were happy to have them, he said. In planning for last fiscal year, the Finance Department had projected $4.5 million would come in from conveyance taxes. The much larger total is a direct result of that surge in sales in the housing market in town as buyers sought to move to town or to trade up into larger properties. A conveyance tax is charged on every property sale in town, with money going to both the town and the state. According to Town Clerk Carmella Budkins, for each property sale, the town collects 0.25 percent of the selling price in conveyance tax. The amount of the tax is graduated for the state. For a property sale of less than $800,000, the state collects 0.75 percent in conveyance tax, and for a sale of more than $800,000, the state conveyance tax rate is 1.25 percent. Additionally, under the new mansion tax in Connecticut, a property sale of more than $2.5 million is charged an additional 2.25 percent, which also goes to the state. The conveyance tax operation is overseen by the Town Clerks Department: It keeps track of all the land sales in town, collects the conveyance tax and sends the states portion of the money to the state every few weeks and the towns portion to the Finance Department. We bring in a lot of money, and we send the state a lot of money, Budkins said. The eight-figure amount collected in 2020-21 conveyance taxes broke from recent town history: About $4.8 million was collected in 2019-20, when $5 million was projected; Nearly $4.9 million collected in 2018-19, when $5 million was projected; Nearly $5.2 million collected in 2017-18, when $4.75 million was projected; and Nearly $5.3 million collected in 2016-17, when $4.75 million was projected. The money goes into the towns general fund. The amount of conveyance taxes collected for the 2021-22 fiscal year could again exceed the projected $5 million, as the real estate market remaining busy across Greenwich. The town does not expect to change that projection for the current fiscal year, and work will begin in the coming months on the next fiscal years projections. What can be done with this windfall? There are major capital projects that are looming, including a new municipal ice rink, and Camillo has made improvement of Roger Sherman Baldwin Park a priority. Or perhaps the money could be used to cut tax rates in a future year. What is a conveyance tax? A conveyance tax is a surcharge collected by the municipality and the state on every property sale in the town. The town of Greenwich collects 0.25 percent of the selling price of each property in conveyance tax. The amount is graduated for the state. For a property sale of less than $800,000, the rate is 0.75 percent, and for a sale of more than $800,000, the rate is 1.25 percent. Additionally, under the new "mansion tax" in Connecticut, the state charges an additional 2.25 percent for a property sale of more than $2.5 million. The Town Clerk's Department oversees the operations of collecting the conveyance tax and sending it to the state and the town Finance Department. Source: Town Clerk Carmella Budkins See More Collapse We always want to be a town thats well governed and financially responsible, which means keeping the mill rate as low as we can, Camillo said. But we also have to balance that with putting what I call points on the board. Were doing that already. Were moving ahead with long-awaited projects and moving forward with new projects. I know there was some hesitancy on the part of some people on the RTM to fund a few projects but people are moving here and they want to see we have a forward looking policy, which we do. Budgeting plans Board of Estimate and Taxation Chair Karen Fassuliotis said there are no answers clear yet on how the town could spend the money and said its too soon to even discuss it. We obviously have a surplus that we didnt anticipate, so well have to take a look at where it fits into our budget discussions for the upcoming fiscal year, Fassuliotis said. Its too early to talk about her own priorities as chair and head of the BETs Republican caucus, she said, when it comes to how to best apply the funds. I just think its premature at this time, Fassuliotis said. I think we have to look at everything. Obviously we have people who will be asking for things, but we dont even know where well be going with the budget yet. Its so preliminary and we dont have our budget guidelines yet. The BET will begin work in the fall on developing budget guidelines for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The in-depth work will come late in January 2022, when the first selectman will propose a new budget and the BETs Budget Committee will begin discussions and hearings on it. Buying and selling homes The big jump in conveyance taxes paid to the town of Greenwich is likely to continue, according to Mark Pruner, a local Realtor, columnist and real estate blogger. And its not just house sales in general that are up the town is seeing an increase in the sale of high-end properties, too, he said. This could be a return to normalcy at a higher level, Pruner said. Its a definite possibility that its a hotter market in Greenwich (for a longer term). Our contracted sales went up even as the vaccine was being rolled out and the anxiety about COVID was coming off of its peak. He credits the increase in working from home for the hot real estate market. Whats driving sales in Greenwich now is what I call WOOFH, which is work occasionally or often from home, Pruner said. As people have gotten used to walking from home, people in Greenwich want larger houses because they need additional work spaces and school spaces. Many sales are likely due to buyers who are upsizing into bigger homes to accommodate their changing needs, he said. And when you add in people moving to Greenwich because of COVID that then become WOOFH people it shows people coming to town to stay because it is better for them than working in apartments in New York City. This is guessing, but I think for the next couple of years, as this whole once-in-a-century work/lifestyle balance works itself out, were going to see more people moving to Greenwich, Pruner said. Through July 20, there have been 604 homes sales this year, which puts Greenwich at about 15 percent ahead of the sales pace of 2019, when 526 sales were recorded, he said. For 2020, Pruner said he would not call it a remarkable year for sales he said a remarkable five months is a more accurate description. Sales began revving up at the start of August 2020, and the busy pace continued through December and into 2021 too with all-time record sales, he said. Overall, there were 1,104 sales of single-family homes during the fiscal year of July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, Pruner said. He called that remarkable, saying 650 sales would be considered a normal year. The previous highest number of sales was 835 from 1999 to 2000. But a shortage of listings could be a fly in the ointment when it comes to the trend of increased sales, Pruner said. But he said he sees enough activity to believe the sales may keep on going. Robin Kencel, a Realtor with Compass, also said supply and demand could become an issue. Greenwich continues to see buyers looking to make the town their permanent home, Kencel said. Some have been looking for a number of months as the lack of inventory has hampered their ability to find a property that suits their needs and desires. But the market is still strong in town, she said. My feeling, based upon conversations with buyers who came to Greenwich over the past 16 months, is that the experience has been a very positive one, even in challenging circumstances, and that the word is spreading that the town offers a satisfying alternative to the city, she said. Pace of sales Budkins she was wanted to see more data before talking about any trends in revenue for the town. Because of the pandemic people, just wanted to move out of the city, Budkins said. They all came to Greenwich, Connecticut. Just like a lot of people from Greenwich are moving down South. Real estate activity remain busy in town and not just in home sales, she said. The office building at 1700 E. Putnam Ave. in Old Greenwich next to the Hyatt Regency hotel just sold for $63 million, she said. Fassuliotis said she is glad to see that people want to move to Greenwich, but shes not certain the sales pace can continue at this rate. I am hopeful people realize what a great town Greenwich is, she said. We dont know if this is a one-time blip or whether this is sustainable. We are trying to keep Greenwich as the best place to live, work, raise a family and retire. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com To the editor, Alexis Gevanter will be an effective voice for our town from Day One in the state Senate. As an attorney and mother of two children, Alexis is prepared to tackle the most important issues facing our town, education, the economy and the environment. Alexis has distinguished herself as a prominent advocate for gun safety and knows her way around Hartford. Not only does Alexis know our delegates to the state House, but also the Congressional delegation as well. As an experienced advocate, Alexis is well versed in reaching consensus and knows how to get things done. Alexis has the ear of many people in and out of state government. As a member of the majority caucus in the Senate, Alexis will actively participate in the governance of Connecticut, unlike her Republican opponent who, if elected, would be in the much smaller caucus. We need Alexis strong voice in Hartford speaking on our behalf. Please join me in voting for Alexis Gevanter on or before Tuesday, Aug. 17. Beth Krumeich Greenwich Flashback: Sony Ericsson P910 used an odd flavor of touch Symbian and wanted to do it all After gaining a beachhead in the 80s, personal computers invaded homes en masse in the 90s. Then in the 2000s smartphones were trying to do the same to people's pockets. By that time people had gotten used to document editors, spreadsheets, email and web browsing. Feature phones weren't great at that - for example, the famous Nokia 3310 (which came out in late 2000) could do none of that. But soon a new breed of phones appeared, phones that were like mini laptops. We've talked about the Nokia Communicator before, today we will focus on the Sony Ericsson P910. The third model in the series, it arrived in 2004 (after the P900 in 2003 and P800 in 2002) and it could do everything on the list. It ran Symbian with a front end that may be unfamiliar to some of you - UIQ, aka User Interface Quartz. This was long before Nokia's Series 60 made the ill-fated switch to touch UI, its real rival at the time were Pocket PCs running Windows Mobile. The system supported a touchscreen and could multitask, and it made installing apps a breeze. And there were quite a few apps, even though without an apps store finding them wasn't that easy. Okay, enough prologue - now that we have such an all-capable device in our hands, let's try to do everything with it and see how it goes. Can we use the P910 to type up a review of itself? It has a hardware QWERTY keyboard after all! This was one of the major upgrades over the P900 - the inside of the flip out has a three row QWERTY keyboard. However, the phone measures only 58 mm wide (and the keyboard itself is narrower than that), so the keys are pretty cramped. And there's no autocomplete or even spellchecking to speed things along. A bigger worry is that this is a physical keyboard, so you have to press on the keys (not just touch them) and after a while we started to get worried that we'll snap off the thin, plastic flip-out that holds the keyboard. Still, after some practice, we could type at a decent speed. Certainly faster than we can manage on the keypad, which lacks T9 or similar system for faster typing. An alternative is to use the touchscreen and stylus, which do Graffiti-like text recognition. Maybe we needed more patience to learn, but in our (admittedly short) experience, the recognition is more miss than hit. You have to be very precise, otherwise trying to write an "o" might result in an "O" or a "u". Even so, if you rely on constant text-based communication - be it SMS or email - the P910 is a capable communicator (if not quite as good as a certain Finnish phone, which has a much larger keyboard). There is an on-screen keypad too, which turns into an on-screen QWERTY in a text editor. However, the small display and imprecise nature of the resistive touchscreen practically mean we were limited to pecking out individual letters with the stylus. Two thumb typing is a no go. At least you can use this if you choose to remove the flip and use the P910 as a purely touch-driven phone. Trying to type a review on the Sony Ericsson P910 Okay, new plan - this is an advanced smartphone with cutting edge Bluetooth connectivity. Well, cutting edge for the early 2000s. We can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and use that to type on the roomy 2.9" display. Oh, the phone doesn't recognize the keyboard at all. Alright, that's not going to work. While we think of what to try next, we'll play a quick game of solitaire. Have you heard the story of how Solitaire came bundled with Windows so that people will have a fun way to practice using the mouse? Early home computers operated with text commands, but wide-spread adoption would only come with the arrival of the graphical user interface (which is tough to use with only a keyboard). The stylus is the smartphone version of a mouse. It is faster and more precise than using a D-pad to highlight an item. And it allows you to drag stuff, like in the Chess game, for example. A touchscreen and stylus make navigating complex menu and multiple shortcuts easier. Solitaire wouldn't really work without a stylus Chess would be tricky too But the stylus is very limited in its mouse duties - it is like a single button mouse with no scroll wheel. This means that scrolling is done using the scrollbar on the side or tapping the up/down buttons in the corner. The Jog Dial, carried over from early Sony phones, is a better way. It is the missing scroll wheel and can even be clicked to activate the selected item. The dial on our unit has gone a little wonky after all these years, but it is still a very convenient way to operate the user interface without touching the screen. While the 2.9" display is small enough that one can easily reach all four corners, one-handed operation isn't perfect because of how the UI is built. Using the Jog Dial and some keypad shortcuts is the better option when you have only one hand to spare. Funnily enough, the Sony Ericsson P910 suffers from an issue that faces the first foldable phones - what should an app do when the screen size suddenly changes? In this case because you opened or closed the flip keyboard. Some apps have separate UIs for both cases, however most do not. This means that when you go to launch an app with the flip closed - using the Jog Dial, of course - only some apps are available. In fact, the touch functionality of the display is disabled completely when the flip is closed. Jog Dial menu Available apps in closed flip mode Music player (with flip opened/closed) Note: the black area is covered by the flip. This makes the P910 feel like two phones in one - a classic keypad-driven Symbian smartphone and a touch-driven smartphone that has a lot of rough edges. For one, the Symbian 7.0 OS that is at the heart of the phone isn't great at multitasking. You can put five shortcuts on the top row and use them to switch between those five apps easily enough. Yet, for all the rest you have to go through the app drawer. By default, it is a list with a small font designed to be used with the stylus. You can switch to a mode with 2x3 icon grid, which is a lot more finger-friendly, but those damned up/down buttons in the corner remain tiny and barely usable if you manage to hit them with your fingernail. The list mode is so tiny that you need the stylus The grid view is more thumb friendly There are some icons on the bottom row that allow you to toggle some phone controls without leaving the currently active app. It's not quite a notification area, but it is a precursor. And there are sort-of quick toggles in here too. These controls (like the shortcuts on the top row) are again rather tiny and hart to hit with a finger. This isn't a story about the iOS, but the clunky Symbian UIQ interface made us appreciate just how well-designed iOS was for finger-only operation. Some basic phone features can be accessed without leaving the app Anyway, how about we play some tunes? The P910 has 64MB of internal memory and a 32MB MemoryStick Duo included. That's one of the upgrades over the P900, which had only 16MB internal storage (and the same memory card). The phone supported MP3 playback, though the annoying proprietary port limited the selection of headphones you can use. The Jog Dial comes in again, this time used to change the volume. The phone can also play MP4 videos, which worked well enough on the 4.6:9 display (remember, this was back in 2004, so wide-screen adoption was only just starting). The 208 x 320 px resolution doesn't make for the sharpest image, but it's fine considering the limited storage available (even if you are willing to spend extra the MemoryStick Duo format topped out at 128MB). While Sony had a large music studio, managing the multimedia on the phone was left to the user - there was no iTunes alternative. The Sony Ericsson P800 came with a VGA camera, that is 640 x 480 px resolution or about one third of a megapixel. This same camera module was used in the P900 and P910. Being nearly two decades old at this point we didn't expect much and that is what we got. The camera is meant to be used in portrait orientation and there's a dedicated button on the side. Press it once to launch the camera app and again to take a photo. Or you can use the on-screen controls. The camera has several modes (Auto, Outdoors, Indoors, etc.) plus presets for shooting photos and videos for MMS. Since MMS messages are limited to just several tens of kilobytes, the photos and videos need to be smaller. The camera app works with the flip opened and closed One issue we had is that the screen is rather dim and its plastic touch layer rather reflective. That made it hard to frame outside shots. Also, the viewfinder takes up only a small part of the screen, even when the flip is opened. Anyway, here are the camera samples we took, jutst manage your expectations before clicking. Sony Ericsson P910 camera samples Besides the dedicated camera key (which is a simple button, no half press, if you were wondering) is a custom button. You can set it to launch an app of your choosing, which is quite handy. Maybe we do some research on the Internet, we thought. Trying to do that on the phone, we quickly ran into an issue. The Sony Ericsson P910 (and previous models) is a 2G-only phone. And even if you still have 2G service in your area, there is a larger issue - most sites have moved to serving pages over HTTPS for security, but the P910 just couldn't handle the newer protocols. We only managed to connect to a handful of websites and the GPRS connection felt excruciatingly slow, taking up to 30 seconds to load even relatively simple pages. Browsing over GPRS is slow Only some sites work Have you heard of this new show? In its heyday the Sony Ericsson P910 was a Swiss army knife - it had tools for messaging, office work, web browsing, photography and the thing that makes smartphones better than feature phones, the ability to easily add new tools by installing apps. It is really showing its age in 2021, but to be fair the Internet was a digital Wild West in the early days and digital cameras improved by leaps and bounds early on. This makes the P910 feel older than it is. And it is old, having come out in 2004 it is almost old enough to vote now. Alas, it is less a young'un and more a veteran of a lost war - all its Symbian compatriots are gone, especially the UIQ squad. The hardware is impressively capable for its age, its software is really of its era. The graphical style with the grayish pseudo 3D elements and tiny icons hit us with a dose of CRT-tinted nostalgia. It's easy to criticize the UI now, but getting a user interface right is a momentous task. Over three decades later Microsoft is still fiddling with the concept. And it was fascinating to see the glimpses of OSes yet to come - smartphones have gone a long way and the P910 is a milestone along the way. Samsung's recent Unpacked event was its busiest yet - we should know, we've been to all of them - it brought two foldable phones, two watches and new earbuds and bar none, all of these devices are at the front of their respective fields. So with the dust settled let's draw a few early conclusions from the event. Samsung's Galaxy Z series are the standard-bearers The first Galaxy Fold in 2019 was a true marvel. It was unlike anything we'd ever seen. But it was also a first-gen device and it wasn't fit for everyday duty. The Galaxy Z Fold2 5G was the first folding phone that was ready for that and it's no small feat for Samsung to achieve it only the second generation of its foldable project. But in 2021, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Z Flip3 5G are refined, sturdy, premium and truly ready to be carried and used daily. They're also the most rounded folding phones in business. They have the most advanced displays, capable and versatile cameras, mature and dependable software and competent build quality that leaves us confident that they won't fail during their tenure. Water resistance is impressive, but the S Pen is the standout feature A huge part of making the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Z Flip3 5G ready for mass adoption is the added water resistance. It's very complicated to water proof a device with two separate bodies and a moving hinge between them. Samsung goes into detail about the way it managed to pull it off in the video below. Keep in mind that the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Z Flip3 5G are not protected against dust, so you should still be a bit more careful with them. But the real win for Samsung's laudable engineer team is the S Pen support on the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. It took making a special S Pen with a softer, retractable tip, two individual digitizers and a lot of work to achieve the S Pen support and that's as impressive as it gets. It also softens the blow from not having a Galaxy Note series this year. Even better, Samsung is bundling a flip cover case and the S Pen Fold Edition with pre-orders in many regions, which would put an S Pen into many new Galaxy Z Fold3 5G owners' hands. Cameras disappoint The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G launches at $200/150 cheaper than its predecessor, while the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is a whole $450 cheaper. That brings the pair of foldables as close as Samsung could muster to the mainstream-acceptable price limit. But that required some cost-cutting. The cameras are the main victim. Taken mostly unchanged from the 2020 Galaxy Z Fold2 5G and Flip 5G, saying that the cameras are nothing special is an understatement. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G's main 12MP camera has a f/1.8 lens, 1/1.76" sensor and 1.8m pixels, which is decent by 2021 standards, but far from what flagships offer these days. But its fixed-focus 12MP ultrawide with 1.12m pixels and 12MP f/2.4 2x zoom with tiny 1.0m pixels are straight out of 2018. The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has the same non-autofocusing ultrawide and an even smaller main sensor. Sure, with Samsung's expertise in processing we expect both phones to do an adequate photography job, but they remain the major weak point in the two foldables' resumes. Particularly when the Huawei Mate X2 showed that foldable phones and flagship cameras don't have to be mutually exclusive. Under display camera enables an uninterrupted main display Samsung implemented a 4MP f/1.8 2.0m under display camera on the inner display of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. It's looking like this imager won't be as good as the regular 10MP punch-hole selfie of the old Fold2, which may appear as a downgrade. However it makes for an uninterrupted 7.6-inch main display and with the way most people used that camera it's actually a big step forward. The under-display camera will still serve fine for video chats, which is all it needs to do really. After all, with the Fold3 you still have a 10MP punch hole selfie on the cover screen, but crucially also the option to do selfies with the main camera by using the cover screen as a viewfinder. You can see the irregular pixel pattern over the 'hidden' camera if you go looking for it, but after a while you'll mind it even less than the crease that was supposed to be a big issue, but never troubled any of the adopters. All displays are better Samsung made updates to all the displays on the new Galaxy Z series devices. The cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G got four times larger and is finally usable for more than just switching off alarms, while its inside display got faster 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G's cover display also got the faster 120Hz refresh rate, and while the inner display' specs didn't change, it got brighter. Seeing how screens are the key feature of these foldable we'd say they really upped their game in the most important aspect. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is the more promising of the duo The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G comes with seven accent colors in a dual-tone design that immediately grabs the attention. The matte finish is lovely to touch and when folded, the Flip becomes a tiny and easily-pocketable thing. It's definitely the best-looking Galaxy around and there's a color combination for everyone. And, because it's the cheapest folding phone in the world, we expect it to do extremely well on the market. One UI is embracing foldables From the ability to pin a taskbar of favorite apps on the side of the 7.6-inch screen of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, to being able to make any app Multi window compatible, One UI has become a much smarter OS for the form factor. Samsung has optimized a lot of its menus to display more information in a dual-pane configuration and it's been working with partners, such as Google and Spotify to bring more information to apps on the big screen of the Fold. All of this, in addition to Samsung's DeX PC simulation and the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G's inherent design advantages for multitasking mean you'll be able to do more with One UI and the Fold. The Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic are the best Wear OS watches right now Thanks to Samsung's extensive experience in health monitoring, the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic will already have a leg up on other Wear OS watches. But the real improvement with these new wearables is the Exynos W920 chipset. Specifically-designed for wearables, this new 5nm chip has two Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali-G68 GPU, which should bring about 20% faster performance and much higher efficiency. The later is what what Goog;e's smartwatch ecosystem so desperately needed and it may prove to be a real game-changer. The Galaxy Buds2 make perfect sense They're sweat resistant, they have a lively design, they bring wired and wireless charging, active noise cancellation, better battery life than most competitors and are priced at 149. That may not seem cheap, but give Apple's 279 (200 at the time of this post) AirPods Pro a consideration and come back to us. Haiti - Earthquake : The international community has started to show its solidarity A few hours after the deadly earthquake that hit Haiti hard on Saturday August 14, 2021 12 km north east of Saint-Louis du Sud https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html, the International Community has started to show solidarity in order to provide assistance to Haiti: US President Joe Biden : On Saturday, US President Joe Biden "authorized an immediate US response and tasked the director of the US International Aid Agency (USAID), Samantha Powers, to coordinate this effort..." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34490-haiti-earthquake-statement-by-president-joe-biden.html Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada : "Everyone affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti is on the minds of Canadians. We are wholeheartedly with those who have lost loved ones and those who are injured and are ready to help in any way we can." Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic : Dominican President Luis Abinader also extended his hand, and ordered his Minister of Foreign Affairs to contact Prime Minister Ariel Henry, "to facilitate any assistance to the extent of our possibilities" See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34491-icihaiti-earthquake-the-dominican-government-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-haiti.html Pedro Sanchez Prime Minister of Spain : Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed the solidarity of the Government and the Spanish people with Haiti "You can count on the support of Spain to move forward after this terrible disaster." Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado, President of Mexico : President "AMLO" said he ordered immediate aid for Haiti. Sebastian Pinera, President of Chile : The Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, deplores that "once again Haiti has been struck with great damage to its population and to its infrastructures" adding "We have contacted the Haitian authorities and we are preparing a shipment of humanitarian aid which they have undoubtedly a desperate and urgent need [...]" Pedro Castillo President of Peru : President Pedro Castillo declared "As a regional government we will be attentive to provide the necessary support to the sister Nation in order to move forward in unity and fraternal integration." Other countries will undoubtedly follow, while waiting, Claude Joseph the Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked "the international institutions and friendly Governments who have expressed their solidarity at this tragic and painful moment for the Haitian people" stressing "the Government continues to "assess the damage caused by the earthquake with a view to better management of the situation and a rational distribution of the aid offered by partners and friends of Haiti." See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34491-icihaiti-earthquake-the-dominican-government-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34490-haiti-earthquake-statement-by-president-joe-biden.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34488-haiti-flash-more-than-300-dead-nearly-2-000-injured-very-significant-material-damage-provisional-assessment.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34487-haiti-flash-the-human-toll-promises-to-be-heavy-already-227-dead-and-hundreds-injured.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34486-haiti-flash-7-new-aftershocks-in-the-southern-peninsula.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34480-haiti-flash-second-earthquake-in-haiti-magnitude-52.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes-updated-10am.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH : The toll is increasing, 724 dead - International aid is arriving The Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) communicated shortly before noon a new partial human toll showing 724 deaths including 500 in the South, 100 in Grand'Anse, 122 in Nippes and 2 in the North-West, as well that a total of 2,800 wounded identified, following the earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale which hit Haiti hard on Saturday August 14, 2021 at 12 km north-east of Saint-Louis du Sud https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html ; yesterday at 5pm the balance sheet reported 304 dead and 1,800 injured https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34488-haiti-flash-more-than-300-dead-nearly-2-000-injured-very-significant-material-damage-provisional-assessment.html International aid is coming At the request of the Haitian government, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is deploying a search and rescue team to support the response team. This team of 65 peoples brings 52,000 pounds of specialized tools, equipment and medical supplies to research operations. This morning at 10:30 am, a shipment of 15 trunks containing medicines and emergency care equipment took off in the direction of the southern departments, Grande Anse and Nippes, affected yesterday by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. The PAHO/WHO team alongside the Ministry of Public Health and Population, UN agencies and other partners is working to assess immediate needs and ensure rapid assistance and effective to save lives. HL/ HaitiLibre EELS in the River Thames are in danger of becoming extinct, says an expert. Dr David Solomon, a retired freshwater ecologist, said the most likely cause was climate change, not over-fishing. He was speaking as he launched his latest book, which charts the history of fish and fisheries on the famous river. Dr Solomon, an experienced angler, said: Most anglers put back the fish they catch so I dont think the Thames has an overfishing problem. But eels are becoming very scarce. There has been a 90 per cent decline, which could have been caused by global warming. They are now in danger of becoming extinct in the Thames. Eels are an important part of the eco system and things will change without them. Its a great loss, something we will never get back. They had a major role in the Thames fisheries. There were many eels traps and mills paid their rents in eels to their landlords, so they were very important. I wish we knew why they are disappearing adults spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean and the larvae migrate towards European shores following the Gulf Stream current and something is going very wrong in the cycle. Its not just a problem in the River Thames but also in the Mediterranean and in European rivers. We dont know why and where in the cycle things are going wrong, it could be because of changes in the ocean currents or because of parasites. There is a lot of research going on to find out more because eels are very valuable. His book, A History of Fish and Fisheries of the River Thames, is his third and describes the development of fish stocks and fisheries of the Thames for food and for sport. Dr Solomon, 74, who lives in The Street, Ewelme, with his wife Yvonne, worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and as a fishery consultant. He said: I have done a lot of work on the Thames in the past and had a lot of information on it, which I found really interesting and wanted to share and I thought it was worth it. Im hoping it will be of interest to historians as well as local people. The book is illustrated with old engravings and photographs and contains anecdotes and stories from the Anglo-Saxons to the present day. These include the number and price of each species of local freshwater fish used to feed Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, in the days leading up to his execution in Oxford in 1556. Dr Solomon also writes about the years of efforts to re-introduce salmon to the river. There is also the story of a Henley man who caught more than 800 Thames trout over 3lb during his lifetime. Dr Solomon spent 20 years gathering information for the book and the last eight writing it. I kept going back to it but with lockdown I had more time to focus on it, he said. It was in danger of never being finished as I kept finding more and more information I wanted to include there are so many stories to be added but you need to stop somewhere. The book is not really a guide on how to fish there are too many books already telling you how to do that its about the fish themselves, the fisheries and their history. Dr Solomon started fishing when he was eight years old. He said: I always found water and the river fascinating. I caught my first fish, a gudgeon, with the help of my father, when I was eight. In six decades, he has been fishing in Scotland, Alaska, Russia, Tierra del Fuego and the Caribbean. Ive been fishing in many locations around the world but obviously much less in the past year-and-a-half because of the pandemic, he said. I entered a few fishing competitions in the past but I wasnt very good so I just do it for my own enjoyment. His biggest catch was a 181lb halibut that he caught in Alaska. The halibut is the worlds largest flat fish and can weigh up to 515lb each. Dr Solomon said: That was definitely my biggest catch but when I was fishing in Russia I caught seven salmon in a day, which is quite good. After retiring, I started writing about my experiences and the history of fishing locally. Ive always enjoyed it. My job involved a lot of report writing but it has definitely become a passion now. Dr Solomon now splits his time between writing and fishing with his six grandchildren. He said: The older ones, who are aged between five and seven, are really interested in it as long as its fun and as long as they catch something. Young people can be very impatient but they will learn. His first book was about the history of the River Exe in the South-West and was published in 2013. Last year, he published a book about Ewelme Brook, describing the stream and its place in the hydrogeology, landscape, history, rural economy and ecology of its catchment. Dr Solomon said: I gathered a lot of information on the brook, which is so important for the village and the main reason Ewelme exists. Its woven into the history of the village. The proceeds from sales of the book were split between Ewelme village store, the Friends of Ewelme Watercress Beds, the Ewelme Society and the Bensington Society. A History of Fish and Fisheries of the River Thames is published by Fluvial Books and is available from Richard Ways bookshop in Friday Street, Henley. Press Release 15 August 2021 When making purchases, almost everyone has experienced being offered special programs for which they can sign up. Promising future discounts and rewards in exchange for loyalty, these programs are by now nearly ubiquitous. But what happens to customer loyalty in the midst of a pandemic? Advertisements On April 27, a panel of experts joined Helen Chun, associate professor at the School of Hotel Administration (SHA) to talk about this very topic. In a keynote webinar titled What Keeps Us Coming Back: How to Build Customer Loyalty, produced by the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE), and eCornell, they explored emerging trends in loyalty-building for a world changed by COVID-19. The panel included Jacqueline Nunley, senior industry advisor for travel and hospitality at Salesforce; Ashwin Kamlani MMH 03, entrepreneur; Eliot Hamlisch, executive vice president for loyalty & revenue optimization at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; and David Rochefort 10, partner at Castle Peak Holdings and former president of Graduate Hotels. Below are some major takeaways from their discussion. Collaboration between companies creates opportunities for evolution Ashwin Kamlani began by examining the status quo ante of points-based, earn and burn loyalty programs, noting that prior to the pandemic, customers were being drowned in this proliferation of loyalty programs. However, with the arrival of COVID-19, customers were more likely to be stuck at home and interact with fewer brands, creating issues for the current model. To strengthen the relationship between companies and loyal customers, he raised the possibility of offering more value through collaboration between different companies, such as an airline and hotel chains. Although the environment and the plumbing has never really existed for those kinds of direct relationships, Kamlani suggested that identifying what each customer values and providing benefits through partnerships changes the landscape of loyalty. In the aforementioned example, he described how one of the airlines pre-COVID challenges was that 70% of their first-class seats had been going for free, as customers were using them for free upgrades. However, if they were to partner with a hotel who offered guests free first-class seats if they stayed at that hotel, with the hotel paying the airline even two hundred dollars for that upgrade, then everyone wins in that scenario. Centering loyal customers helps with retention during COVID-19 When we look at loyalty trends, engagement looked a lot different this past year. Loyalty has shifted or reset since the onset of the pandemic, and travelers expect to see differences going forward. To this end, Jacqueline Nunley emphasized how in the past we saw loyalty programs with double functions that persuaded customers to come back by offering incentives. They also permitted travel companies to track customer habit patterns, thus structuring their customer knowledge basis for marketing. Not much has changed except the customer. Today, we see that programs have the need to become more experiential to cultivate these new customer relationships. This is not really new, but it has show to be incredibly rewarding for businesses long-term. Nunley noted that loyal customers become advocates because of their experiences. They spend more time and money with a brand in any given category so long as they feel valued and their experiences are seamless, productive, memorable and even delightful. A 360 view of the customer simply translates into putting the customer at the center of everything that travel brands want to do. Nunley also stressed that emotional loyalty means customers are emotionally engaged. In addition, the importance of personalization, which today matters even more, is one of the most important factors in driving customer satisfaction that leads to loyalty and business growth. Loyalty in franchise and owner-operator operations Other topics covered included balancing between the dual customer sets of franchisees (hotel owners and guests), a unique issue for large franchise operations like Wyndham. On managing these relationships, Eliot Hamlisch described interacting with franchisees as a distinctly high-touch engagement because owners always have the option to stay independent. Owners who enter into franchise agreements expect a return on their investment, increasing the necessity for brands to drive out-sized value for them. From a guest-loyalty perspective, Hamlisch emphasized the importance of attracting, engaging, [and] retaining guests with incentives like point rewards and by simply thanking them for staying. Ultimately this results in a cycle wherein franchise fees are used to attract new members into a brands rewards program, incentivizing guests to return, thereby driving value for franchisees and guests alike. Smaller, owner-operator brands also have unique issues and advantages. David Rochefort spoke on this, emphasizing the agility of brands like Graduate, which makes for quick decision making at the associate level and property level. Personal engagement at the reception desk encourages customers to opt for a direct reservation rather than booking through OTAs (online travel agents). Data, Technology, and Subscription Models Also discussed were AI-driven personalization from customer data, which has seen an increase in applicability due to the pandemic, and the potential for a rise in subscription models to transform the landscape of customer loyalty. Nunley stated that prior to COVID, the focus was on collecting data on travelers attributes, behaviors, and identity. However, with the convergence of business, work-from-anywhere, and leisure, there is a greater need for travel companies to understand their customers intent, motivation, and sentiment for travel. Only then can companies deliver true personalization that meets the needs of travelers from a predictive and proactive standpoint in this new age of travel. In terms of subscription models, Kamlani described them as an attempt by companies to gain more ownership of the customer relationship, but expressed worry that they may be presenting customers with too many options as opposed to focusing on lifetime value. He noted a need for rewards beyond Join our program, and maybe youll get a discount. The Future of Loyalty On the future of loyalty, Nunley said that now is an extremely exciting time for brands to explore what loyalty will look like going forward, as there is the opportunity to begin leveraging data to really connect with all customers. Kamlani noted a recent influx of new regulations surrounding this data, which he sees as necessary, but which could create a level of complexity around how we continue to build loyalty programs. Rochefort predicted that the next five years would bring more growth to loyalty in the industry than the last thirty, with the pandemic proving a major factor in that acceleration. Hamlisch identified flexibility and personalization as two key ideas, necessary for franchisors, owner-operators, consultants to the industry, and guests alike. Professor Chun concluded by noting a trend of interest from a consumer psychologists point of viewthat the hospitality industry is trying to become more inclusive and relevant to the community-minded. With these trends in mind, its sure to be an innovative time for loyalty in the hotel industry, both now and in the years to come. To learn more about the subjects covered in this discussion, including additional points on building emotional connections and managing losses with many customers stuck at home, watch the full keynote recording on demand. The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday is set to release the results of the 2020 Census, which will have far-reaching implications on how federal funds are allocated and how political districts are redrawn. The numbers will arrive about 10 months after the bureaus self-reporting deadline, a delay which highlights the challenges that faced census workers attempting to collect massive amounts of data during a global pandemic. When the census data is released, it will provide the baseline statistics for the next decades worth of decisions related to once-a-decade political redistricting and the apportionment of federal funds and grants to state, county and municipal governments. With hundreds of billions of dollars at stake, Texas, for example, could lose $300 million in federal funds if the population was undercounted by just one percent , according to the Texas Demographic Center. The bureau has been building up to this moment since March 2018, when it delivered census questions to Congress for approval. The data released Thursday will include the most current statistics on the nations population and how it is divided by race, sex, ethnicity and age, on a level as small as a city block. Some experts fear, however, that the effects of COVID-19, along with new privacy measures, could lead to an inaccurate count. Communities that have always been considered hard to count, such as people of color, immigrant households and those without phone or internet access, may have been passed over to an even greater extent. In terms of community outreach, they were going door-to-door to encourage people to respond to the questionnaire but during the pandemic, people have concerns, so that might not have been as effective as in previous years. There are limited ways to do community engagement, said Jie Wu, director of research operations at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Adding to those concerns was a controversy around a citizenship question proposed by former President Donald Trump that ultimately did not make the cut, but that some feared would lead to greater hesitation in undocumented communities to respond to the census. The Trump administration dropped the question in 2019 after it was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. It was also likely difficult to accurately count people who live in group quarters such as dormitories, prisons or assisted living centers because those populations were continuously changing over the course of the pandemic. Still, due to improvements in technology over the last decade, the 2020 Census is expected to be one of the most accurate in American history, especially compared to pre-Internet counts, according to Texas Demographer Dr. Lloyd Potter. The U.S. Government Accountability Office expects the bureaus efforts to cost about $15.6 billion. I think with everything going onthey did everything they could to be as accurate as possible, but given the circumstances there were some limitations they experienced, Potter said. Early census returns, which tallied the general population of each state, found that Texas led the United States in raw population growth, adding nearly 4 million residents since 2010 for a total of 29,145,505 and entitling the state to two more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. When the last census data dropped, the Republican Party used it to redraw voting districts across America that gave them the biggest partisan advantage that either party had in decades, according to a formula designed to identify gerrymandering, or the practice of mapping a district to suit a partys needs. As the 2022 midterm elections approach, Potter said he expects to see both major parties try to use the data to their advantage. Very quickly youll see everybody, especially state legislatures, loading the data into their redistricting software and starting to explore different district boundaries that meet the criteria that theyll have to meet for the different districts theyll be drawing, Potter said. Theyll be drawing them to optimize their partys outcome, the Democrats will do that and the Republicans will do that, and of course in Texas the Republicans have the votes to prevail, so thats likely to be the case, he said. Wu said shes waiting like everyone else to see Thursdays results, and she hopes the numbers are accurate. American Community Surveys, which are conducted annually and provide an estimateof the data collected by the census, are useful, she said, but not as thorough as the decennial census. Weve found that the population growth in Houston has slowed down in recent years, but we would like to get more detailed information from the census data. Population trends are important, especially for our urban regions, to understand urban needs, etc. Wu said. I know a lot of community organizers have worked hard and put a lot of effort into reaching their communities, so well see, Wu said. sam.kelly@chron.com When my father told me in April that he had received his first coronavirus vaccine dose, I was happy for him. That also meant I was a bit closer to going to Buenos Aires to see him after almost two years. He was not as excited: I got the Chinese one, he texted me along with a picture of Mao, it was the only one available. At least you got a vaccine, I texted back. In those days being vaccinated in Argentina, which ranks in the top three in the world for per capita COVID deaths was a luxury and a relief. In times of scarcity, the best vaccine is the one you get. A few months later, when summer was sweeter than ever here in Houston and I could imagine a full house for Thanksgiving, delta brought back fears I thought wed buried deep. It canceled my plans to travel to Argentina, as it did for other expats, and put the virus back at the center of our attention. This time however, it shared the spotlight with its nemesis, vaccines. In the U.S., there were so many vaccines to choose from, so available everywhere, so free. In fact, in some states you even get paid to get the jab. Splendid. Then, why has the vaccination process that started in the U.S. with a steep curve flattened out for the most part? Why are so many Americans hesitant to get the vaccine? The U.S. is cursed with abundance vaccines are just the latest example and it appears that in the land of milk and honey a large group of people decided to be self-proclaimed lactose intolerants. Meanwhile, in Latin America, Africa and Asia, people are still scrambling to get vaccines, of any sort, and some countries are mixing and matching whatever they can find. Ive heard of people bursting into tears when their turn in line comes at the vaccination centers in Buenos Aires, feeling that, after months of lockdown and being surrounded by death, a new door opens. I can see the same picture in many cities of the world where getting a vaccine is more an act of perseverance and luck than a mere errand. Mexico City came up with a nice solution to calm and relax those waiting for a shot: actors in funny costumes and luchadores entertaining the anxious crowd. If youre lucky you can see Pandemio, the official vaccination mascot of the city. Its a panda bear, of course. I wish we could bring some of that energy here. Instead, our kids are going back to school in the midst of Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates and the healthy rebellion of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a battle that promises to have several chapters. Politicians are adding unwanted drama for children who are already facing the jitters of returning to school after so much isolation and a pandemic surge filling up pediatric ICUs. Companies and state agencies are starting to either require proof of vaccination or promote it in appealing ways. Vaccinated employees at Amazon can win $500,000 in a lottery. Several grocery stores are paying their hourly staff for the hours it takes to get the jab (and some add a bonus). And my favorite: Washington states Joints for Jabs program. We seem to be stuck between an Orwellian world of vax mandates and passports, and a Darwinian order of virus laissez fair. There are grays, though. People are entitled to have genuine doubts, as long as they rationally weigh the reasons and bear the cost of their decision. Even with all these incentives and benefits the U.S. hit a wall on its way to what now looks like a utopian scenario, the famous herd immunity. As the country waits and sees, sitting on a mountain of unused vaccines, the rest of the world is helplessly desperate to get there with little resources in sight. Bangladesh, with 166 million people and one of the highest population densities in the world, is only now starting a mass vaccination program. Only 3 percent of its population is fully vaccinated. In Africa, roughly 2 percent of the population has been vaccinated. Argentinas vaccination efforts started off rocky, but are now catching up quickly with local production and new purchases. The lack of vaccines forced the government to look for less conventional suppliers producing vaccines not fully approved by the scientific community such as Russia and China. You can see pictures of Argentineans getting the Sputnik V shot with a photograph of Putin in their hands, thanking him half jokingly, half serious. However, even these countries werent able to fulfill their contracts, and the general public mood, already inflamed, exploded when a secret VIP vaccination center for politicians and friends was discovered. The latest problem Argentina is struggling with is the shortage of the Sputniks second dose (a different component from the first). As many half-vaccinated people are missing their deadlines for it, the government went from one is more than enough to perform the worlds first open public vaccine experiment, mixing the Russian vaccine with AstraZeneca or Moderna. Official results have not been published yet. China and Russia were fast at implementing a vaccine diplomacy worldwide, a game the U.S. was late to get in (but more generous, since theyre donating the shots instead of selling them). The Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, always a fervent and outspoken opponent of Putins antidemocratic policies, suggested that his countrys vaccine diplomacy was being deployed at the cost of Russian lives. That might explain Russias low vaccination numbers, surprising for a country that developed its own. Mexico also dealt with shortages of all kinds, to the point that Mexican authorities identified a counterfeit version of the Pfizer vaccine circulating in the country. About 80 people received this version, which appears to be harmless. These fake vaccines were offered online for up to $2,500. (And all this while Americans are getting paid to get the vaccine.) The fact that also happened in Poland raises the question of not if but when and where theyre going to find the next batch of fake vaccines. Many countries depend on COVAX, the initiative backed by the World Health Organization aimed at securing an equitable global rollout. COVAX has pledged to send shots to some 92 countries, which have so far received only a fraction of the doses ordered from its top supplier, the Serum Institute of India, the worlds largest vaccine maker. One of the main reasons Serum wasnt able to comply? A ban on exports by the Indian government amid the countrys devastating second wave of COVID. The virus seems to be outsmarting us. Any arrival of new vaccines in these countries in need, no matter the quantity or the origin, is celebrated and politically exploited as well. (Someone should open an Instagram account named Presidents in airports welcoming vaccines.) Argentina went as far as only using airplanes from the state-owned Aerolineas Argentinas to bring vaccines home, making the deliveries perfect for newspaper covers, but not very efficient in terms of costs. As it usually happens, the poor are the ones carrying the heavy weight in this crazy and unequal race, since upper classes, especially in Latin America, are able to fly to the U.S. and enjoy a three-week vaccine vacation (or one week if your budget is not great and youre willing to get the J&J shot). I got several calls from people in Argentina and Mexico asking me about what vaccination was like in Houston. They all ended up in Miami, obviously, a city more prepared for COVID tourism. Affluent regiomontanos our neighbors in Monterrey were already accustomed to crossing the border regularly to shop, so I guess they just started adding a new stop in their trips. But what about the vast rest who cant even dream of coming here to benefit from the leftovers of a party so many Americans are not willing to continue? The abysmal disparity of vaccination rates in the world forced the WHO to oppose third doses until more people are vaccinated and to warn that low levels of vaccination in poor countries can fuel the emergence of new variants. Although indeed a world-scale tragedy, this problem is nothing but a classic case of demand-offer imbalance affecting every country in the planet, with the exception of a few. Among them, you guessed it, is the U.S. I miss Buenos Aires, my family and my friends. I want them to be safe. I dont like using a mask (but I do, nearly all the time). I want to send my kids to school without the fear of them getting infected. I just want all this to be over. For real. In my weakest moments I feel tempted to say that God gives bread to those who have no teeth, but Ive already seen Americans take a huge bite of that loaf. Half of it thats how many of in the U.S. are fully vaccinated. Lets finish what we started at home, spread the wealth abroad and move on to more important matters. Yes, that includes sharing a turkey in November with our folks. Masllorens is a writer and musician who lives in Houston. The potted plants are dead and the office fridge has become a science experiment. Many white-collar workers were fortunate to work from home during the pandemic, safely away from colleagues and their droplets. Now, nearly 18 months after saying goodbye to cubicle life, many of us are trickling back to the office. Although the rampaging spread of the delta variant has delayed the return of workers at some large companies, including Amazon, Google and Lyft, others, such as J.P. Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, are proceeding with office reentry as planned. It hasnt been a joyful reunion for everyone, and not just because it has meant finding the ossified remains of the banana we left on our desk in March 2020. I returned in July, with mixed emotions, to the Rice University campus, where I edit the alumni magazine for Rices Jones Graduate School of Business. On the one hand, the 1,000-square-foot house I share with my partner and our 18-pound cat has felt increasingly cramped with the three of us always in it, especially when one of us yowls for attention and pukes on the rug. So I was looking forward to coming back to an actual workspace with limited yowling. But there were drawbacks. Out of practice, I took forever to get ready for work. The commute felt interminable. And as my colleagues and I soon discovered, nearly all of the office electronics had inexplicably broken down during our absence. The printer wouldnt print; the fridge wouldnt refrigerate. I found myself missing the comforts of home. And my cat. Experts say Im not alone in having reservations about returning to the office. For some, remote work provided perks they dont want to give up. For others, a year of working from home was a slog, and theyre burned out. For all of us, the COVID-19 pandemic was a traumatic experience, and it will take time to get back to normal which may never look the same. So how can managers better manage the return to in-person work for employees who may not be thrilled to be back? First, acknowledge that this is a tough time for everyone. Psychologists know that periods of transition are the most stressful moments of our lives. Change is hard, says Mikki Hebl, a professor of psychology and management at Rices Jones Graduate School of Business. The pandemic has upended all of our lives, whether or not we or our loved ones got sick, due to isolation, lost jobs, food insecurity or just plain uncertainty. At the same time, weve also gone through what Hebl calls a racism pandemic, with high-profile acts of violence against Black and Asian Americans. The effects are certainly worse for Blacks and Asians, but research suggests members of every racial group have heightened stress regarding racial tensions, she says. The twin pandemics combined have taxed the mental health and coping skills of all Americans. When that happens, people start acting defensively and in their own self-interest, Hebl says. A smart manager will, first, understand the problem; second, address it; and third, give space for conversation and coming together. Dont assume you know what your employees are going through or that their anxieties are the same as yours. For example, a new survey from Project Include, a nonprofit that advocates for diversity and inclusion in the technology industry, revealed that workplace harassment paradoxically increased while people were working from home during the pandemic. More than a quarter of respondents experienced more gender-based harassment and 10 percent experienced more race-based harassment while working remotely. Ellen Pao, Project Includes CEO, said the surveys results show how deeply rooted discrimination has been in our workplaces since long before the pandemic struck. There was a lot of sexism, transphobia, xenophobia and all sorts of systemic bias in the tech sector, in business sectors generally, and in individual companies. COVID made it worse COVID didnt magically solve those problems, Pao said in an interview with Charter, a media and services company focused on the future of work. The big learning we had is people will harass people and be hostile to people no matter what the environment. They will find a way. Workers who are experiencing harassment will be even less likely to look forward to reuniting with their coworkers in person, a situation managers need to be ready to defuse, Hebl says. They should be open and available to hear about traumas their employees are experiencing, from COVID-related deaths in their family to trauma related to working while Black, she says. They should allow for check-ins about how people are doing what psychological spaces they are in and where else their mind might be. Understanding these issues, and showing compassion, will go a long way toward easing the transition back to the office, says Boris Groysberg, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to wane, we cannot expect to wake up one day and find our lives miraculously restored to what they were in pre-pandemic times. We will all be forever changed by this experience, and the transition to a post-pandemic world will be a slow and rocky one, Groysberg said in March. The pandemic has dragged on for so long that weve all had plenty of time to acclimate to our new normal, which for many of us included remote work. So even if working from home was difficult at first, weve fully adapted to it by now, says Kate Sweeny, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside. That has made returning to our old offices an unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable prospect. But there are ways to manage the anxiety that comes along with uncertainty. It helps to plan ahead to gain a sense of control over an uncertain future, Sweeny says. Second, you can look for the good in returning to work. Are there coworkers youve missed? Old routines that will be a welcome relief? Managers can help ease the transition by allowing workers to ramp up to their pre-pandemic office schedules, perhaps by working in person a day or two a week to start. And companies should consider building in more flexibility for employees who need it even after the pandemic is well behind us, Hebl says. The world is a different place now and so are workplaces. We cant just go back to two years ago and pick up where we were. Our world, our workforce has changed. And some of it will ultimately evolve into changes for the better, she says. For instance, many individuals lets take individuals with physical disabilities and new mothers, who often get only two weeks of unpaid leave to care for their babies, as examples should have long ago been given greater flexibility, support and pay to work from home. Shorter workweeks, job sharing and flex work are temporary strategies that worked well during the pandemic and should not be abandoned as possible ways for organizations to be flexible. Many caregivers and people with disabilities saw the opportunity to work remotely as a silver lining of the pandemic. Take Ruby Jones, a British disability activist who has a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which limits her mobility. She created a Twitter hashtag, #MyAccessiblePandemic, to highlight the ways the pandemic improved accessibility for disabled people. Working from home means I am able to work a full-time job without exhausting myself to the point of hospitalization, she tweeted. A chorus of other voices chimed in, including people with physical disabilities and mental illness. WFH means I can adjust my sleep/awake schedule as necessary to match my chronic fatigue cycles, one person commented. I've been able to attend really interesting talks, events and conferences I never would have been able to manage in person. I can switch my camera off if it gets too much and been able to type questions when my anxiety is high rather than have to speak, tweeted another. Some of the lessons we learned during the pandemic could help us create more inclusive workplaces for the future, Hebl says. We can do that by combining some of the highlights of our old normal such as connecting with coworkers and exchanging ideas face to face with a new normal that includes compassion and accommodation for those who need more flexibility to succeed. And flexible schedules for everyone could mean we all get to spend a little more time with our cats, for better or worse. Latson is the editor of Rice Business magazine and the author of The Boy Who Loved Too Much. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is asking the Biden administration to provide direct assistance to cities in need of medical staff during this latest wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations. She pointed out that the federal government has already helped Mississippi, Louisiana and Arizona with staffing needs. I have visited with a number of hospitals in our community and spoken to school district leaders as well, Jackson Lee said in a letter sent Thursday. There is a desperate need for a real commonsense response to the lack of hospital beds and the lack of nurses. Abbott on Wednesday said the state would deploy 2,500 out-of-state medical staff to help strained Texas hospitals handle thousands of COVID-19 patients. With a nationwide shortage of nurses, however, it remains unclear how soon Texas will be able to meet that goal. The Houston Democrat also asked Secretary of Education Michael Cardona to issue a federal mask mandate for schools. Cardona on Friday wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott warning that his prohibition of masks in schools may violate districts authority to provide safe learning conditions from students. Several cities, counties and school districts have issued mask mandates in defiance of Abbott, which have been upheld so far in Texas courts. The state Supreme Court, however, has the ultimate say; the body is expected to issue a decision within the coming days. The Houston region, meanwhile, on Saturday reached more than 3,600 COVID-19 hospitalizations, more than the peak of the January surge. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. You probably already know how important sleep is to your health and general well-being. You may even know that you need deep sleep every night to clear out the toxins that lead to Alzheimer's. But if you're running a company or managing a business, or just have a lot of work to do, it may seem to you that there's a tradeoff between getting as much sleep as you know you need and doing all the work that you need to get done. At least, I often feel that way. It turns out that's the wrong way to look at it because scientific research shows exactly how much we suck at our jobs when we don't get plenty of sleep--at least seven hours a night and ideally eight-and-a-half hours. So it really isn't a tradeoff between getting enough sleep and getting the important stuff done. There's a small but growing group of Inc.com readers who get a daily text from me with a self-care or motivational micro-challenge or idea. Often they text me back and we wind up in an ongoing conversation. (Interested in joining? You can learn more here.) Many are entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or authors, and they tell me that getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night is essential for their ability to function and their continued success. Some recent experiments show why that is, as physician Austin Perlmutter explains in a fascinating article on the Psychology Today website. Here are some scientifically demonstrated ways that not getting enough sleep can affect you as a leader. 1. You can't focus. A series of experiments at Washington State University in Spokane showed that participants who haven't had enough sleep performed poorly on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test, a simple 10-minute test in which subjects must push a button every time a light turns on and that is widely used to measure the effects of sleep deprivation. Not surprisingly, researchers found that participants who'd been kept awake for 62 hours performed very badly on the test. But they also restricted some participants' time in bed to six hours a night over two weeks. Those participants' performance also suffered--even though they didn't feel particularly sleepy. Keep these findings in mind if you think you're just fine on six hours of sleep a night. 2. Your judgment may be off. In another experiment at the University of L'Aquila in Italy, 42 subjects were restricted to five hours of sleep a night for five nights. Then the subjects were shown 90 images designed to elicit emotional responses that were positive, negative, or neutral. The subjects consistently viewed the negative images in a negative way. But when they were sleep deprived, they also viewed the positive and neutral images more negatively than when saw those images after plenty of sleep. This wasn't just a matter of tiredness making people grumpy because the effect was the same even when participants were in a good mood. For a business leader, the implications are obvious, and they should scare you. If five nights without enough sleep can make you think, say, that a piece of good news is really bad news, imagine how weeks or months of insufficient sleep might affect your ability to make good decisions. 3. You can't solve tough problems. Researchers have long explored the association between creativity and dreams. And of course, many of today's most famous creations, including the Beatles song "Yesterday" and the algorithm for Google's search engine, came to their creators in dreams. Creativity is essential for problem-solving and researchers have long suspected that the lack of both REM (dreaming) sleep and deep sleep can hamper your creativity. It can definitely impede your ability to solve difficult problems. Researchers at Lancaster University in England gave a series of problems, varying in difficulty, to 63 subjects. As expected, they were able to solve some of these problems, but not others. Subjects were given the chance to try again, either immediately, a few hours later, or after a good night's sleep. Those who had slept were better able than the others to solve tough problems that had stumped them the day before. Residents in the Suffolk town of Lowestoft have discovered that a new Banksy artwork has already been defaced. The mysterious graffiti artist recently confirmed he was behind new street art that appeared around Englands east coast. However, East Suffolk Council has now been forced to issue a statement after locals discovered the Lowestoft artwork, which shows a rat sitting on a deckchair, had been daubed with white paint overnight. We are naturally appalled that someone has chosen to behave in such a selfish and mindless way, given how excited we all are by the appearance of these works here on the east coast, the statement said. We are, however, hopeful that this particular work can be restored, and are engaging with specialists. The council said that prior to the rat art being confirmed as a genuine Banksy, it had placed an order for protective materials to safeguard the piece. In the interim, we have also employed security patrols to visit each site and, on this occasion, our patrols actually interrupted the individual defacing this work and prevented any further damage occurring, the statement continued. We are very grateful for the huge goodwill of local people who are proud of these artworks, but we would kindly ask people not to try and repair the works themselves, and to please leave this to professional restorers. Banksy claimed responsibility for the series, which he titled A Great British Spraycation, on his Instagram page last week. A video offered a behind-the-scenes look at the works creation. Other pieces included a scavenging seagull hovering above a skip, a group of children in a boat on a bridge wall, and a rat reclining in a deck chair sipping a cocktail, all which also appeared in Lowestoft. Hermit crabs holding a sign which read luxury rentals only appeared in Cromer, whilst the Frederick Savage statue in Kings Lynn was given the addition of an ice cream and a pink tongue. Arguably the standout Banksy artwork appeared in Great Yarmouth, which featured his name sprayed on to a house at the Merrivale Model Village, alongside the phrase go big or go home. Additional reporting by Press Association Afghanistans president Ashraf Ghani has fled the country after Taliban fighters entered Kabul and sought the surrender of the government. Senior officials confirmed his departure on Sunday as the Taliban made further, swift gains in and around the capital. To avoid bloodshed, I thought it would be better to leave, he said on Facebook later on Sunday in his first comments since fleeing. There were conflicting reports he had flown to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, although the presidents office said it cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghanis movement for security reasons. Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan national security adviser, and a second close associate were with Mr Ghani when he left. Initial confirmation came from two sources an official in the office of Afghanistans former president, Hamid Karzai, and another an aide on the Afghan security council who spoke to the Associated Press news agency. A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Mr Ghanis whereabouts. Militants were later pictured inside the presidential palace as they prepared to announce a Taliban government. Mr Ghanis departure at the end of a week in which the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan, shocking Western military analysts who predicted a much slower advance signalled the end of a 20-year experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan. In his Facebook post, Mr Ghani said he had faced a difficult decision, with the fate of millions of Kabul residents and the security of the city at stake after 20 years of war in which countless numbers had already been killed. He added that the Taliban insurgents now faced an historic test. "The Taliban won victory in the judgment of sword and gun and they have responsibility to protect the honour, prosperity and self-respect of our compatriots," he said. Columbia University-educated Mr Ghani, 72, spent several years living abroad before returning to his home country following the fall of the Taliban in 2001. He was first elected in 2014 and was re-elected for a second term five years later. Close Biden says 13,000 evacuated from Afghanistan The Taliban must not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for terrorism, Nato has said. After the alliances foreign ministers met virtually on Friday, they released a statement saying: We will not allow any terrorists to threaten us. We remain committed to fighting terrorism with determination, resolve, and in solidarity. The message comes after reports that fighters from the militant group massacred nine Hazara men in south-eastern Afghanistan early last month. Fighters shot six people dead and tortured another three to death in the village of Mundarakht in Ghazni province, eyewitnesses told Amnesty International. The cold-blooded brutality of these killings is a reminder of the Talibans past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring, said Agnes Callamard, the human rights groups secretary general. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is to chair a Cobra meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan, Downing Street said. The British government has been widely criticised for its handling of the crisis, with both the prime minister and foreign secretary Dominic Raab away on holiday shortly before Kabul fell. The Taliban is in control of Afghanistan 20 years after being overthrown by American and British forces, with its fighters patrolling the streets of Kabul and the countrys president, Ashraf Ghani, fleeing abroad. The Islamists seized Kabul after capturing the last remaining major cities from the government and tightening the noose around the capital by systematically cutting off every route out to the rest of the country. There is now deep apprehension of what the future holds for this shattered country in the gathering darkness among many of those who oppose the harsh theocratic rule of the jihadists. The Taliban has assured that no retribution will be taken, but there have been executions in areas under its control such as Spin Boldak and Ghazni. It was reported in the afternoon that Mr Ghani had flown to Tajikistan along with national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib and other close associates. In a Facebook post later on Sunday, Mr Ghani confirmed he had flown out of Afghanistan and said he had sought to avoid bloodshed with the fate of millions of people at stake as the Taliban entered Kabu. The president, who did not disclose his location, said insurgents now faced an historic test. The Taliban won victory in the judgment of sword and gun and they have responsibility to protect the honour, prosperity and self-respect of our compatriots, he said. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan delegation at the talks with the Talibs in the Qatari capital, Doha, who lost to Mr Ghani in a disputed presidential election, commented: The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation. God should hold him accountable. There were claims in the afternoon that Mr Ghani had agreed to resign. There was no confirmation of that, however, though in a recorded speech he said negotiations will lead to a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said talks were underway to achieve this. Any transfer, however, would mean an effective surrender of power to the Taliban and, with it, all that it is feared will be lost on human rights, equality for women, freedom of expression and the democratic process of government. Safety, however, was the most immediate concern for the people of Kabul. There were outbreaks of shooting, at first sporadic and then later slightly more sustained, on the streets. Small groups of armed men could be seen in the morning in some of the suburbs, especially on roads coming in from the Logar province. Further into the city motorcyclists with keffiyehs around their faces took photographs at checkpoints and government buildings, and also of the heavily fortified and supposedly secure green zone which has now been largely abandoned. Afghan people stand along the roadside as they wait for taxis in Kabul yesterday (AFP/Getty) By late afternoon there was no need for the Talibs to hide their face as they spread through the city centre at the invitation of the interior ministry to man posts left by Afghan security forces. The Islamist group said it was ensuring that no looting took place with the breakdown of law and order. The fighters seemed relaxed in their victory, carrying out minimal checks on vehicles. Soldiers in an Afghan army convoy on the airport road, half a mile from a Talib position, said they had no orders to go into the city. There were reports that a curfew had been ordered. It was unclear whether it was for 8 or 9pm and it was also unclear who had ordered the curfew. Talib fighters at a checkpoint said they knew nothing about it. US helicopters flew overhead constantly from the morning. The aircraft, however, were not engaged in combat, but mainly carrying diplomats out of the American embassy to the airport for emergency evacuation. The Chinooks hovering over the US embassy did not quite, perhaps, mark Afghanistans Saigon moment. The humiliating departure after defeat in Vietnam is not being fully replicated, with a force of more than 4,600 American and British troops arriving in Afghanistan. Joe Biden ordered the sending of a thousand more US troops to add to 3,000 already there. Britain has deployed a contingent of 600 led by the 16th Air Assault Brigade. Taliban fighters and local residents sit over an Afghan National Army (AFP/Getty) Late on Sunday it was reported that Kabul airport was closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continued. There were also unconfirmed reports of shooting near the airport. The Taliban offensive, with its devastating consequences, began after Mr Biden withdrew 2,500 American forces from Afghanistan in great haste, forcing British and other Nato forces to leave as well. Afghans point out ruefully that the president is now prepared to deploy almost twice as many troops for the safety of a handful of Americans than he was to keep a country from the grasp of jihadists. In an example of the monumental failure of US intelligence about what was to befall Afghanistan, President Biden declared just five weeks ago the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. In another example of a seeming lack of grasp of reality the US State Department said after a telephone call with Ashraf Ghani on Saturday that Washington was committed to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Afghan government. Mr Ghani fled 14 hours later. Kabul had been gripped by a state of panic in the last few days with the airport jammed to those seeking flights and a rush to buy food and other essentials from stocks in shops dwindling in supplies and rocketing in price. There has been a run on the banks which insist no more cash is available to be given out. The office of President Ghani issued a statement in the morning, following the outbreaks of shooting, asking the people of Kabul not to be worried as Afghan and international coalition forces were in control of the situation. The US and UK have repeatedly stressed that their forces would not get involved in the fighting, and it remained unclear why the presidents office felt that the two countries would want to stoke the dying embers of the civil war. The insurgents have been careful not to attack American and other western troops under the terms of the Doha Agreement, focusing their deadly attacks on the Afghan security forces. There have been repeated warnings of retribution from Washington if that changes. The Taliban in a statement in the morning said it was undecided on whether to launch an assault on the capital. A separate decision will be taken later, said the groups spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. However, he added, people should be assured that we dont want a state of war in Kabul or, God forbid, anyone to be harmed. The group later issued a second statement promising that no ones life, property and dignity will be harmed and lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk. Afghans have, however, heard assurances of an end to violence quite a lot recently, only to have hopes of that dashed. I was thinking this morning that I am 20 years old, I was born the year the Taliban rule ended. The life I wanted will end now, 20 years later Afshaneh Ansari, Afghani woman Waleed Mohammed Hamidullah, a 48-year-old businessman, standing in frustration in front of a shut bank, said: We are very, very nervous about what is going to happen. There is nowhere we can go because, as you know, Kabul has been surrounded. I tried to draw some money out to buy airline tickets on the black market, but as you can see it is now shut. Ill try again tomorrow, but I am not hopeful. Abdul Karim Huseini had only managed to buy half of the food he felt his family needed for the days ahead. People had been buying in bulk. I have got family members who came from other parts of the country staying with me, I dont think I have enough for us all now, he said. These are terrible times, we want an end to the fighting. Afshaneh Ansari also wants an end to the violence. But the coming Taliban rule means that the life she has dreamt of and devoted so much to achieve will be gone. I wanted to be an artist trying to fuse Afghan and western art. I am also an activist on gender issues, said the student at Kabul University. I dont think that will be possible now, not in Afghanistan. I was thinking this morning that I am 20 years old, I was born the year the Taliban rule ended. The life I wanted will end now, 20 years later. Over the last year, the worlds richest countries have demonstrated their ability to quickly mobilise and implement efficient action. From the development of the vaccine in under one year for context, the second-fastest developed vaccine was for mumps, which took four years to the closure of businesses and restrictions of travel, these countries were able to look at the resources available and manage them to create a positive outcome. Covid-19 presents a very visible and indiscriminate threat that has affected countries across the world, but there is a glaring disparity between nations in terms of their ability to control its spread. Like Covid-19, the climate crisis is also a very real threat to communities across the world, but this threat isnt viewed as a pressing concern in wealthier countries, allowing us to favour long-term ambitions over immediate action. Now, the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has delivered a damning report on the state of the climate crisis, the first of its kind since 2013, proving there is no time to waste. As wildfires blaze in Greece and Italy, and Germany recovers from catastrophic flash floods, the consequences of human influence have been brought into sharp focus. In June, the G7 Summit in Cornwall promised action on the climate crisis, but a global disaster cant be solved by seven countries looking inwards. What we need is a holistic outlook which is why Novembers UN Climate Change Conference (Cop26) presents an opportunity to establish a more immediate approach to tackling the climate crisis. The UK set the scene for the G7 Summit with a rhetoric of building back greener. We must move away from this for Cop26 and learn from our mistakes rather than building back the same, broken system masked by greener rhetoric. If Cop26 is to set the agenda for the future, we need a radical shift in how we talk about solutions. This pandemic isnt over in the UK until its over across the world. Weve been too slow to send support to countries in need, and we are now feeling the impact as new strains enter the country. The same goes for the climate crisis global warming doesnt stop at borders. Its everyones problem. The G7s repetition of an old promise to provide $100bn (72bn) a year to countries vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis represented, according to Malik Amin Aslam, climate minister to Pakistan, peanuts in the face of catastrophe. At Cop26, climate finance will be a hot topic. Its time for the worlds richest countries to put their money where their mouths are, and really look at what they can do to finance change. Weve all heard the phrase net zero by 2050. These kinds of unambitious targets lull us into a sense of security, a false impression that the climate crisis is not an urgent issue. That may be easy for us in the UK, where rising sea levels wont mean that we immediately see major climate devastation in our backyards. Other countries, such as island communities like the Maldives, where the highest point is only 2.4m above sea level, dont have this privilege. The endless need for resources to maintain our carbon-intensive lifestyles is fuelling the environmental crisis. This is an immediate issue, and Cop26 needs to ignite an open discussion about setting more ambitious targets in the fight against climate change we have seen with the pandemic how attitudes change when the immediacy of the threat is highlighted. As the IPCC report suggests, if our leaders can set more ambitious targets, such as cutting global CO2 emissions in half by 2030, we may be able to slow this dramatic rise in temperatures and potentially avoid hitting a tipping point. Its easy to look at this report and the news and feel despair, but Cop26 does present an opportunity for a pivotal point in tackling the impact of climate change. A gear shift from the elitism of G7, Cop26 is about finding global solutions to this global problem. The climate crisis is already here and needs to be tackled with the same urgency as the pandemic. Professor Karl Williams, director of the Centre for Waste Management at the University of Central Lancashire Thai riot police fired tear gas and sprayed water cannons Sunday as more than 100 anti-government protestors marched on an army base in the capital Bangkok where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence. The group of mainly young demonstrators pelted the police lines that blocked their way, hurling rocks, fireworks and small explosives known as ping-pong bombs. Images on Thai television showed a police traffic control booth in flames. Sunday marked the fourth time in the past seven days that protestors and police have fought in the Din Daeng area of the city. Demonstrators are calling for Prayuths resignation over his perceived bungling of the governments coronavirus vaccination program. Thailand has seen infection rates surge in the past few weeks while vaccination rates remain low. But the protests are also part of a wider push for sweeping political change that includes the resignation of the government, a new constitution and most contentious of all fundamental reform of the powerful but opaque monarchy Elsewhere, thousands of protestors in vehicles and riding motorbikes gathered for a mobile anti-government rally. They met in three locations to hear speeches before slowly driving around the city. By staying in vehicles they hoped to minimize participants potential exposure to COVID-19. One of the main organizers, Nattawut Saikua, a veteran activist and former deputy minister, appealed to those taking part to keep it peaceful, saying violence would alienate many potential supporters. As police and protesters clashed in the Din Daeng area, Nattawut went to the scene to ask the protestors to disperse. We are not here for violence. Were not here to beat the officers or riot police. Were here to beat Prayuth Chan-ocha, he said. A murder investigation has been launched after a woman in her 70s was stabbed to death in west London. A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of murder at the scene in Notting Hill before being taken to hospital to receive treatment for a minor injury. Officers were called to an address in St Lukess Road at around 2.10pm on Saturday, August 14, following reports of a disturbance. A woman, believed to be in her 70s, was found inside the address suffering stab wounds. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: Officers, London Ambulance Service and Londons Air Ambulance all attended the scene. A woman - believed aged in her 70s - was found inside an address suffering stab injuries; despite the best efforts of the emergency services she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.56pm. Her next of kin have been informed. A man - aged in his 20s - was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. He has been taken to hospital for treatment to a minor injury. Police said there were no reports of any other injuries and a crime scene remains in place. Applicants for gun licences should face a trawling of their online content to understand more about them and their views, according to a former police chief. Lord Stevens, an ex-Metropolitan Police commissioner, made the comments in the wake of a mass shooting in Plymouth, whose gunman appeared obsessed with the misogynistic incel subculture in social media posts. Jake Davison killed five people including his mother and a three-year-old girl and injured two others before turning his gun on himself in the Keyham area of Plymouth on Thursday. The gunman was clearly a dangerous man there is no doubt he was a threat, Lord Stevens told The Sunday Telegraph. The videos he made should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence. He told the newspaper: There needs to be trawling of online content for an in-depth assessment of who these people are and what they think. We need to ensure that guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people. Davisons social media activity suggested an interest in guns and America, as well as incel culture, which is made up of men who feel they are oppressed by women due to a perceived lack of sexual interest. Nazir Afzal, who was previously chief crown prosecutor for the northwest, said the 22-year-olds posts painted a picture of a man who thought women were lesser beings. Speaking about misogynistic posts made by incels online, Lord Stevens told The Sunday Telegraph: I would suggest people posting these kinds of comments clearly pose a concerning threat. Friends of the victims and politicians have been raised questions over Davisons firearms licence and an investigation has been launched into the return of his gun which had been taken away following an assault allegation weeks before Thursdays mass shooting. According to reports, Davisons firearms licence was returned after he attended an anger management course. Terry Luscombe, 68, who knew the gunmans mother, told The Independent: The one thing I cant understand is how they can give him a licence for the gun. Apparently the police had altercations with him over the years. Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the probe by a police watchdog into why the gunman was handed back his gun weeks before the attack, but asked: How on earth did he get a gun licence in the first place? What back-up checks were done? Meanwhile Plymouth MP Luke Pollard told The Independent he wanted to see a thorough investigation into why Davison had a gun licence. Why he was given back that gun? Thats the question that people in this community have, he added. Davison killed his mother, 51-year-old Maxine Davison, three-year-old Sophie Martyn and her father 43-year-old Lee Martyn, 59-year-old Stephen Washington and 66-year-old Kate Shepherd in Thursdays attack, which was the UKs first mass shooting in more than a decade. Parliament has been recalled for one day on Wednesday, amid growing criticism of the failure of western governments to halt the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. MPs have been brought back from their summer holidays to debate the crisis, with Boris Johnson also leading an emergency Cobra meeting on Sunday afternoon following the dramatic events in Kabul. Dominic Raab, the under-fire foreign secretary, is believed to be returning from a holiday, as the crisis deepens. He tweeted he had shared my deep concerns with the Afghan foreign minister, adding: Critical that the international community is united in telling the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights must be protected. Labour had demanded a recall, while the Liberal Democrats are calling on the prime minister to host a Westminster leaders crisis meeting on the Afghanistan situation. Senior Conservatives are turning on the prime minister over his inaction, after he insisted the UK is hamstrung following the US pullout from Kabul. Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, attacked the biggest single policy disaster since Suez and questioned the invisibility of Mr Raab. I dont know what is in the works because we havent heard from the foreign secretary in about a week despite this being the biggest single policy disaster since Suez, he said. Johnny Mercer, the former defence minister, said: I never thought Id see the day, either as a serviceman or as a member of the Conservative Party, where we would essentially surrender to the Taliban and leave these people to their fate but that day has come. A No 10 source said Mr Johnson was seeking a recall of parliament to discuss the crisis, with Wednesday quickly confirmed as the date by Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker. Earlier, Keir Starmer said the crisis is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour. The government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses, which lets be clear will have ramifications for us here in the UK, the Labour leader said. We need Parliament recalled so the government can update MPs on how it plans to work with allies to avoid a humanitarian crisis and a return to the days of Afghanistan being a base for extremists whose purpose will be to threaten our interests, values and national security. Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, We must not conclude that this rapid collapse was inevitable. It was not. Today, our leaders should all hang their heads in shame. The Taliban entered Kabul from all sides, amid expectations that the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani will give up power to allow an interim government led by the Taliban to be formed. Mr Tugendhat added: The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps. Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, condemned the western retreat as completely humiliating and predicted a humanitarian disaster. But he went further, amid fears that allowing Afghanistan to disintegrate into a failed state will pave the way for the return of al-Qaeda, which carried out the devastating 2001 attack on New York. I would not be surprised if we see another attack on the scale of 9/11, almost to bookend what happened 20 years ago, as a poke in the face to the Western Alliance to show how fruitless our efforts have been over the last two decades, Mr Ellwood said. A terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11 is highly likely unless Boris Johnson intervenes to help halt the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a senior Conservative claims. Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Commons defence committee, condemned the Western retreat as completely humiliating and predicted a humanitarian disaster. But he went further, amid fears that allowing Afghanistan to disintegrate into a failed state will pave the way for the return of Al-Qaeda, which carried out the devastating 2001 attack on New York. Dont forget that we will see further terrorist attacks, Mr Ellwood told Times Radio, but speaking before the Taliban entered Kabul from all sides. I would not be surprised if we see another attack on the scale of 9/11, almost to bookend what happened 20 years ago, as a poke in the face to the Western Alliance to show how fruitless our efforts have been over the last two decades. Mr Johnson has insisted UK troops will not return to the country, after attempting, but failing, to construct an alliance to continue operations even after the US pullout. But Mr Ellwood said: I plead with the prime minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state. We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. The government should deploy the Royal Navys HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group to the region, to provide air support, Mr Ellwood said. We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not steeping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail. On Friday, the defence secretary Ben Wallace revealed his fears, saying: I am absolutely worried. Failed states are breeding grounds for those type of people Al-Qaeda will probably come back. The Tory chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee called the collapse of Afghanistan the biggest single policy disaster since Suez and questioned the invisibility of Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary. Afghans who helped the British now faced reprisals if they fell into the hands of the Taliban, he warned, Tom Tugendhat told the BBC, saying: This isnt just about interpreters or guards. This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now. The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps. Mr Tugendhat attacked a policy void, saying: I dont know what is in the works because we havent heard from the foreign secretary in about a week despite this being the biggest single policy disaster since Suez. Red Wall and other poorer areas of England will lose up to 1bn of development cash this year because of Brexit, despite Boris Johnsons vow to level up the country. The government promised to match the grants to build local economies by attracting businesses and jobs when the UK left the EU, but has yet to set up a promised replacement fund. Instead, just 220m is being made available across the whole of the UK for 2021-22, and no money has yet been handed out at all even though the financial year is nearly halfway over. Areas of the North and Midlands, many of which switched to the Tories at the 2019 election after the prime ministers levelling up pledge, received 500m a year from EU Structural Funds, new analysis shows. Now they will receive only a slice of the stopgap 220m Community Renewal Fund amid further anger that councils had to put in bids, rather than be allocated cash according to need. Some areas in the South have been made new priority areas, despite criticism that other funding pots have been skewed to Tory constituencies, including those of Cabinet ministers. In total, English regions were awarded 1.12bn from the EU in 2018, the latest available figures suggesting a loss of up to 1bn this year, depending on allocations from the stopgap fund. The biggest likely losers are the Midlands (190m in 2018), Yorkshire (143m), Cornwall (95m), the north west (88m) and the north east (80m), according to the figures obtained by Labour. Wales will be even harder hit having been in line to receive 373m a year in the EU while Scotland received 125m a year. Labour said the revelation makes a mockery of the pledge to tackle the gulf between rich and poor areas, while one northern business group said it suggested levelling up will mean nothing. Some so-called Red Wall areas are suffering potentially bigger losses than the figures suggest, because the Tees Valley, Durham and South Yorkshire were tipped to move into a higher funding bracket, but for Brexit. The losses follow fierce criticism of Mr Johnsons major speech on levelling up last month, which he himself admitted lacked worked-up policy measures. James Ramsbotham, chief executive of North East England Chamber of Commerce, said the promised Shared Prosperity Fund to replace EU money was crucial to turning around economic deprivation. Despite being first proposed in 2017, we still have little indication of what it will do or how it will work, he protested. Levelling up will mean nothing unless government acts quickly to replace Structural Funds in a fair and transparent way. Steve Reed MP, Labours shadow communities secretary, said: This research makes a mockery of the Conservatives pledge to to fix the gigantic regional inequalities they have created. Not only is the government failing to fulfil its promise to match what these regions have lost, it is making them bid against each other for what little funding there is, prioritising rich areas over poorer ones. And the Welsh governments economy minister, Vaughan Gething, attacked the situation as chaotic, undermining its worked-up development plan. Wales is now being denied jobs and investment at the worst possible time. You simply cannot do this work on the hoof and no responsible government would attempt to, he said. During the years of austerity after 2010, poorer regions of England lost almost all economic development funding from Whitehall prompting fears that EU money would also go after Brexit. The Brussels grant stream 1.73bn across the UK in 2018 funded scientific research centres and business parks, among many other schemes, levering in private finance to boost the public spending. In response, the government promised the UK-wide Shared Prosperity Fund to replace it, but it has been dogged by delays and uncertainty over how it will operate. It is due to start next April, but bids have not yet been sought and there are doubts over whether all funding will be replaced, with the government committed to spending an annual average of 1.5bn. With ministers and officials Whitehall making the decisions on allocations, there are also fears of a power-grab that will undermine the Union. In the interim, 11m of the 220m Community Renewal Fund will go to Northern Ireland and 14m will be shared by 100 priority places this year leaving less than 200m to be distributed. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government declined to comment on why the Shared Prosperity Fund will not start until next year, and did not address any criticism of the bidding process. A spokesperson said: Funding will ramp up so that total domestic UK-wide funding will at least match EU receipts, reaching around 1.5 billion a year. All 16- and 17-year-olds in England will be offered their first Covid vaccination in the next eight days, as health chiefs race to deliver protection before schools return. Walk-in centres are now open across the country and an online site has been launched to help young people find the most convenient site for them. Many teenagers will be sent texts or letters to urge them to book their appointments in time to allow a two-week gap for immunity to build up, before they restart lessons in September. I have asked the NHS in England to ensure they offer a first dose of the vaccine to everyone aged 16 and 17 by next Monday 23 August, said Sajid Javid, the health secretary. This will make sure everybody has the opportunity to get vital protection before returning to college or sixth form. Please dont delay get your jabs as soon as you can so we can continue to safely live with this virus and enjoy our freedoms by giving yourself, your family and your community the protection they need. Around 1.4 million 16- and 17-year-olds across the UK are eligible to receive a first jab, after the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) shifted its advice this month. They will receive a Pfizer dose amid concerns about the slightly higher risk of blood clots in the young from the AstraZeneca version and do not need their parents consent. No decisions have yet been taken about second jabs for 16- and 17-year-olds, as more data is collected on possible heart inflammation. Clinically vulnerable 12- to 15-year-olds, who face an increased risk from Covid-19, are also advised to be vaccinated, but the JCVI came out against a programme for all under-18s. The government has joined forces with dating apps, social media platforms and firms including Uber and Deliveroo to incentivise for young people to get the vaccine. Teenagers within three months of their 18th birthday, as well as all adults, can book an appointment on the NHS website. There are hopes of declining vaccine hesitancy among adults, with seven in ten 18- to 29-year-olds now having had their first dose. Data last week suggested more than 84,000 lives have been saved by the vaccine programme, since the first jab was delivered to the then 90-year-old Margaret Keenan last December. It is calculated to have stopped about 23 million infections preventing the pandemic exploding again after lockdown rules in England were scrapped last month. Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are 96 per cent effective at preventing hospitalisation, while the AstraZeneca jab is 92 per cent effective, research shows. However, cases remain much higher in the UK than elsewhere in Europe, with 29,520 new infections and 93 further Covid-related deaths recorded on Saturday. Left-wing Labour voices including former leader Jeremy Corbyn have criticised an apparent move by the party to expel veteran filmmaker Ken Loach. Mr Loach, a life-long socialist, said he had been ejected after he refused to disown other critics from the Labour left who had already been removed, accusing Sir Keir Starmer and his clique of a witch-hunt. Reacting to his expulsion, Mr Corbyn said the 85-year-old deserves our respect and solidarity and used the hashtag StandWithKenLoach. Ken Loach has made outstanding films from Cathy Come Home to I Daniel Blake, directed brilliant broadcasts for Labour, and has always stood with the oppressed, the Islington North MP said. Ken Loach backs Labour leader Corbyn's 'big ideas' Richard Burgon, who served in Mr Corbyns shadow cabinet, described the apparent expulsion as outrageous. He said: Ken's films expose the deep injustices that scar our society and have inspired so many people to seek to build a better society. Those are the values of socialism that should be at the heart of our Party. Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, wrote: How is Ken Loach more dangerous than Boris Johnson and the Tories? #StandWithKenLoach. Jon Trickett MP tweeted: What kind of people would remove someone of Ken Loachs immense calibre from the Labour Party? Labours Zarah Sultana said it was shameful that Mr Loach, a renowned filmmaker whose art gives voice to the impoverished and oppressed, had been removed. And left-wing professor Yanis Varoufakis suggested Mr Starmer had proven his determination to purge Labour of its anti-fascist, anti-racist soul. In an earlier tweet, the former Greek finance minister claimed that in removing Mr Loach, officials were leaving behind an arid, soulless Labour Party. Mr Loachs expulsion comes after the party last month expelled four associated groups on the grounds that they were not compatible with Labour values. They included groups which had been critical of Sir Keirs efforts to tackle antisemitism within the party's ranks. Mr Loach, who has long expressed his socialist ideals through films such as I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You, has previously attracted criticism for referring to charges of antisemitism within Labour as exaggerated or false. I, Daniel Blake - Official Trailer Others publicly backed his removal on Saturday, including Labour MP Neil Coyle, who wrote: Goodbye Ken Loach. You were against Labour in government and fielded people against us even 5 years after we left office, helping the Tories, but still mindless cretins pretend you were Labour ... Good riddance. Labour has not confirmed Mr Loachs expulsion, with a spokesperson saying they do not comment on individual cases. The U.N. Security Council condemned deliberate attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and all instances of terrorism in the strongest terms on Tuesday, while declaring its opposition to restoration of rule by the Taliban In a press statement agreed by all 15 members, the U.N.s most powerful body called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to engage meaningfully in an inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in order to make urgent progress towards a political settlement and a ceasefire. The Security Council expressed deep concern at the high levels of violence and reported serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan following the Talibans offensive. It urged an immediate reduction in violence. The war between the Taliban and Afghanistans government forces has intensified over the past few months as U.S. and NATO troops complete their pullout from the war-torn country. The Taliban are now trying to seize provincial capitals after already taking smaller administrative districts. The council is expected to hold an open meeting Friday on the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement. In the statement, the council condemned in the strongest terms the deplorable attack against the United Nations compound in western Herat on Friday that killed an Afghan security forces guard and injured several others. Council members reiterated that all parties are required to protect civilians under international humanitarian law and that deliberate attacks targeting civilians and U.N. personnel and compounds may constitute war crimes. It said that the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice. The council reaffirmed that there is no military solution to the conflict and stressed the need for full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace negotiations. Under the Taliban, women were not allowed to go to school, work outside the home or leave their house without a male escort. Though they still face many challenges in the countrys male-dominated society, Afghan women have increasingly stepped into powerful positions in numerous fields and many fear the departure of international troops and a Taliban takeover could take away their gains. Over the last several weeks, US border agents in Memphis have seized more than 3,000 fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination cards, mocked up to look like cards provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shipped from China and headed to New Orleans. US Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted counterfeit shipments every night, the agency announced on 13 August. On 10 August, officers seized more than a dozen shipments headed to other states, including Alabama, New York, New Jersey, South Carolina and Tennessee, according to the agency. The seizures come as more cities require vaccinations for a range of indoor activities, including restaurants, cinemas and gyms. The agency reports that suspicious packages include low quality index cards that include blank spaces for a vaccine recipients name and birthdate, the vaccine maker, lot number, and date and place the shot was given just as the CDC cards include. But counterfeit cards include typos, unfinished words, and some of the Spanish verbiage on the back was misspelled, the agency announced. Though they may come in packs of 20, 51, 100, there are never any attempts to conceal them in anything, according to the agency. They arent hidden in books, nor are they stuffed in the back of framed paintings. A market for phony vaccination cards has followed a rise in vaccine requirements among businesses, institutions and elsewhere, for both customers and employers, to curb the spread of the disease and accelerating hospitalisations amid a surge in infections driven by the more-contagious Delta variant and relaxed pandemic precautions. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, among other mayors and officials across the US implementing similar requirements, has mandated that people visiting restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues must show proof of their vaccination or a recent negative test. The rule is effective from Monday. These vaccinations are free and available everywhere, CBPs Memphis port director Michael Neipert said in a statement. If you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision, he said. But dont order a counterfeit, waste my [officers] time, break the law, and misrepresent yourself. Buying, selling or using counterfeit Covid-19 vaccination cards can be considered unauthorized use of an official government agency seal and could include penalties of up to five years in prison. More than 167 million Americans, or roughly half of the US population, are fully vaccinated from Covid-19, according to the CDC. That includes more than 61 per cent of adults and more than 80 per cent of people over age 65. A 57-year-old woman has been arrested after attacking a driver with an Abolish ICE sticker on her car. Oregon police arrested the Washington state resident and charged her with felony assault after she attacked a shopper in a Safeway supermarket car park in Astoria in northwestern Oregon. Ms McLeods husband Vince commented on the bumper sticker on Alyssa Cuellars red Chevrolet. Ms Cuellar began filming from a distance. She later detailed the altercation on Facebook. Mr McLeod can be heard yelling: F*** you. Ms McLeod then made her way over to Ms Cuellar and inquired as to why she was filming her husband. That my husband hes a Marine. Hes not going to touch your car, you little c***, Ms McLeod said. Youre a f****** c***, she added. Great example for your child, Ms Cuellar told Ms McLeod after noticing that she had a boy with her. The 57-year-old responded that she was setting a good example for her child and said Ms Cuellar was harassing her husband. She then demanded that Ms Cueller stop filming, screaming: Its America b****! As Ms McLeod started to leave along with the child and her husband, Ms Cuellar explained to other shoppers that she had been attacked by Ms McLeod for seemingly no reason. Ms McLeod then turned around and rushed towards Ms Cueller, punched her and knocked her phone out of her hand, and both of them seemed to fall to the ground. I didnt touch her, Ms McLeod can then be heard telling a witness. Ms Cuellar can be heard crying as she goes back to her vehicle and calls 911. She recounted the altercation on Facebook, writing that Ms McLeod ended up physically pulling me down to the cement after I finally regained my things she had previously scattered and broke, and proceeded to scratching my chest, my back, my glasses on the cement, my knee which is also now swollen and bruised. Ms McLeod is a resident of Ilwaco, 16 miles north of Astoria across state lines in Washington. Following the Sunday incident, she was taken to Clatsop County Jail in Astoria on Wednesday on charges of felony assault, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief. The victim in the incident, following some concerning comments from a man about a sticker on her vehicle, began video recording the man concerned that something would happen to her vehicle, Astoria police said in a statement. She was then confronted by the mans wife, Moe Mcleod, who verbally accosted her, then physically assaulted her. Vince McLeods former employer, real estate company Long Beach Realty said in a statement that he had left the company a year ago. We do not tolerate or agree with that type of behaviour, the company said. Haitian officials have worked overnight to pick through shattered buildings as the search for survivors trapped in rubble begins following a devastating earthquake that has killed more than 300 people. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake destroyed hundreds of homes and injured more than 1,800 people on Saturday in the Caribbean country that is still recovering from another major shock 11 years ago. The nation is also facing a political crisis, in the absence of a head of state, following the assassination of its president Jovenel Moise, which authorities say was carried out by a group of largely Colombian mercenaries and Haitian accomplices, last month. Officials had registered at least 304 fatalities by Saturday evening from the quake, which hit hardest in southwestern Haiti, particularly in and around the city of Les Cayes. Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were broken open by the violent shudders that hit the country. We need to show a lot of solidarity with the emergency, Ariel Henry, the countrys prime minister, said in a statement. Footage posted on social media on Saturday showed residents scrambling to pull out shocked and distraught people from the debris of walls and roofs that had been destroyed by the quake. The shock was an unwelcome reminder for many Haitians of the disastrous 7.0-magnitude quake in 2010 that struck far closer to the countrys capital of Port-au-Prince, killing tens of thousands of people. Although the exact death toll from that quake is unknown, it is thought that the shock killed an estimated 220,000 people, leaving some 1.5 million people displaced and damaging tens of thousands of homes and buildings. A spokesperson for the international development organisation ActionAid said that Saturdays disaster would bring back the trauma of the 2010 earthquake. This deadly quake has destroyed homes and infrastructure in some of Haitis most vulnerable and marginalised communities, Angeline Annesteus, country director of ActionAid Haiti, said. In Jeremie, one of the areas most affected, our team is helping with rescue efforts as families desperately try to pull loved ones from the rubble. Sadly, we expect the death toll to continue to rise. Ms Annesteus added: Women and girls are already bearing the brunt of the multiple crises facing Haiti, including rising hunger, political instability and gang violence. The devastating fallout from this earthquake could push many more families into poverty and hunger. Following Mr Moises assassination last month, there had been hopes of holding an election for a new president as soon as possible. However, Saturdays natural disaster is likely to make the task of holding prompt elections harder, with officials already working with a November deadline in mind. US president Joe Biden said on Saturday that he was saddened by news of the destruction, as he promised his administration would send aid to Haiti. We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed, Mr Biden said in a statement. I have authorised an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort. He added: Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild. Additional reporting by agencies The security situation in the Afghan capital Kabul was quickly deteriorating on Sunday after the US embassy issued a security alert over gunfire at the airport. Taliban fighters surged into the city after provincial capital after provincial capital fell in the past week. The presidential palace has fallen to insurgents and President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. The militant Islamist group is poised to declare an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The American flag has been taken down at the US embassy and for the moment, the plan is for a small core of staff, including the top diplomat in the country Charge dAffaires Ross Wilson, to remain in a facility at the airport. Reuters said there were reports of gunfire as US troops aided evacuation of most other American diplomats and personnel. On Sunday, the US embassy said: There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing US citizens to shelter in place. The New York Times reported that there were at least 10,000 Americans, including Afghan Americans, and Afghan employees who work for the US government who needed to be got out of the country. President Joe Biden has authorized the deployment of around 5,000 US troops to Afghanistan to ensure an orderly and safe drawdown. US military officials said on Sunday that Kabul airport is now closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue. The US is rushing to complete a full withdrawal of its embassy in Kabul within 72 hours as Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed the Afghan military for being unable to defend the country. The fact of the matter is weve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, Secretary Blinken told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated. He added: That status quo was not sustainable. Like it or not, there was an agreement that forces would come out on May 1. Had we not begun that process... then we would have been back at war with the Taliban... with tens of thousands of troops. Nato is maintaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul and helping to keep the citys airport running, the military alliance said on Sunday as Taliban insurgents entered the Afghan capital. Nato is helping keep Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter. The Nato chief said that he had spoken with British prime minister Boris Johnson, and the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands and that the body would help coordinate evacuations. Earlier this summer Nato had withdrawn most troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. Reuters contributed to this report The US is rushing to complete a full withdrawal of its embassy in Kabul within 72 hours as Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday blamed the Afghan military for being unable to defend the country. The fact of the matter is weve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, Secretary Blinken told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated. He added: That status quo was not sustainable. Like it or not, there was an agreement that forces would come out on May 1. Had we not begun that process... then we would have been back at war with the Taliban... with tens of thousands of troops. The acceleration of the US exit strategy comes as Taliban fighters poured into Kabul on Sunday after the insurgents made rapid takeovers of provincials capitals across the country. Most US embassy staff still in Kabul are being transferred to the airport to be flown home. However a small core staff, including the top US diplomat in the country Charge dAffaires Ross Wilson, will remain in a facility at the airport for now. It means that the US embassy in Kabul will be closed by Tuesday. US officials have told reporters that they dont have a solid intelligence gathering on the ground in Afghanistan and have therefore made the decision to leave. Military helicopters were pictured taking off from the US compound in Kabul over the weekend, drawing associations with the iconic image of people fleeing from the roof of the American embassy in Saigon, Vietnam nearly 50 years ago. The South Vietnamese capital fell to the North Vietnamese Army on 30 April, 1975, effectively putting an end to the Vietnam War. In the day leading up to 30 April, US forces evacuated thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese in what the US State Department has called the most ambitious helicopter evacuation in history. Smoke was also seen rising above Kabul embassy as US staff burned important documents and destroyed equipment. Once the US flag is lowered, the embassy will officially be closed. Sec Blinken pushed back on the comparisons to Vietnam on Sunday, saying: This is not Saigon. During another Sunday show appearance on Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd put a question from a US veteran to Secretary Blinken. Why did my friend die? First off, I say thank you for your service. God bless you, Mr Blinken said. You succeeded in accomplishing the mission that was set out for you way back on 9/11. In the Afghan capital on Sunday, Taliban fighters were seen armed and in the city streets. US officials had hoped that the Afghan capital would hold for three months, but have had to drastically lower their expectations and expedite the US exit. Taliban leaders demanded that the Afghan government step down and surrender Kabul to the extremist group in the hope of avoiding more violence. Weve not declared a ceasefire, they warned. President Biden has authorized 5,000 US troops to help with the evacuation, the White House said on Saturday, with as many as 10,000 US citizens, including Afghan Americans, and Afghan US government employees still in the country, according to an estimate by a senior official. Mr Biden warned the Taliban that any action that put Americans in harms way will be met with a swift and strong US military response. The unmitigated disaster in Afghanistan the shameful, Saigon-like abandonment of Kabul, the brutalization of Afghan women, and the slaughter of our allies is the predictable outcome of the Trump-Biden doctrine of weakness. Ben Sasse Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse blasted the Afghanistan policy of both the Trump and Biden administrations in a statement on Sunday. History must be clear about this: American troops didnt lose this war Donald Trump and Joe Biden deliberately decided to lose. Politicians lied: Americas options were never simply this disgraceful withdrawal or an endless occupation force of 100,000 troops (we havent had that in Afghanistan in a decade), Mr Sasse said. At least 22 people have been killed and dozens more suffered burns and other injuries after a warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in Lebanon on Sunday morning. Some 79 people who were wounded in the blast were evacuated by the Lebanese Red Cross from the site in the village of Tleil, near the border with Syria. While it was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, officials said the blast occurred after an order was given by the army to distribute 60,000 litres of petrol stored at the warehouse to local residents. Fuel smuggling operations have been ongoing for months. The explosion is just the latest tragedy to befall the country, which is suffering from devastating political and economic turmoil and last year saw a massive blast at Beiruts port which killed at least 214, wounded thousands and destroyed parts of the capital. With the economy on its knees and reports of shortages of basic supplies, residents had gathered to buy the fuel which is often only available on the black market or at inflated prices. There are fears the toll of dead and injured may grow, with Lebanese Red Cross members still searching the area for more victims. A man covered in sterile gauze to treat burns lies in bed at the Salam Hospital in the northern city of Tripoli (AFP/Getty) The charity said 24 ambulances and 75 paramedics were at the scene and more than 100 blood units and plasma had been delivered. A video being shared on social media showed residents gathering at the site before the explosion, filling up containers with fuel. Footage showed the charged remains of what appeared to be part of a tanker that exploded. Lebanese soldiers, a Red Cross vehicle and other trucks could be seen in the area. Hospitals in northern Lebanon were calling for blood donations of all types and the Lebanese health minister, Hamad Hassan, called on hospitals in northern Lebanon and the capital, Beirut, to receive those injured by the explosion, saying that the government will pay for their treatment. Outside the Salam Hospital in the northern city of Tripoli, a woman collapsed after she was told her son succumbed to his wounds. Oh my God. He has little kids, the woman said. Marwa el-Sheikh, from Tleil, who was waiting for news about her brother who was being treated for burns, and her brother-in-law, who was still missing, said: Some people were burnt beyond recognition. They are the victims of the shortcomings and carelessness of our politicians who led us to this. Tleil is less than three miles from the Syrian border, but it was not immediately clear if the fuel in the tanker was being prepared to be smuggled to Syria, where prices are much higher compared to those in Lebanon. On Saturday, Lebanese troops were deployed to petrol stations, forcing owners to sell fuel to customers. Some had been refusing to sell in the hope of making a big profit when prices increase with the end of subsidies. The Lebanese army has also been cracking down on smugglers active along the Syrian border, confiscating thousands of litres of petrol in recent days. Additional reporting by agencies Devastating wildfires caused by a prolonged heatwave have led to evacuations of residents and tourists in Greece in recent days. Thousands have been evacuated by ferry and fishing boat from the island of Evia, with evacuation orders also in place on the mainland north of the capital, Athens. Hundreds of firefighters, including some sent from the UK, France and the US, have been trying to control the fires since they began on 3 August. Where are the Greek wildfires? Wildfires are raging on the Greek island of Evia, prompting around 2,600 to evacuate by sea. Evia, the second largest Greek island after Crete, is located north-east of Athens, the Greek capital. It is a popular destination for domestic tourism. Large fires are also burning in Greeces southern Peloponnese region, where hundreds of businesses have been destroyed or damaged, and power cuts have affected at least 17,000 households. The Peloponnese peninsula is home to Ancient Olympia, the site where the Olympics were held in anitiquity. Firefighters prevented the fire from reaching the area. Fires on the mainland, in towns north of Athens, have now subsided, having killed at least two people and injured a further 20. Thousands were ordered to leave their homes. Whats causing the Greek wildfires? Though the exact cause of these fires is as yet unknown, the blazes are made possible as a result of a prolonged heatwave, with temperatures hitting 45 degrees Celsius. Wildfires are a regular occurrence in the summer in this part of the Mediterranean, spreading easily through pine forests on the Greek mainland and islands. Fires of this size and ferocity are rare, however, with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling the current wildfires a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions. Are tour operators cancelling trips? No tour operators or airlines have cancelled trips or flights as yet. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which provides advice for Brits planning trips overseas as well as those already abroad, states: Forest fires often occur during the summer months across Greece due to the dry/hot weather. Forest fires can cause travel disruption in wider areas. You should monitor local and international weather updates from the Greek Meteorological Service or European Meteorological Services, follow the advice of local authorities at all times and check with your travel provider for travel updates. According to Noel Josephides, chairman of Sunvil, an independent operator that specialises in holidays to Greece, the effect has really been on local tourism, with wildfires impacting areas of the country largely visited by domestic tourists. Elsewhere in Greece, he went on, the fires have been about average, with no cause for concern in any of the areas Sunvil sends its customers. Elena Soupiana, press counsellor for the Embassy of Greece in London, said: British tourists are welcome and safe in Greece. The safety of all travellers is a priority for the Greek government. If British tourists, by any chance, are in the affected areas, they should follow the advice of local authorities at all times and check with their travel provider for travel updates. For further information visit the Civil Protection website. As the entire country is immersed in Independence Day celebrations official functions including the hoisting of the national flag were held in the state of Goa also. LIVE : 75th Independence Day Celebrations https://t.co/SXGV6a63EQ Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) August 15, 2021 But it is not the day when Goa became independent from colonial rule - the Goa Liberation Day is marked every year on December 19. That is because unlike the majority of the Indian subcontinent Goa was never a British colony and was administered by the Portuguese. So even after 'India' became independent from British rule on August 15, 1947, Goa continued to remain under foreign rule until 1961. AFP Goa became a Portuguese colony in 1510 and continued to be under their control for nearly 450 years, even though they lost many other places to the British who became the dominant coloniser on the subcontinent. Even after the British left in 1947, Goa continued to be under the Portuguese, despite a growing call for Independence. The Goa Liberation Movement started gaining momentum in the 1940s and it involved non-violent protests, some revolutionary groups and even diplomatic efforts by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. But after all diplomatic efforts failed to make any progress and the Portuguese even refusing to grant autonomy, the Indian government sent in the troops to take Goa by force. In a military operation conducted on 18 and 19 December 1961, Indian troops captured Goa with little resistance from the Portuguese side. Indian Navy Thus Goa Liberation Day is marked on December 19. Though India's Independence Day has been marked in Goa on August 15, every year since this year it had run into some controversy after the residents of a small island raised objections to the Navy hoisting the Indian flag there. On Friday, villagers of St Jacinto island, led by state Nationalist Congress Party president Jose Phillip D'Souza had gathered in the church square on the island to protest against the flag hoisting ceremony planned by the naval authorities. They had alleged that it was an attempt by the Central government to capture their island. Heartening to see locals of St Jacinto Island joining the Indian Navy in hoisting the Indian Flag. I am glad, better sense prevailed. #JaiHind #NationFirst pic.twitter.com/i0wR97htXJ Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) August 14, 2021 However, after several negotiations and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant vowing to use police force to deal with villagers, the Navy said the protests were the result of some misunderstanding and the flag hoisting was held without any objections. The Jew Street in Kerala's Kochi is now anything but Jewish. That is because most of the Jews who lived there for generations have either died or have migrated to Israel or other countries like the US. The once home to a thriving Jewish community and the Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry that dates back to 1568 is today a heritage tourist attraction. AB Salem House/ Instagram And tucked away among the several, centuries-old houses is the AB Salem House. It was once the home of Abraham Barak Salem popularly know as AB Salem - a figure who has largely been forgotten from the history of India's Independence movement. AB Salem House/ Instagram Salem was born in 1882 in a Jewish family in Cochin, who traced their roots back to Spain. He was a lawyer by qualification and the first Jew to practice law in Kochi. During his days as a law student in the then Madras, Salem got attracted to the political movement that was happening - the independence struggle. Jews Of Malabar This was unlike most Jews, who lived in India at that time and often sided with the British. Even after returning to Kochi, Salem, who was also a trade union activist continued his association with the Indian National Congress and the independence movement. Salem, who was impressed by the Gandhian way of non-violent protest used Sathyagaraha to fight against discrimination among various sects of Jews who were living in Kerala. Jews Of Malabar The Paradesi (white foreigners) considered the Malabari and Meshuchrarim Jews as impure and were discriminated against even in the Synagogue. Salem protested against this by boycotting the Synagogue, which eventually led to some of the practices being dropped. This even earned him the name 'Jewish Gandhi'. As a founding member of the Cochin Legislative Council in 1925, Salem is credited for introducing several reforms including a bill for free and compulsory education, pension for widows and food rations for the poor. He also attended the 1929 historic Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress, which passed the 'Purna Swaraj' (total independence) resolution calling for an end to the British rule in India. Jews Of Malabar Salem, who visited Palestine in 1933, got attracted to the Zionist movement and became friends with some of the biggest leaders of the time including David Ben Gurion, who went on to become the first Prime Minister of Israel. In the 1950s, Salem also facilitated the mass migration of Jews from Kochi to Israel, but despite getting all the travel documents, he and his family stayed back in the city where he was born. Salem died in 1967 and is buried in the White Jewish cemetery Mattanchery. AB Salem House/ Instagram His books and diaries provide a vivid account of the Jewish life in Kochi throughout the 20th century. His old house has been restored as a heritage lodging facility. It took time, but the riddance was still welcome. In a welcome move, Indonesian Army has finally killed the controversial and 'abusive' virginity tests for female cadets. This'll make you squirm, but the 'two-finger' virginity test was as invasive as it sounds, and reportedly involved checking the hymens of women cadets. All this, was done to assure the recruiter of the 'cadets' morality.' While its hard to find any logic behind the need to check a woman's virginity for whatever job she's applying for, the one thing probably making this worse is appointing a terribly unreliable, outdated and archaic practice to do so. It was a double fail from the get-go, and an idea that irked human rights activists and campaigners no end. Representative image/Reuters Andika Perkasa, the Indonesian army chief of staff confirmed on Tuesday, that the practice had been killed off for good. "Whether the hymen was ruptured or partially ruptured was part of the examination... now there's no more of that," he said, reported CNN. Andika called for an 'equal' selection process for men and women recruits. Reuters Their navy spokesperson Julius Widjojono, meanwhile, confirmed that "both men and women undergo the same examinations," as reported by Reuters. Their air force claims these so-called tests don't exist there while maintaining that reproduction tests to check for any cysts etc. remain. RemoNews The move was welcomed and praised: "There was never any need for the tests," said Andy Yentriyani, head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at HRW said it was "the right thing to do", adding the practice was "degrading, discriminatory, and traumatic". This post is part of a series sponsored by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. Manufacturing coverage is not one size fits all, notes Chris Gaylor, National Program Director for Manufacturing at The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. In recognition of the complexities and unique risk profiles of manufacturers, Cincinnati Insurance offers solid support services to agents seeking coverage for their clients through a dedicated manufacturing team. 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To address the unique risks of an agents client or prospect, Gaylor and his team will go the extra mile whether that means actual travel or after-hour support because personal attention is critical to the success of insuring a complex risk. To learn more about insuring your manufacturing risk with The Cincinnati Insurance Companies, visit: https://www.cinfin.com/business-insurance/industries/manufacturers Topics Agencies Excess Surplus Manufacturing Six-year-old Adam King, who captured the hearts of the nation with his virtual hug on the RTE Late Late Show, has received a rapturous reception after he "popped in for a few songs" at an Aslan concert in Kerry. Adam, who is from Killeagh, Co Cork was born with osteogenesis imperfecta type 2, the most severe form of the condition which causes brittle bones. He held up his now iconic virtual hug sign during the the last Toy Show extravaganza. It has since appeared on stamps and charity cards. Adam and his family were in Killarney earlier this week. They went to an Aslan concert at the Gleneagle INEC with Adam receiving a round of applause from concert goers for the manner in which he has lifted the mood of the nation in recent times. In a post on Adam King Adventures on Twitter, his family said that they had the most amazing time in Killarney. "Thanks to all the places and people who made the experience unforgettable for the kids, and big thanks @OfficialAslan for the love yesterday evening when we popped in for a few songs!" Aslan also posted the video on social media and said that they were "big fans" of the plucky youngster. We had the most amazing time in Killarney this week! Thanks to all the places and people who made the experience unforgettable for the kids, and big thanks @OfficialAslan for the love yesterday evening when we popped in for a few songs! Kerry - you're beautiful. Hugs pic.twitter.com/osxVX4sc0W Adam King Adventures (@AdamKingIRL) August 13, 2021 Earlier this year, Adam received a letter from President Joe Biden which was hand delivered to him by Taoiseach Micheal Martin. President Biden told young Adam that the Taoiseach had told him all about him on St Patrick's day. "Your Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, told me about the great work you have been doing, and most importantly, your virtual hugs. "They are a wonderful symbol of hope an joy and have helped many people during these difficult times. "I know it must be hard for you and other kids right now. You want to see your family and good friends like John Doyle from Temple Street Hospital. "I want you to know that a lot of smart people from the United States, Ireland, and around the world are working hard to beat Covid-19. Your message helps give them strength, and it gives me strength." President Biden also gifted Adam two very special flags - an Irish flag and an American flag that his brother Danny told Ryan Tubridy "had gone to space. It was an honour to have you there @AdamKingIRL We are all big fans of yours! We hope to see you again soon https://t.co/KdkRdniszg Aslan (@OfficialAslan) August 14, 2021 Adam's dream is to become a CAPCOM at NASA. President Biden advised Adam to continue to work hard in order to realise his dreams. Adam is a regular patient at Temple Street Hospital where he receives bisphosphonate infusions to strengthen his bones. The youngster has been embraced by the public since his Toy Show appearance. Last December, the Taoiseach sent a letter to Adam thanking him for inspiring people with his "virtual hug." Following his first appearance on the Toy Show, Adam received a message from retired astronaut Chris Hadfield who said he was hugely impressed by the youngster. "The way that you spoke, the way that you treated everybody around you, the way that you showed us the things that you are dreaming of, I found it really inspiring." Adam is well known at Cork University Hospital for his cheeky smile and infectious personality. He has attended appointments dressed as Santa to cheer up hardworking staff at Christmas. He has also been known to bring in presents and cards for his favourite healthcare workers. Libraries are nonpartisan, but they are not indifferent. President Thomas Jefferson believed in the power of knowledge and considered it the critical link between knowledge and democracy. This mindset has shaped the oldest federal cultural institution in the nation: the Library of Congress. Founded in 1800, it is now an unparalleled world resource with a collection of more than 171 million items. Many of the rich resources the Library of Congress offers are available to the public through its website at www.loc.gov. Library of Congress, in numbers. Libraries are a cornerstone for civic engagement. In 2020 alone, the Library of Congress recorded a total of 171,636,507 items in the collections and responded to more than 802,000 reference requests. It welcomed over 565,000 onsite visitors to its Capitol Hill campus and circulated nearly 20.3 million copies of braille, audio and large-print items to blind and print disabled patrons. Use public libraries? Thank Franklin. If you were one of more than 46% of adults in the US who used a local public library or bookmobile in the past year, you can thank Benjamin Franklin. Maybe its no surprise that one of the famous framers of the Constitution was behind the countrys first libraries. After all, Franklin helped create our democratic republic, and libraries bolster some important aspects of American democracy. Prepare to be amazed. Take advantage of whats left of the summer to explore what your local libraries have to offer. Ray Baker, director of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, and his team have done an outstanding job adapting services and procedures to COVID safety standards. Sign up for your library e-card and learn how to download an audiobook, get your free museum passes, learn how to program a 3-D printer, use sophisticated video production equipment or renew your passport or register to vote. 78% Americans find trustworthy information at the library. The idea that anyone can tap into the knowledge contained in books a great equalizer and unifier, says Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library, the 14th librarian of Congress, sworn in in 2016. Libraries offer access to information, which builds trust among patrons, says Hayden. Sure enough, the Pew Research Center finds that nearly 8 in 10 Americans feel that public libraries help them find information that is trustworthy and reliable. Get a library card here. Renew passport here For a Free museum pass, Click here. Find our more about your library, click here. Our school in Haiti is in the zone affected by Saturdays earthquake in Haiti, Inez Lozano texted Islander News Saturday evening. Lozano is founder and president of Key Biscayne based Flying High 4 Haiti organization and immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne. The school Lozano is referring to, is one the Flying High 4 Haiti built in the Ile-a-Vache island, a beautiful but impoverished island with no running water, electricity, or paved roads. We are monitoring the damage from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck southern peninsula of Haiti this morning. We are in contact with the administrator of our school in Ile-a-Vache, Jean Sauny Pierre, who lives in Les Cayes, one of the most heavily impacted areas, the organization wrote on their website. He, (Pierre) and other friends in the area have described an unfolding tragedy of collapsed buildings and hospitals overrun with injured people. Thanks to all who have reached out to us with concern for the people of Haiti. We are constantly assessing the situation and will start our relief efforts as soon as possible. Lozano said, We are preparing to send emergency supplies to Les Cayes and Ile-a-Vache in the coming days, by air and sea. We did this successfully after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and we can do it again - with your help! Flying High for Haiti has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to aid in recovery efforts. If you would like to donate, click here. For more information or get involved in the work of Flying High 4 Haiti, click here. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thousands of Afghan soldiers thronged the governors office in the western city of Herat looking for the Taliban not to battle them but to seek amnesty. Afghanistans third-biggest city fell without a fight on Thursday as government forces retreated and Herats famous warlord Ismail Khan was detained by the insurgents. With fears of violent reprisals growing as the Taliban get closer to a full takeover of the country, Afghan soldiers in Herat nearly all of them in civilian clothes gathered Saturday to try and get a letter of amnesty. Inside the office that once housed the Herat governor, Taliban members sat on couches some cradling American military rifles as they jotted down names and reviewed lists spread on a glass-top coffee table. On stationery with the Taliban letterhead, one wrote amnesty notes some long-term, some valid for just a few days. One Afghan soldier at the compound told AFP that his unit was surrounded by the Taliban before the fall of the city. Now he just wanted security. I have come here to get an amnesty letter to go out of the city, said Ahmed Shahidi. Until I find a place where I can stay safe in the future. Taliban member Najeebullah Karokhi said around 3,000 people were given amnesty. Those who are from other provinces will be provided a three-day temporary amnesty letter so they can get to their home provinces, where they need to get another long-term amnesty letter from our officials, he said. In the shaded part of a courtyard on the compound, hundreds sat patiently as a man holding amnesty slips shouted names one by one for them to be collected. The banal bureaucratic process belied the shocking speed and efficiency of the Talibans victories across Afghanistan. Just weeks ago, a defiant and angry Ismail Khan who ruled Herat as his fiefdom had vowed to defend the city with his militia, and called on government forces to show more backbone. But the citys defences seemingly evaporated overnight as troops retreated to a base outside the city and Khan was captured by the Taliban. The warlords spokesman said he had been allowed to return to his residence following talks with the Taliban, but it was unclear exactly what deal had been cut between the two. We had to leave the city in order to prevent further destruction, a senior government security source from Herat told AFP. The fear of Taliban revenge is not unfounded: the insurgents have imposed brutal punishments on opponents, and anyone who violated their harsh brand of Islamic law when they were in power from 1996 to 2001. They have recently been accused of committing war crimes, including massacres of civilians and soldiers outside combat. The insurgents deny committing such atrocities. Libyan authorities have shut water supplies to swathes of the country after gunmen demanding the release of a jailed Kadhafi-era official threatened to sabotage the water network. Supplies to western and southwestern Libya were interrupted overnight Saturday to Sunday, the Great Man-Made River water authority said. It took the decision to cut the supply after gunmen Thursday stormed several water distribution centres demanding the release of Abdullah al-Senussi. A brother-in-law of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Senussi was sentenced to death in 2015 over his alleged role in attempting to suppress the 2011 uprising that culminated in Kadhafis ouster and killing. On Thursday, gunmen gave authorities 72 hours to release Senussi from detention in the capital Tripoli, the water authority said. If their demands were not met they planned on attacking the network which brings water from underground wells in the Sahara to Tripoli. A statement from the Great Man-Made River authority said it was preferable to cut the water supply than see it damaged in any potential attack. Senussi was extradited in September 2012 by Mauritania, where he fled after Kadhafis fall. He was the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for suspected war crimes during the 2011 uprising. In 2013 the court gave Libyan authorities the green light to put him on trial. MEDFORD, Ore. -- To help address COVID-19 testing needs in Josephine County, Asante has implemented changes to make the process easier and more accessible for area residents. At Asante drive-through locations in Grants Pass and Medford, Oregon, individuals no longer need to have an order from a primary care provider to be tested for the COVID-19 virus. The tests are provided at no cost to those who cannot afford them. Only patients with positive testing results will be contacted. It is very important to provide a good contact phone number and to leave that phone on for both Asante and Josephine County Public Health to reach the patient. We appreciate Asante doing this for the community so that more people have easy access to free testing, said Dr. Leona OKeefe, JCPH deputy health officer. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should be tested right away. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, fever, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of smell or taste, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Those with access to a medical provider should see their provider for testing if possible, as this will help Asante manage the increase in testing and following up with testing results. Asante drive-through testing site locations and hours are as follows: Asante COVID-19 Specimen Collection Site Grants Pass 1630 Ringuette St. Grants Pass, OR 97527 Hours: o Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. o Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to noon Asante COVID-19 Specimen Collection Site Medford 1321 Center Drive, Medford, OR 97501 Hours: o Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. o Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. See co.josephine.or.us/COVID19 for more information. My grandmother at the tender age of 96 still talks about the day Queen Elizabeth and her late husband Prince Philip sent her an invitation for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. They received the Royal invite because they shared the same wedding day, and it was coming up to their 50th Wedding Anniversary. My Grandparents - Dan & Noreen Walsh cutting the cake at their Golden Wedding Anniversary According to Nanny Noreen we werent the only ones invited to the Palace that day, the Royal couple invited everyone who was married on the same day as them on November 20th 1947. We were all invited to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversaries together in splendour of Buckingham Palace. My grandparents may have been married on the same day as the Royal couple, but their lives were worlds apart. Nanny and Grandad are both from Ireland originally, Nanny left the Comeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford at 19 years of age for England and Grandad left his home of Spiddal, Co. Galway, aged 25. They met each other in London towards the end of World War II and the rest is history! Post war London was in devastation and was been built back up brick by brick. Grandads first job was in demolitions, dismantling bombed down buildings after the war. While Nanny was a young nurse in St Bartholomew's Hospital. They married six months after meeting at a Pride of Eireann Dance. She was 23 years old and Grandad was 33. The Royal Wedding was a very different affair Their wedding was not the lavish affair that the young Royals enjoyed, Nan recalls everything was rationed in England back then, we didnt even have a biscuit on our wedding day. Your Grandfather was done up like a Lord, from the shillings he had saved but I had to borrow an overcoat from a fellow nurse. I was so late for our wedding because the mean old Sister in the Hospital held me back, Dan thought I was going to stand him up! This is a story I have heard a million times growing up but I suppose it became more real from watching the TV series The Crown and the burial ceremony of the late Prince Philip earlier this year. Nanny was glued to the television on April 17th last, watching every last detail of Prince Philips funeral from Windsor Castle. She was always fascinated by the Royal family after living in London for nearly 40 years. Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip on their wedding day, November 20th, 1947 Nanny and Grandad settled back in Ireland in 1980 but they never forgot their life in England and the opportunities it gave them. We are Irish to the core but Nanny always remembers their life there with fondness, even down to the dishes she still cooks today. Back in the 80s when Irish people religiously eat meat and two veg dinners, our house felt very exotic with Nannys cooking. Every day after school she would feed us her favourite recipes, the ones she enjoyed with her much diversified London friends. We often ate Indian curries full of cooking apples and raisins, spaghetti Bolognese, toad in the hole, bangers and mash, Yorkshires puddings, pigs in blankets to name but a few. Life was good to them in England with a great Irish community around them. To this day she still tells us stories of post war London, right up to the crazy swinging 60s. So you see the invitation was very special to Buckingham Palace on their joint Golden Wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately my grandparents could not make journey back to the UK, Grandad was 83 and his heart was bad. So instead we threw them the wedding reception they never had in Bennettsbridge Community Hall. With 150 guests in attendance for a sit down meal and Fr. Duggan saying mass before that party, Nanny said it was a feast fit for a Queen! Sadly Granddad passed away a year later on their 51st Wedding Anniversary. Nanny at 96 years of age still thinks of her love every day, especially as she looks at the framed letter they received from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which read This is a special year for you and for us, and we are sorry that you cannot be at Buckingham Palace on 15th July to celebrate our Golden Wedding. We hope that you have a very happy anniversary and send our best wishes and congratulations to you both. Signed Elizabeth & Philip 3rd June, 1997 Mizgon Darby was an 18-year-old college freshman when she started a journal 20 years ago giving voice to the growing numbers of Afghans living in the United States. "There was a sense of hope, of wanting to help, and wanting to do more and do better and go back to the country, and this sentiment of belonging and being both Afghan and American," said Darby, now 38 and the executive director of an educational program in the San Francisco Bay area. But that sense of rebuilding their fractured country has faded. On Sunday, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, with the militants taking control of the presidential palace and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country. "It's the complete reverse now," Darby said in an interview before the Taliban took control of Kabul. "The Afghanistan that those in the diaspora, especially those in Fremont, had hoped for is no longer." The San Francisco Bay area is home to about 60,000 Afghan immigrants, the largest concentration in the cities of Hayward and Fremont, where the climate, the surrounding mountains and a strip of small businesses and Afghan social organizations known as Little Kabul reminds them of their native land. "The whole community is frustrated," Rona Popal, 63, executive director of the Afghan Coalition, a community organization, said last week. "They're very mad. They are confused. They're mad not only at the United States but also at the Afghans themselves, those leaders who are sitting in the government with the power and are still talking about 'we're going to fight' and every day you see the Taliban coming." 'Unable to defend the country' The sudden takeover of Kabul by the Taliban has taken many by surprise. US intelligence analysts had predicted it likely would take several more weeks before Afghanistan's civilian government in Kabul fell to Taliban fighters. The US defense secretary has approved the deployment of 1,000 more American troops into Afghanistan due to the deteriorating security situation, a defense official told CNN, upping the number of troops in the country to 6,000. All US embassy staff have been evacuated and were at the airport on Sunday night, the State Department said. In Washington, President Joe Biden had defended his decision to end the war in Afghanistan, insisting no amount of sustained American presence there could resolve the country's problems. But officials are acknowledging they are surprised by what's happened and admit miscalculation. The rapid fall of Afghanistan's national forces and government has come as a shock to Biden and senior members of his administration, who only last month believed it could take months before the civilian government in Kabul fell -- allowing a period of time after American troops left before the full consequences of the withdrawal were laid bare. "The fact of the matter is we've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Sunday, referring to Afghanistan's national security forces. "And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated." Fear of a full-blown civil war back home "We have been displaced permanently," said Darby, who was born in the US and whose first language was Dari, the Afghan dialect of Farsi. "There is no going back to the country where our parents were born and raised. Or being able to provide services or assistance and watch children grow and do things there that would help society as a whole." Many expatriates had feared the collapse of the Afghan government and full-blown civil war back home. They worry about Afghanistan again becoming a haven for terrorists bent on attacking the United States. "We shouldn't fool ourselves and say that we won this 'forever war,'" said Darby, referring to the long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of Afghans and thousands of US troops. And civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached record levels in the first half of 2021, according to the United Nations, noting that deaths and injuries spiked markedly from May, when the United States and its allies began withdrawing troops from the country. Some 5,183 casualties were recorded in the first six months of the year -- a 47% increase from 2020 -- the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report. "We have created a breeding ground for terrorists and a place where 15-year-old girls will be mandated by the Taliban to marry their troops," Darby said. "I feel like we've been put in a time machine and taken back." Her father, who is in his late 70s and left Afghanistan at the beginning of the 1979 Soviet invasion, refuses to discuss the latest round of turbulence back home, she said. "There's a sense of mourning in Fremont right now," she said. "Some of our elders, like for example my father, won't even talk about it. I brought it up with him several times and he changes the topic. He's heartbroken." A new wave of refugees could come soon Most of the Afghan refugees who settled in the Bay Area began arriving there after the Soviet invasion. A new wave could come soon. The first group of translators and interpreters who helped US soldiers and diplomats in Afghanistan arrived in the US late last month, and thousands more wait in Afghanistan in fear of Taliban reprisals. "A lot of these people, we've seen them end up homeless in the beginning," Darby said. "We've seen them basically travel from home to home -- pregnant wives and husbands who are disabled. It's a difficult living for them. It's not like we have the infrastructure, even here in the United States, to support this." Popal, a longtime Afghan women's activist who has been in the US 43 years, said she moved to Fremont in the 1980s mostly because it was an affordable place to live. That's no longer the case. "Rent is so expensive now -- $2,500 to $3,000," she said. "How are they going to afford it? When they bring these translators they usually give them rent money for six months and then they put them on the street and say, 'Go, you do it yourself.' All these translators, after six months, they come to our office and say, 'What should I do?'" 'Now there's a sense of homelessness' Farid Younos, a retired professor at Cal State East Bay in Hayward who considers himself both Afghan and American, traveled to Austria this weekend to give a presentation on the situation in Afghanistan. Younos, in an interview last week, said the blame for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will fall mostly on Biden's shoulders for his decision to bring all US troops home. But blame will also fall on what he called a "corrupt" government in Afghanistan that has largely ignored the role of Islam in that nation. "That has been very costly for Afghanistan," he said. "In that country, you can't ignore Islam if they want to have peace. Islam is very much compatible with democracy but based on some principles of morality and ethics. But Islam cannot be imposed." He added, "Afghanistan is a country of freedom and freedom of the press and freedom for women. We have practiced democracy in the past. So, this radicalism does not have any place in Afghanistan." Younos warned that the return of the Taliban will not only affect Afghanistan but also the entire Middle East, Central Asia and eventually Europe and beyond. Waheed Momand, one of the cofounders of the Afghan Coalition in Fremont, is in constant communication with representatives of political parties, social and cultural organizations, tribal councils, religious leaders, academics and others in Afghanistan. The goal is reaching a peace deal that brings an end to the bloodshed. An international virtual conference of group representatives is scheduled for next month. American troops "left Afghanistan in the middle of the night," said Momand, president of the Fremont-based Grand National Movement of Afghanistan, which is pushing for a negotiated end to the conflict. "So, the Taliban is claiming victory. Sure, they can say this is a victory. But it's not about the Taliban. It's not about the Afghan government. It's about the people of Afghanistan. What's going to happen to those 20 years of progress in Afghanistan?" Darby recalled the hate and discrimination aimed at Afghans in Fremont after the 9/11 attacks two decades ago. Now the Afghans in the San Francisco Bay Area, she said, are being called terrorists, unpatriotic and un-American for speaking out against the US troop withdrawal. "There was that sense of being homeless before, post 9/11, where the Afghan community felt that those in America did not accept us as much because we were targeted as terrorists," she said. "Now, there's a sense of homelessness because we know that the country of our birth or the country that our parents were born in ... is completely different than what we heard in stories from our families. And I don't know what's worse." Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect number of additional troops being deployed to Afghanistan. That number is 1,000. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Locally heavy 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%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Springfield News-Leader. In this 2004 May file photo, Lee Sang-ok, a North Korean survivor of Japan's wartime sex slavery, cries while testifying about her sufferings at an international solidarity meeting in Seoul. Korea Times file A North Korean organization called Sunday for Japan's sincere apology and atonement for its wrongdoings and atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, state media said Sunday. The Korean Committee on Measures for the Sexual Slavery for Japanese Army and Drafting Victims made the request in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on the occasion of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's rule. "Still kept buried everywhere in Asia where the feet of the Japanese imperialist aggression forces reached and even under the sea, to say nothing of in Japan, are remains of the Korean people who met grievous deaths. With nothing can their grievance be relieved," the committee said. "Far from making apology and repentance of the crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese imperialists, Japan has adopted mean hostile policy toward the DPRK, has extended sanctions against it year after year," it added. DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The committee noted such behavior clearly proves that Japan has "no guilty conscience for its past history of aggression, and instead it has become all the more reckless to return to its position in the past when it professed the 'leader of Asia.'" "We will certainly take stock of how much human, material and mental damage Japan had caused to the Korean people after occupying Korea for over 40-year occupation of Korea in the last century and how viciously it antagonized the DPRK and persecuted Koreans in Japan for scores of years after its defeat and make it pay for its crimes," it said. (Yonhap) Indonesian director Edwin on Saturday won the Golden Leopard for the best picture at the Locarno Film Festival with "Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash", a homage to 1980s Asian all-action movies. The feature paints a humorous portrait of a violent young man who falls for a woman after fighting her. Edwin, who uses a single name, had already returned to Jakarta before the awards ceremony but the organizers put out a video in which he said the Golden Leopard was "happiness... it's a nice support and it motivates. "We need this energy in this not so easy time." Indonesian cinema was still young, he said, as in most of the cinema in the region. "I feel connected with the all of southeast Asian region because we are facing more or less the same spirit and also at the same time facing the same problem, you know we have censorship, we have violence here and there. "We are very excited with the growing of our cinema," he added. "And even in this very difficult time, we can find the energy and all those spirits that can bring us, keeping us together and.... celebrating ourselves and at the same time criticizing and find out what do in order to face our problems through cinema." To close the 74th Locarno festival a lifetime achievement award was made to Italian director Dario Argento, including for his leading role in Gaspar Noe's Vortex about an elderly couple coping with Alzheimer's disease. (AFP) A senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said Ghani had left for Tajikistan. Asked for comment, the president's office said it cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani's movement for security reasons https://t.co/6NHs6THhN5 pic.twitter.com/0HxsFtp4FL Reuters (@Reuters) August 15, 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.) Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. While spending a few days away and taking the opportunity to enjoy some walks, our group came across a badger set located on the side of a hill. While that was interesting to find, it was the rather large widflower that was growing at the entrance of the set that was intriguing as it was a plant I was unfamiliar with. Taking a photo, on our return to a WiFi zone we searched through the Wild Flowers of Ireland website eventually identifying the wildflower as Lesser Burdock (Cnadan as Gaeilge). This wildflower is native and can grow to a height of one metre. The green leaves borne on hollow stalks are large, with wavy edges. The basal leaves can measure a length of 40cm when fully grown. The flowers bloom from July to September and are greenish to purple/pink in colour. The flower is described as egg shaped and it is stalkless but grows in clusters along a stem. The florets are surrounded by hooked bracts. The purpose of the hooks is for seed dispersal as the hooks attach to the fur of passing animals in this case, the most frequent being the emerging badgers at night. As they feed in the surrounding area, the seeds will eventually drop from the badger fur and, if on suitable ground, they will be able to germinate. Lesser Burdock can be found all around Ireland however, the one soil type it cannot survive in is the acid soil typically found on peatlands. A random fact about this wildflower is that while a Swiss engineer, by the name of George de Mestral, was removing the hooked bracts from his dogs fur after returning from a walk, he realised the hook and loops used by Lesser Burdock for seed dispersal could be useful to us and so the Velcro brand was born! Will you find Lesser Burdock flowering in your community this week? If you would like help identifying local wildlife or indeed to share your images of local wildlife encountered to be used in a future Wildlife Watch, contact me on 045 860133 or bogs@ipcc.ie. SPONSORED CONTENT Aldi Ireland is now recruiting Store Assistants to join its growing team across its eight Kildare stores. We spoke to Celbridge deputy store manager Ruzica Kasalo to learn more about working with Aldi. What attracted you to a career with Aldi? I work at Aldis Celbridge store as a deputy store manager and have been a member of the Aldi team since last October. I love the challenge of working in a fast-paced environment with so much variety each and every day. What is the best part of your job? For me, its working as part of a team and being given the support needed to succeed in my career. The atmosphere is always positive and supportive in our store too, which has been key over the past 18 months throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Aldi rewards hard work and there are excellent opportunities for promotion. If you have a strong work ethic and you are committed to doing your best every day, Aldi will happily push you forward in your career. What kind of benefits do you get? Aldi offers market-leading pay and is the highest paying supermarket in Ireland. The training we receive is also fantastic. From training courses to customer service essentials, Aldi values staff and ensures everyone performs to the best of their ability. Aldi also offers paid holidays and a rewards scheme, which I love! What about work/life balance? A good work/life balance is essential, and Aldi understands this. We work in shifts and the hours are flexible which means I have enough time to enjoy my personal interests. Our shifts and hours are also planned four weeks in advance, which really helps with planning my life outside of work. What is your advice for people thinking of joining the Aldi team? If you like working in a fast-paced environment where every day is different and you get to meet different people daily, then this is the job for you! If you are interested in joining the Aldi team, please visit www.aldirecruitment.ie for more detail. Woodies stores have launched their seventh annual Woodies Heroes campaign which runs until Saturday, August 14 and will support Down Syndrome Ireland, Barnardos, Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, and ISPCC Childline. Woodies Naas staff member Una Keenan told the Leader: Wed love people to pop in and make a donation and they could be in with a chance to win a luxury king-sized bed which is on display in the store. Over the last six years, Woodies Heroes has already raised almost 2 million for childrens charities. Last year, Woodies Heroes surpassed its target of 250,000 and raised over 417,000 despite the challenges faced by the communities around Ireland due to Covid-19. This summer, Woodies will build on this success and hope to reach their goal of 500,000 thanks to the generosity of their customers and suppliers, and the support and enthusiasm of Team Woodies, including their colleagues in Woodies Naas where anybody who gives a donation will be entered into a draw to win a luxury king-sized bed. You can show your support by donating at the till in store by adding 1, 2 or 5 to your bill. You can also donate online at www.woodies.ie. You can also text to donate 4 to one of the Woodies Heroes charities. Simply text one of the below keywords to 50300 to donate: ISPCC to 50300 Barnardos to 50300 AADI to 50300 DSI to 50300 Each text costs 4. Woodies charities will receive a minimum of 3.60. Service Provider is Like Charity. Helpline 076 6805278. The teams will visit all 35 Woodies stores and collect their fundraising cheques for the charities. Woodies has stores in Naas and Newbridge as well as in nearby Lucan and Tallaght. The first store was opened in June 1987 at Walkinstown followed by Glasnevin, Sallynoggin and Cork in 1990. Since 2017 Woodies has been recognised in surveys estimating the Best Workplaces in Ireland and A Great Place to Work. LIMERICK Chamber has thrown down the gauntlet to Cork Chamber and challenged their respective business communities to out-do each other flying county colours ahead of the All-Ireland final. Limerick Chamber CEO Dee Ryan said, "Lets beat Cork on and off the pitch!" "Im calling on all members, across the county, to go green at home and at work and lets show Cork who the All-Ireland Champion Supporters are!" said Ms Ryan. For the flag-off, Limerick Chamber is calling on everyone to show their support for the Limerick team by proudly flying flags and lighting their workplaces in green to help boost the atmosphere ahead of the final. "Excitement and banter for the match is building and in a bit of back and forth with the Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy I threw down the challenge that our Limerick business community could out-do the Cork businesses in terms of showing support for our teams. "So Im putting the call out to our businesses if you have a flag-pole, or any sort of lights we need them to be green!" said Ms Ryan. The Limerick hurlers with their hard work, drive and dedication to skills development are an immense source of pride, said the Chamber CEO. "In many ways they are a sporting mirror of the talent and drive we see in our Limerick business community. Lets do them proud in this friendly flag-off. Luimneach Abu!" said Ms Ryan. In preparation for match-day, Limerick City and County Council has placed hundreds of flags and several kilometres of green and white bunting across the county, as well as flags on Limerick city bridges and other key locations in the city and in county towns and villages. Calling on businesses to also be dressed in green, Ms Ryan said: "Join the challenge by posting your pics online in the build up this week to the match using #LimerickvCork and tagging @LimerickChamber and @CorkChamber." Contingency plans are in place to evacuate hundreds of Indian officials and citizens from Kabul if situation deteriorates in the Afghan capital. The city has been gripped by fear and panic as Taliban forces entered its outskirts on Sunday. While there has been no apparent attack on Kabul, sound of sporadic gunfire was heard in the city. Authorities have asserted on Twitter that the situation is under control in the city. Reports suggest that Taliban forces have entered Kabul and are now awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. However, India is ready for any contingency and will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk, government sources privy to related developments told news agency PTI. Plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation, they further added. "The government is closely monitoring the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian embassy in Kabul at any risk," the agency quoted a government source as saying. A fleet of the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force has been kept on standby to carry out emergency evacuation missions, if needed, PTI further reported. On specifically when Indian embassy staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, government sources told the agency that a decision in this regard will be taken on the basis of on the ground situation. Over the last few days, Taliban fighters have swept through most parts of Afghanistan after US pulled its forces out of the region. The militants have seized control of around 25 of the 34 provincial capitals, including major cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad. It said the Afghan security forces are working with their international partners to ensure the security of Kabul. The city has not been attacked yet and the situation is under control, stated Afghan Presidential Palace. "Kabul has not been attacked. The country's security and defence forces are working together with international partners to ensure the security of the city and the situation is under control," the statement in Pashto said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani talked to security officials over telephone to discuss the security of the citizens in Kabul, it said. The BBC reported from Kabul, quoting the country's acting interior minister, that a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government is being prepared. As the situation deteriorated in Kabul, the United States and the embassies of several other countries began evacuating their staff from the Afghan city. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Astronomers think they have a new way to calculate the size of supermassive black holes : by studying the feeding patterns of these invisible giants. Scientists have long noticed flickering patterns in the brightness of accretion disks, the fat ring of matter pulled in by a black hole's gravity . But researchers weren't sure what caused the flickering. Now, by studying dozens of known supermassive black holes, a team of astrophysicists has determined that the flickering of an accretion disk relates to the mass of the black hole swathed inside it and the scientists believe that the same technique also applies to much, much smaller objects as well. "These results suggest that the processes driving the flickering during accretion are universal, whether the central object is a supermassive black hole or a much more lightweight white dwarf," Yue Shen, a co-lead author on the new research and an astronomer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said in a statement . Related: The strangest black holes in the universe An artist's depiction of an accretion disk surrounding a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: Mark A. Garlick/Simons Foundation) To examine any connection between supermassive black hole size and the flickering light of the disk it feeds from, the scientists began by selecting 67 of these behemoths, each with a previously estimated mass of between 10,000 and 10 billion times that of our sun . (Supermassive black holes are much larger than stellar black holes, which form from a single star exploding and have masses of three to 10 times that of our sun.) When that data seemed to show a correlation, the researchers decided to look at much smaller objects with accretion disks as well: white dwarfs , which are the much smaller dense remnants of stars like our sun that have exploded. The scientists hope that the same relationship will hold for objects with masses between these two classes. A particularly intriguing variety would be an intermediate black hole, according to the researchers, since scientists have only identified one such object to date. "Now that there is a correlation between the flickering pattern and the mass of the central accreting object, we can use it to predict what the flickering signal from an IMBH [intermediate black hole] might look like," Colin Burke, the other co-lead author on the research and an astronomy graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said in the statement. And scientists will soon have a new treasure trove of data that may hide the flickers of intermediate black holes when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile begins a decade-long survey in 2023. The research is described in a paper published Aug. 12 in the journal Science. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. A 2017 photo of Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise thought to be the oldest reptile living on Earth. Jonathan lives on Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. (Image credit: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images) On the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, there lives a creature that Guinness World Records has dubbed the " world's oldest animal on land ." His name is Jonathan, and he's a giant tortoise. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan was 187 years old in 2019. Born in 1832, during the reign of Queen Victoria, he was already 80 years old when the Titanic sank deep into the North Atlantic. Jonathan and other giant tortoises aren't the only turtles that live a long time, said Jordan Donini, a professor of biology and a turtle ecologist at Florida SouthWestern State College. Sea turtles can live 50 to 100 years, and box turtles can live more than a century, he told Live Science. In fact, scientists don't know the upper limit on many turtle species' life spans, simply because individual humans don't live long enough themselves to find out. So why do turtles live so long? There's an evolutionary answer and a biological answer, said Lori Neuman-Lee, an assistant professor of physiology at Arkansas State University who studies turtles and other reptiles. Related: How long do tardigrades live? The evolutionary answer is relatively straightforward: Animals such as snakes and raccoons love to eat turtle eggs. To pass on their genes, turtles have to live a long time and breed frequently, sometimes multiple times per year and lay a lot of eggs. "It is kind of amazing that the world is not overrun by turtles, given how many offspring they have," Neuman-Lee told Live Science. The biological mechanism behind turtles' longevity is more complicated. One clue to turtles' longevity lies in their telomeres, structures composed of noncoding strands of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes , Neuman-Lee said. These structures help protect the chromosomes as cells divide. Over time, telomeres get shorter or degrade, which means they can no longer protect their chromosomes as well, leading to issues with DNA replication. And errors in DNA replication can lead to issues such as tumors and cell death. But turtles exhibit a lower rate of telomere shortening compared with shorter-lived animals, Neuman-Lee said. This means they're more resistant to certain kinds of damage that can arise from DNA-replication errors. Scientists haven't confirmed all of the factors that contribute to turtles' long lives, but they have proposed some ideas. In a paper posted July 8 to the preprint database bioRxiv that has not yet been peer-reviewed, a team of scientists explored a number of mechanisms and substances that lead to cell damage and death, and looked at how cells from several turtle species, including from a giant tortoise (like Jonathan), responded. According to the paper, giant tortoises and a few other turtle species seem to be able to protect themselves from the long-term effects of cell damage. They do this by quickly killing off damaged cells, using a process called apoptosis , or programmed cell death, Neuman-Lee said. One treatment induced oxidative stress, a type of stress that occurs naturally in living cells. Oxidative stress is caused by free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules formed naturally by metabolic processes. When treated, the turtle cells quickly underwent apoptosis. "One of the things that this paper reinforces is this idea that actually controlled apoptosis is really valuable, because if there is a cell that has damage, then if an organism can remove it quickly, then that can avoid things like cancer," Neuman-Lee said. In fact, the cells in all but one of the species did not respond to a treatment that was supposed to disrupt an enzyme called ligase, which is essential to the process of DNA replication. In other words, the turtles' ligase continued to function properly. Whether this means these turtles are completely resistant to DNA-replication issues is yet to be determined, Neuman-Lee said. But it's one possible answer for why turtles are so long-lived. Originally published on Live Science. Click here to read the full article. We may receive payment from affiliate links included within this content. Our affiliate partners do not influence our editorial opinions or analysis. To learn more, see our Advertiser Disclosure. International travel restrictions are lifting, so you may be ready to book a U.K. trip and take in the history, culture and landscapeand maybe get in some Royals watching. Although travel insurance is not mandatory to visit the United Kingdom, its a lovely idea to buy a solid travel insurance plan. Related: Compare & Buy Travel Insurance For 2021 Covid-related travel concerns are a top priority for many travelers, reports Gail Mangiante, spokesperson with insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip. Many travel insurance companies provide benefits that will cover Covid-19 medical costs for treatment if you contract the virus during your trip, as well as the extra costs of quarantine in a hotel if you test positive. A travel insurance agent can identify the policies that meet your needs and price-shop the choices for you. Its important to ask questions and ensure your travel insurance policy provides coverage specific to Covid. Some American tourists opt for a long weekend to experience London, while others embark on multi-location trips that include Wales and Scotland. Because the U.K. is a sprawling place with rural and city settingsas well as a broad mix of tourist attractions your travel insurance policy should be comprehensive and cover a variety of events. Comprehensive travel plans typically include coverage for: Travel medical expenses Emergency medical evacuation Trip cancellation Trip delay and trip interruption coverage Baggage loss protection Prepare to Cancel Before You Go Vacations are fun to look forward to, so its hard to think about a potential setback. Still, planning for one is a good idea. If you need to cancel your U.K. trip, a travel insurance plan can reimburse you 100 percent for lost prepaid, nonrefundable deposits. To make a cancellation claim youll need to have a reason thats listed in the policy and provide documentation. Acceptable reasons for cancellation include unplanned events such as an illness or death, a serious family emergency, a national emergency either at your destination or in the U.S., terrorist action or severe weather. Related: Compare over 22+ Travel Insurance Companies Not all reasons for canceling a trip are covered by travel insurance, so check your policy for the list of reasons. For example, if you have tickets to a musical in Londons West End and the headliner changed and is no longer Hugh Jackman, your travel insurance plan would not cover your trip cancellation. But there is a way to cover a movie star-level issue and other problems. You could opt for a cancel for any reason travel insurance upgrade, which will cost about 40% more. With this upgrade you can literally cancel your trip for any reason as long as you cancel within 48 hours before your scheduled departure. Reimbursement is typically 50% or 75% under this coverage. (Not all travel insurers offer this upgrade.) Medical Issues While on a U.K. Trip Check the coverage from your U.S. health insurance plan before you go to the U.K. Your plan may provide limited or no coverage outside the U.S. And senior travelers should note that Medicare will not cover health care when youre abroad. As experienced U.K. visitors know, road safety can be a potential hazard, as driving on the left side of the road is unfamiliar to American drivers. If youre renting a car, make sure you are comfortable with road protocol. If you have an accident on a windy road in the Manchester countryside and require medical attention, your plans travel medical coverage will cover medical treatment, prescription medication, hospital stays, diagnostic tests and doctor visits. Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth suggests you buy a policy with at least $50,000 in medical expense coverage for travel to the U.K. Paying for a Medical Evacuation If you suffer a broken elbow or have a contusion that needs more serious medical attention than whats available locally, a robust travel insurance policy can literally provide life-saving care. With the assistance of your travel insurance companys 24/7 assistance hotline, an experienced team can provide a plethora of resources and will coordinate arranging a medical transport to take you to a qualified medical facility equipped to handle your needs. Without travel insurance coverage, you would foot the bill and pay out-of-pocket for a medevac. The small cost of your policy will protect you in many important ways. Squaremouth recommends at least $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage for U.K. trips. The Costs of a Delay Trip delay benefits within your policy will reimburse you for any expenses you incur if you experience a delay while traveling. For example, if your outbound flight from Philadelphia to London is canceled because the flight crew did not arrive, and the next flight is many hours away, you could recover expenses if you need to spend the night in a hotel and have breakfast the next morning. Trip delay coverage generally has a waiting periodsuch as six hours of delaybefore you can make a claim. Related: Compare over 22+ Travel Insurance Companies Pardon the Interruption If you need to cut your trip short while in the U.K., your travel insurance policy can cover the cost of last-minute flights home and reimburse you for any pre-paid and non-refundable expenses for the parts of your itinerary that you miss. Unexpected events like a family emergency back home, or death, illness or injury to you or your traveling companion, are examples of covered reasons for a trip interruption claim. Wayward Baggage and Belongings The benefits for baggage loss span way beyond just misdirected luggage. A travel insurance plan can cover baggage and your personal belongings if they are lost or stolen. As with many generally safe destinations, crime can still happen. Instances of theft could be covered under the baggage and personal effects section of your policy, says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson with World Nomads, a travel insurance company. If youre traveling to an urban area in the United Kingdom, there have been an increasing number of instances of pickpocketing and bag-snatching in transport hubs, shopping districts, popular attractions and neighborhood pubs, cautions Cheng. If you do fall victim to theft while abroad, Cheng says to file loss reports with the police or other authorities such as an airline, hotel manager or tour leader. If you file a travel insurance claim you will need this type of documentation. The compensation from your travel insurance company could be in the form of a replacement or a reimbursement, Cheng says, noting that depreciation will be taken into account, as well as per article and total maximum limits. Browse the exclusion section of your policy to see what may not be covered. Cash, credit cards and events tickets are common exclusions, she says. With the right travel insurance policy in hand you can go have a bloody good time and not worry about how youll pay for emergencies. Related: Compare & Buy Travel Insurance For 2021 Longford children will have 'to wait until the appropriate time' before they celebrate their First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois Francis Duffy has said 'that it is important to continue to follow official public health advice in relation to gatherings in the face of the continuing pandemic'. And Bishop Duffy is asking all parishes in his diocese to observe the current guidelines and to wait until the appropriate time to hold First Holy Communion and Confirmation. In a recent statement, Bishop Duffy said, "I am acutely aware that young people and families have been looking forward for some time to the Sacramental celebrations of First Holy Communion and Confirmation. "Some parishioners have understandably expressed their disappointment with the ongoing postponement. "This is especially the case because our church buildings have been consistently maintained as safe places throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and this high standard is a result of dedicated and ongoing hard work, and that of parish committees. "Over the last few months we have had an impressive uptake in vaccines, this is particularly timely as schools prepare to reopen in a few weeks. "To preserve the benefit our collective sacrifices to date, I believe that it is important to continue to follow official public health advice in relation to gatherings in the face of the continuing pandemic. "I am, therefore, asking all of our parishes to observe the current guidelines and to wait until the appropriate time to hold these ceremonies. "Hopefully, as the vaccination programme advances, the time will come very soon, to celebrate these important and joyful Sacramental occasions." The IFA is hosting an online farmer meeting to discuss the governments Nitrates Action Programme. The event will be hosted this coming Thursday, August 19, at 8pm. There will be brief presentations from IFA senior policy staff, Geraldine OSullivan and Aine OConnell, followed by an open discussion where farmers can put forward their views. Farmers wishing to join the meeting can register using https://www.ifa.ie/nregs/. IFA Environment Chairman Paul OBrien said there are over 20 proposals outlined in the draft nitrates consultation, yet farm income isnt mentioned once. Many of the proposals, if agreed, would significantly damage family farm incomes. IFA will be highlighting this in its submission. Farmers will do more to protect water quality on farms, but adequate supports need to be put in place to make this happen, he said. IFA Dairy Chairman Stephen Arthur said the soiled water proposal prohibiting the spread of soiled water for an eight-week period is far too onerous on dairy farmers, particularly farmers operating split calving systems. In December and January, its estimated that approximately 65 litres of water is used per cow per day to wash down the parlour. Placing an eight-week storage period on farms, compared to the existing requirement of 10-15 days, would require farmers to increase their soiled water capacity sixfold for a typical 100 cow herd. This is an added expense of 20,000-30,000 which DAFM expects farmers to incur within a 12-month period. This is simply unacceptable, he maintained. Aug 15 (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will not be attending the high-profile annual Jackson Hole conference of central bankers in late August, an ECB spokesperson said. The Sunday Telegraph reported earlier that Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey would also not be attending. The newspaper cited a BoE spokesperson as saying that organisers were "focusing on a domestic invite list due to limited capacity". Speculation is mounting that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell could signal it is ready to start easing monetary support in a speech to be delivered at the annual Jackson Hole conference of central bankers. The Kansas City Fed, which organises the conference held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has said previously that it will host "a modified, in-person programme" this year after last year holding the conference online amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams) (Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is poised to recall Parliament amid reports that Taliban fighters have entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul. With the country on the brink of complete collapse, the lead elements of the British force sent to evacuate the remaining UK nationals were understood to be in the city amid fears it could fall within days or hours. In a sign of the speed of the collapse, arrangements were reportedly being made to fly the British Ambassador Laurie Bristow out of the country. A No10 source said Johnson was expected to seek a recall of members of Parliament this week to discuss the worsening situation. Timings of the return to Westminster will be confirmed following discussions with Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. It had previously been intended that Bristow should remain in a secure location at Kabul airport along with other international diplomats. But amid a hurried scramble for safety countries were hurriedly removing their embassy staff, as helicopters were seen landing at the US embassy to ferry away remaining personnel. In the UK, there was deep anger among many MPs at the way a 20 years after the first international forces entered Afghanistan a the country was being abandoned to its fate. The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said it was "the biggest single foreign policy disaster" since Suez, while Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said it was a humiliation for the West. Labour leader Keir Starmer said ministers needed to explain what they intended to do to avert a looming humanitarian crisis and prevent Afghanistan again becoming a base for international terrorism. "The situation in Afghanistan is deeply shocking and seems to be worsening by the hour," he said. "The immediate priority now must be to get all British personnel and support staff safely out of Kabul. The government has been silent while Afghanistan collapses which, let's be clear, will have ramifications for us here in the UK." Despite the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw the remaining US troops which triggered the collapse, Ellwood said it was still not too late to turn the situation around. He called for the despatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the prime minister to convene an emergency conference of "like-minded nations" to see what could be done. "I plead with the prime minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state," he told Times Radio. "We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward. "We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail." Earlier Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that when the US announced its plans to withdraw, he had approached other allies about taking their place but none was willing to do so. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said it was "arrogant" to think the UK a which is also pulling out its troops a could resolve the situation unilaterally. "A unilateral force would very quickly be viewed as an occupying force and, no matter how powerful the country that sends it, history shows us what happens to them in Afghanistan," he said. Britain is sending 600 troops a including Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade a on a mission to support the final departure of the remaining UK nationals as well as Afghans who worked with the UK in the country. Wallace had previously indicated that they could be there until the end of the month, but given the speed of the collapse that would appear unlikely. Tugendhat, who served as an Army officer in Afghanistan, said the priority had to be to get as many people out before Kabul collapsed. "This isn't just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats," he told BBC News. "This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now. "The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps." By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. If there is one celebrity in the Bollywood industry who knows how to stay relevant day in and day out, it has to be the Tanu Weds Manu star Kangana Ranaut. By now, it has been made clear that no matter how many social media platforms the actress is banned on, she would still find her name trending. Especially after the kind of social media uproar her recent bralette picture created and topping it all is another picture of the actress in a monokini that seems to be irking some people just as much. The actress who wrapped up her shoot for the film Dhaakad was spending some quality time with her sister and her son at a water park. She posted a bunch of pictures of herself sporting an Ivy Park monokini with her nephew and that is all it took for some people to come at the actress yet again for going against the Indian culture in Kanganas own words. She posted on Instagram with a caption that read, A day with my kiddie.. in a water park ha ha I am not a water person at all and he loves water but I enjoyed it may be because he was so thrilled to be there I guess thats what love is about. Instagram_Kangana Ranaut Her sister Rangoli Chandel also posted pictures of the actress on her Instagram captioning it, Promoting #Thalaivi. Meanwhile, some folks have found another reason to come at the Manikarnika actress for continuing to show double standards by wearing revealing clothes all the while talking about sanskriti and the culture of India. One user commented, The saint, who character assassinated Rihanna, is now wearing a swimming costume, legs out, has affairs with married men. Look at yourself before defaming others, while another one wrote while coming to Kanganas defence, Please Librandus leave the Child and her aunt alone for god sake have some shame before commenting nonsense and body shaming a woman. Here are some of the reactions from public: Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram People stand divided on Kanganas recent post just as they did on her sheer lace bralette picture. At the same time, it is being wondered whether Kangana posted this picture in a monokini as a reply to all those hating on her. Instagram Especially since the actress also posted a cryptic story on her Instagram writing, Meanwhile people looked at mother just how we look at white women in North India when they wear bikinis. Could this be Kanganas way of calling out trolls for judging her choice of clothes? We are yet to find out! As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, the entire country finds itself floating in feelings of patriotism and pride. There is a certain sense of pride towards martyrdom in the air as people think back to all those times when our brave soldiers sacrificed their lives to keep our tri-coloured flag always flying high. And one such martyr who etched his name in history and in our hearts was Captain Vikram Batra. The man who fought valiantly during the Kargil war in 1999 and led one of the most dangerous and crucial operations in mountain warfare, Captain Vikram Batra and his achievements are to date remembered and lauded with great fondness. Especially by his parents who arent just proud of their son, but also miss him dearly. Kiara Advani First played by actor Abhishek Bachchan in the movie LOC Kargil, the role has been played again by Siddharth Malhotra in the film Shershaah, which is supposed to be a biopic on the life of the decorated Indian Army officer. In the movie, the scene where Captain Vikram Batras courageous rendezvous with the enemy at the border was shown has left everyone emotional, but most of all his parents. In fact, in a recent interview where GL Batra, Captain Vikram Batras father, was asked about what he felt having seen the film Shershaah, he shared the emotions that their family felt throughout the movie. Paid my respects to Captain Vikram Batra & all other Fauji heroes in Delhi Truly had an emotional moment there! Standing in front of his statue, remembering his sacrifice & of 527 other war martyrs... Happy Independence Day pic.twitter.com/2Olj4YLyMR Sidharth Malhotra (@SidMalhotra) August 15, 2021 Recalling the scene where Captain Batra gets shot, GL Batra shared, A Pakistani soldier in hiding targets him and some three to four bullets hit him in the chest. He then falls down and bleeds from the mouth when he chants his unit's war cry 'Hail Mother Durga' (Durga mata ki jai). He then falls down and becomes a martyr. It was a very emotional moment for us." Captain Batras mother Kamal Kanta Batra also spoke about the influx of emotions that she felt during the scene and said, I got very emotional when he was suddenly hit by a bullet in the film." Twitter Meanwhile, Vishal Batra, Captain Batras twin brother also talked about the kind of impact that scene had on him, for it was followed by a moment of silence to deal with the emotional havoc he had kept in all this while. The movie has said to beautifully and boldly capture the essence of patriotism and sheer valour that Captain Batra exuded at the border. In fact, during an interview with actor Siddharth Malhotra who feels honoured to play his part, went ahead to share that if he had not been an actor, he would have chosen to be in the Indian Army just like his grandfather who served the nation and fought in the India-China war in 1962. Governor Granholm Honors World Series Wager with Missouri Governor Governor Granholm Honors World Series Wager with Missouri Governor To save an image without opening it: "Right-click " the link for the item you want. Click "Save Target As ". In the "File Name" box, type a name for the item, and then click "Save". Heidi Watson 517-335-6397 Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today completed the terms of her wager with Missouri Governor Matt Blunt over the outcome of the 2006 World Series. Granholm placed the friendly wager with Missouri Governor Matt Blunt in support of the Detroit Tigers in their match-up with the St. Louis Cardinals. Under the terms of the wager, Granholm donned a St. Louis Cardinals' jersey, read a chapter from "Three Nights in August," enjoyed a Missouri-branded steak with Missouri wine, all of which was documented in a photograph that is available on the Governor's website. Granholm was also interviewed by McGraw Millhaven on the Cardinals' flagship station KTRS, the Big 550, as part of the wager. The interview took place on Friday, November 3, at 11:05 a.m. (EST). The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, October 27. Michigan Iron Industry Museum - Iron Ore Heritage Bike Tour, Aug. 13 Michigan Iron Industry Museum - Iron Ore Heritage Bike Tour, Aug. 13 Fee: $25 (includes tour, lunch and handouts) Registration deadline: August 9 Download the 2021 Iron Ore Heritage Bike Tour registration Enjoy a leisurely guided bike tour on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. You'll travel approximately 15 miles as you go from the Michigan Iron Industry Museum to Ishpeming and then back again. Stops along the way include the Jackson Mine and Old Town Negaunee; on the return trip, we'll take a break for lunch provided by Midtown Bakery and Cafe. Please note that the course includes hills and may be challenging for beginners. The Michigan Iron Industry Museum-part of the Michigan History Museum System-is located eight miles west of Marquette. Read more Michigan Iron Industry Museum visitor information. We invite you to explore our online calendar, where you'll find all Michigan History Center events throughout the state. Updated 06/09/2021 Ocean County Jail / Contributed Photo A New Haven man has pleaded guilty to the attempted homicide of a New Jersey police officer, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office announced Friday. The Ocean County Prosecutors Office said Miguel Angel-Villegas, 31, of New Haven, also pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension or prosecution stemming from the 2019 incident. The state will recommend a 15-year term at the New Jersey State Prison when Angel-Villegas is sentenced next month, the prosecutors office said. Populations fell along much of Connecticuts eastern shoreline and river valley regions, according to new census data, which painted a picture of an increasingly diverse and multi-racial region that saw steady declines among its majority white residents. In every town along the coast from New Haven to the Rhode Island state line, the number of non-white residents increased over the last decade, according to the census, buoyed largely by growth in Hispanic and multi-racial populations. In New London County, for example, the Hispanic population grew by a third, reaching 30,920 in 2020. The change was even more dramatic in Middlesex County, where the number of Hispanics grew by half, reaching 11,928 last year. Overall, however, there were fewer people living in both counties than a decade ago. New London County lost 5,500 residents, a decline of 2 percent since 2010. Middlesex County lost 1,431 residents, a decline of 1 percent. The census data from eastern Connecticut tracks with the broader trends from around the state and country, with the nation as a whole growing increasingly diverse and more urban. In Connecticut, the white population shrunk in all but one town, which experts attributed in part to an older population and lower birth rates when compared with other racial groups. In towns where robust growth among diverse and younger populations was enough to offset decline in older whites, overall populations have also grown. Connecticut is aging, said Sam Gold, executive director of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments. With aging, comes population loss. Some of those people are passing away and some are retiring elsewhere. Several shoreline communities did see small to modest growth over the last decade, including the so-called Golden Triangle of towns at the mouth of the Connecticut River: Old Saybrook, Essex and Old Lyme. Old Saybrook added 239 residents during the decade, and its population as of April 1, 2020 was 10,481. That represented a growth of 2.3 percent, the highest of any town along the shoreline. First Selectman Carl Fortuna said those numbers largely match the development of a 186-unit apartment complex which opened in 2017, as well as the addition of a handful of other apartments downtown. While a recent affordable housing plan for the town projected a substantial population decline in the coming years, Fortuna said apartment developments have helped stave off such a fate. Our towns are very developed, Fortuna said of the shoreline area. Its either open space or its developed, so the only way were going to increase our population is through cluster housing. Nearby Essex grew at a smaller 0.7 percent clip over the last decade, adding 50 new people for a total population of 6,733. Essex First Selectman Norm Needlemen similarly attributed that growth to the development of apartments near the towns train station, saying theres not been a lot of single-family home development over the last 10 years. Old Lyme saw a .3 percent population growth over the same period, adding 25 people for a total of 7,628. Gold said anecdotal reports of more people moving into their second homes during the pandemic could also explain the growth in some towns along the coast, particularly those that have historically served as popular locales for summer homes. When I was [at the Old Saybrook Department of Motor Vehicles] last, I saw a lot of New York license plates, Gold said. Thats a sign of people moving from New York to Connecticut and actually becoming state residents. Rural areas of eastern Connecticut without access to the coast saw some of the steepest population declines in the region. Bozrah saw its population drop 7.5 percent, the highest in the region, followed by Chester, at 6.1 percent. Both North Branford and Montville saw similar declines of 6 percent over the past decade. Nat Trumbull, an associate professor of geography at the University of Connecticuts Avery Point Campus, said the census results nationwide showed a migration of people moving from rural areas to more prosperous metropolitan areas, especially in the South and West. Its got to be fewer economic opportunities, that has to be the explanation, Trumbull said. The trend to the cities is just unmistakable in my view. The largest municipalities along the eastern shoreline, New London and Branford, saw small changes to their overall populations over the last 10 years. Branford grew by .9 percent, adding 247 residents to reach a total population of 28,273. New London shrank by 0.9 percent, losing 253 residents and falling to a total population of 27,367. The fastest growing cities in the state, meanwhile, were farther west down the coast in Fairfield County. Stamfords population surged by 10 percent to become the second-largest city in the state behind Bridgeport, which grew at a more mild 3.1 percent pace. WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the Taliban enter the Afghan capital. But he is playing down Americas hasty exit, saying this is manifestly not Saigon. Speaking on ABCs This Week on Sunday, Blinken said: The compound itself, our folks are leaving there, and moving to the airport. Blinken also confirmed that U.S. Embassy workers were destroying documents and other items ahead of fleeing the embassy, but insisted this is being done in a very deliberate way, its being done in an orderly way, and its being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way. The evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had U.S. military helicopters lifting off from embassy grounds Sunday, and sent puffs of black smoke up into the skies over Kabul as U.S. officials worked to keep sensitive material from falling in Taliban hands. The scene comes after President Joe Biden earlier this year played down any idea that the Taliban could capture the country, or that the Afghanistan war would end up in scenes reminiscent of the Vietnam one, with military helicopters taking off from embassy rooftops. Blinken defended Bidens decision to end the nearly 20-year U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, saying Bidens hands were tied by a withdrawal deal President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban in 2020. If Biden had called off the withdrawal, we would have been back at the war with the Taliban, and forced to surge tens of thousands of American forces back into Afghanistan, Blinken said. Other developments on Afghanistan, where a Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks before the final pullout of American and NATO troops: ISLAMABAD -- A special flight of Pakistans national airline PIA has arrived in Islamabad carrying 329 passengers from Kabul, and another carrying 170 people will arrive later today. A spokesman for the airline said Saturday that the airline will operate three flights tomorrow to transport Pakistanis and other nationalities looking to leave Kabul. PIA and other commercial flights from Kabul were heavily delayed Sunday due to a U.S. military transport plane that blocked the runway, the airline said. ___ WASHINGTON Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief House members on the situation in Afghanistan in an unclassified virtual conference on Sunday morning, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested the meeting along with an in-person classified briefing when the House is back in Washington the week of Aug. 23. ___ BERLIN NATO says that it is helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world. In a statement it says that it would also maintain its diplomatic presence in Kabul. The security of our personnel is paramount, and we continue to adjust as necessary, it added. NATO provided no details on its number of staff still in Afghanistan, but said it was constantly assessing developments in the country. We support Afghan efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, which is now more urgent than ever, the statement said. ___ ISTANBUL Turkeys president says his country will work for stability in Afghanistan along with Pakistan, in order to stem a growing migration wave amid the Taliban's countrywide offensive. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Afghans were increasingly attempting to migrate to Turkey via Iran, urging an international effort to bring stability to the country and prevent mass migration. Erdogan was speaking at a naval ceremony with Pakistans president. He said Pakistan had a vital task to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, where clashes have intensified. Turkish-Pakistani cooperation would be needed for this, and Turkey would use all possibilities to do so, Erdogan added. Erdogan did not mention any changes to a proposal for Turkey to secure and operate the airport in Kabul. ___ MADRID Spains defense ministry says it has not yet begun evacuating Spanish nationals and Afghan staff including translators who are expected to be flown out alongside its citizens, but was speeding up its plans. In an emailed statement it says that the evacuation plan for Afghanistan is being accelerated to the maximum," adding that details are finalized on logistics and the people who will be evacuated, but they cannot give more details for security reasons. ___ VATICAN CITY Pope Francis said Sunday that he shares the unanimous concern for the situation in Afghanistan" as Taliban fighters sweep across the war-torn country. He spoke as the Taliban entered the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan capital, and said they were awaiting a peaceful transfer of the city. From a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, the pope asked for prayers so that the clamor of weapons may cease and solutions may be found at the negotiating table. He added that only in this way, may the battered population of the country -- men and women, elderly and children -- return to their homes and live in peace and safety, with full mutual respect. ___ BERLIN Germany is sending military transport planes to Kabul to begin the evacuation of its embassy staff Monday. The German news agency dpa reported Sunday that the mission will include the evacuation of local Afghan staff working for the German embassy. A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to be quoted, told The Associated Press that paratroopers will secure the operation. The military planes are expected to ferry evacuees from Kabul to a base in Central Asia. ___ MILAN Italian media reported Sunday that most personnel at the Italian Embassy in Kabul are being transferred to the Afghan capitals airport in preparation for evacuation. The report Sunday by Corriere della Sera said the move affects some 50 Italian staffers and 30 Afghan employees and their families, along with Carabinieri paramilitary police protecting the embassy. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that staff were being transferred to the airport, as other nations were in the process of doing, but could not give numbers or timing. Italys defense minister has said that 228 Afghans and their families have already been transferred to Italy, calling it a moral duty to protect those who had worked with Italy and who would face reprisals by the Taliban. The Italian agency LaPresse reported a flight carrying Italian embassy staff would depart Kabul Sunday evening. ___ MOSCOW Russias state news agency reported Sunday that the Taliban promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian embassy in Kabul. Tass quoted Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Talibans political office, as saying that the organization has good relations with Russia and a policy in general to ensure safe conditions for the functioning of the Russian and other embassies. The Kremlin's envoy on Afghanistan said Sunday that there are no plans to evacuate the Russian embassy in Kabul. Zamir Kabulov told the Interfax news agency that Russias ambassador and its staff are calmly carrying out their duties. The reports came as Taliban fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The Taliban said they dont plan to take the capital city by force. ___ MOSCOW -- Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry reported Sunday that 84 Afghan servicemen crossed the border into Uzbekistan asked for assistance. Uzbek guards detained the group of Afghan military when they crossed the border. The group included three wounded soldiers that needed medical help, the ministry said. The men were offered food and temporary accommodation in Uzbekistan, and the ministry was in touch with Afghan officials regarding the return of Afghan soldiers to their home country. The announcement Sunday came as Taliban fighters entered Kabul after a week-long blitz ahead of the final pullout of American and NATO troops. The Taliban said they don't plan to take the capital city by force. ___ TIRANA, Albania Albania's prime minister says his country will temporarily shelter hundreds of Afghans who worked with the Western peacekeeping military forces and are now threatened by the Taliban. On his Facebook page, Edi Rama said the U.S. government had asked Albania to serve as a transit place for a certain number of Afghan political emigrants who have the United States as their final destination. No doubt we shall not say no, he said. He added that the Albanian government has also responded positively to requests from two U.S. NGOs to shelter hundreds of Afghan intellectuals and women activists who have been threatened with execution by the Taliban. The Albanian prime minister said that his country stands alongside the United States not only when we need them for our problems ... but even when they need us, any time. ___ LONDON British media are reporting that the U.K.s ambassador to Afghanistan is to be airlifted out of the country by Monday evening amid fears that the Taliban could seize the airport imminently. The Foreign Office had intended for Laurie Bristow and a small team of officials to remain at the airport with other international diplomats. But the Sunday Telegraph reported that their departure had been brought forward. The Foreign Office declined comment. Last week the defense ministry said 600 British troops were being deployed to Kabul to help evacuate some 3,000 British nationals and about 2,000 Afghans who worked with British forces. A Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft was reported to have flown out of the airport on Saturday carrying diplomats and civilians. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace defended Britains move to pull troops out of the country. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said we have not betrayed Afghanistan. He wrote that the U.K. could not go it alone after the U.S. announced its plans to withdraw. It would be arrogant to think we could solve Afghanistan unilaterally, he said. ___ ISLAMABAD Pakistan has closed the Torkham border point with Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the Afghan border facility, the interior minister said Sunday. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the decision to close the Torkhan border was taken due to due to an extraordinary situation on the other side. Ahmed told the local Geo television that the border was closed when Afghan police surrendered to the Taliban. Ahmed said the Chaman border point with Afghanistan remains open. Pakistan has already said that it cannot bear any load of new Afghan refugees in the wake of crisis in the war-torn country. Pakistan is about to complete fencing along the long, porous border, saying the step has been taken to check the militants movement across the border. ___ TREBON, Czech Republic Czech leaders have approved a plan to evacuate Afghan staffers at the Czech embassy in Kabul. The Czechs already had evacuated their own diplomats from the embassy and transported them to Kabuls international airport. Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said Afghan staffers are at risk of death and torture if they stay, adding, "We simply cant allow that to happen. The announcement Sunday came as the Taliban seized the last major city outside of Kabul held by the countrys central government, cutting off the capital to the east. Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the Czechs will help those Afghans who worked with Czech troops during their deployment in NATO missions. Metnar said his country is ready to take care of Afghan interpreters and their families. We will relocate those who have asked, to the Czech Republic, Metnar said. The evacuation flights should take place in next days. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A judge on Friday rejected a request from the federal government to provide classified information in a lawsuit filed by the family of a British teenager killed in England by a member of the U.S. intelligence community who was driving on the wrong side of the road. The family of 19-year-old Harry Dunn filed a lawsuit in Alexandria, Virginia, against Anne Sacoolas and her husband, Jonathan, after Anne Sacoolas struck and killed Dunn as he drove a motorcycle near the Croughton Air Force base in England. The Sacoolases left the country after Dunn's death and the U.S. invoked diplomatic immunity on their behalf, prompting an outcry in Britain. Dunn's family then filed the lawsuit. The government has confirmed that Anne Sacoolas worked in the intelligence community but otherwise has been circumspect about the family's duties. Last month, the U.S. government filed a motion to intervene in the case and provide the judge more information about the family without making it public or available to the plaintiffs. At a hearing Friday, though, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said he didn't see why the information would be relevant. I don't want any classified information running around here, Ellis said. This case should have been settled a long time ago. The hearing came less than two weeks before the Sacoolases are scheduled to give depositions in the lawsuit. A government lawyer, Jay Powers, told Ellis that the government could not provide more details about its request "without revealing the information we are seeking to protect. Powers said there could be seemingly innocuous questions that may bear on issues we need to protect. Anne Sacoolas has admitted she was driving on the wrong side of the road and that she is responsible for Dunn's death. Lawyers for Dunn's family said there are additional details to sort out that may be relevant for punitive damages, including whether she was talking on her cellphone when she struck Dunn and whether she immediately called for help. The Dunn family's lawyer, Daren Firestone, said Anne Sacoolas had already been in England for several weeks by the time of the accident and should have been used to driving on the left side of the road. Ellis, though, said the habit of driving on the right side of the road is a difficult one to break. I lived in England for more than a year, he said. Even at the end of a year, I was often on the wrong side of the road. Following the judge's decision, the parties agreed on a compromise in which the plaintiffs and the government will try to sort out between them a way to conduct the deposition without touching on classified information and without requiring the judge to intervene. In court papers, the plaintiffs' lawyers have said they aren't interested in the Sacoolases' work status. The case has drawn the direct attention of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, said when they visited the White House in October 2019, Trump surprised them by saying the Sacoolases were in the next room waiting to meet them. They turned down the offer. At Friday's hearing, Ellis pressed the lawyers on why a settlement had not already been reached. Firestone indicated that his clients may be interested in more than a monetary settlement. To some extent, I think they want to see this played out, he said. "To some extent, they feel like this is some small substitute for the justice they weren't able to get in the U.K." Ellis sympathized with their viewpoint but said civil litigation is limited in what it can accomplish. This is a terrible tragedy, but nothing we do in this courtroom is going to bring back that young man, he said. A wrongful death case is not an opportunity for revenge. 9:43PM: In more positive news on Springers condition, Montoyo told The Toronto Stars Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that the outfielder has improved enough that the team hasnt needed to do further tests on the ankle. TODAY, 2:08AM: X-rays were negative on Springers leg, as manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (including Sportsnets Arden Zwelling) that Springer is day-to-day with a mild left ankle sprain. AUGUST 14: Blue Jays center fielder George Springer left tonights game with an apparent injury to his lower left leg. Springer made an awkward landing while attempting to catch a Ty France triple to the wall in the seventh inning, and Springer immediately grabbed at his ankle area after hitting the ground. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, albeit gingerly. It certainly looks like another trip to the injured list is coming for Springer, who has already missed a big chunk of his first Blue Jays season. Springer has played in only 49 games due to an oblique strain and a pair of quad strains, and it isnt surprising that Springers eventual return resulted in a big uptick in the Jays performance. When Springer has played, he has lived up to the expectations created by his six-year, $150MM free agent deal. Springer has hit .269/.362/.610 with 16 home runs over 211 plate appearances, good for a 158 wRC+. Over a full season, this would represent a new career best for Springer, who had a 157 wRC+ in 556 PA and 122 games with the Astros in 2019. This type of production cant really be replaced, and losing Springer for any amount of time will represent a major blow to Torontos playoff chances. The Jays do at least have some outfield depth, as without Springer, the new alignment would likely be Teoscar Hernandez in right field, Randal Grichuk in center field, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corey Dickerson sharing time in left field and probably also DH duty. Cavan Biggio and rookie Josh Palacios can also factor into the outfield mix when they return from the injured list. WASHINGTON Dozens of nations from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country. More than 60 nations released a joint statement Sunday night citing what they call the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. The statement says that those in power and authority across the country bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations' statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. The statement concludes: The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them. The statement was distributed to U.S. media by the State Department. ___ SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas Foreign Ministry said it has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul and evacuated most of its staff to an unspecified third country in the Middle East. The ministry said a few diplomats, including Ambassador Choi Taeho, remain at a safe location in Afghanistan to support the evacuation of a South Korean national in the country and that the Seoul government is closely working with the United States and other countries to ensure their safe evacuation. Afghanistan has been on South Koreas travel ban list since 2007. There were reportedly around five South Koreans living in Afghanistan before the Seoul government in June called for all of them to leave the country within 10 days as the United States and NATO proceeded with troop pullouts. ___ WASHINGTON A State Department official says the American flag is no longer flying at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul amid evacuations from Afghanistans capital. The official tells The Associated Press that nearly all embassy personnel have been relocated to the citys international airport. The official says the flag itself is with embassy personnel, who are among thousands of Americans and others waiting for flights. The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity In a joint statement Sunday night, the State Department and the Pentagon say they are taking steps to secure the airport for safe departures by way of civilian and military flights. The statement says the U.S. security presence will have expanded to nearly 6,000 troops over the next two days and will take over air traffic control. Those leaving include American citizens who have been living in Afghanistan, locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families, and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals. Also part of the departure plan are thousands of Afghans eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas. Nearly 2,000 of those with special visas have arrived in the United States over the past two weeks. Matthew Lee. ___ WASHINGTON President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials have been stunned by the pace of the Talibans nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation. The speed of the Afghan governments collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed. Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it. By Sunday, though, leading figures in the administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety. ___ UNITED NATIONS U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint in order to protect the lives of Afghans and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that the United Nations remains determined to contribute to a peaceful settlement, promote the human rights of all Afghans, notably women and girls, and provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and critical support to civilians in need. The U.N. humanitarian office said members of the humanitarian community both from the U.N. and non-governmental organizations remain committed to helping the millions of Afghans needing assistance and are staying in the country despite the highly complex security environment. The office, known as OCHA, said in a statement Sunday that more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance before more than 550,000 people were displaced by conflict this year, a figure that doubled since May. ___ This story has been corrected to show that OCHA said more than 18.4 million people were already in need of assistance, not 550,000. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban spokesman and negotiator tells The Associated Press that the militant group is holding talks aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government in Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen spoke to the AP after the Taliban overran most of the country in a matter of days and pushed into the capital, Kabul, as the United States scrambled to withdraw diplomats and other civilians. Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce a new government from the presidential palace, but those plans appear to be on hold. ___ WASHINGTON The United States is sending another 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, raising the U.S. deployment to roughly 6,000. A defense official tells The Associated Press on Sunday that 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne are going directly to Kabul instead of going to Kuwait as a standby force. The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a deployment decision not yet announced by the Pentagon. On Saturday, President Joe Biden authorized the U.S. troop deployment to rise to roughly 5,000 by adding about 1,000. Since then, the Taliban have entered the capital of Kabul and Afghanistan's president has fled the country. Helicopters have been evacuating personnel from the U.S. Embassy, and several other Western missions also are preparing to pull their people out. Robert Burns ___ KABUL, Afghanistan The Al-Jazeera news network is airing footage of a large group of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace in the capital of Afghanistan. The Taliban are expected to announce their takeover from the palace, renaming the country as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The militants have taken over most of Afghanistan in a matter of days as the U.S. scrambles to withdraw after 20 years of war. ___ LONDON Britains Defense Ministry says U.K. troops have arrived in Kabul to help evacuate remaining Britons there. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after chairing a Cabinet emergency committee meeting Sunday that the priority is to get out British nationals, as well as Afghans who helped U.K. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, as fast as we can. The ambassador is working round the clock, has been there in the airport to help process the applications, he told Sky News. We certainly have the means at the moment to get them out ... Its just a question of making sure that theyre able to do it over the next few days. The vast bulk of embassy staff and officials have already left Afghanistan, Johnson added. ___ NEW YORK The Latest developments on Afghanistan, where a Taliban blitz has taken large swaths of territory just weeks before the final pullout of American and NATO troops: The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Afghanistan Monday morning (10 am EDT) at the request of Estonia and Norway. Council diplomats said Sunday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief council members on the latest situation following the Taliban takeover of the capital, Kabul. The U.N. chief on Friday had urged the Taliban to immediately halt their offensive in Afghanistan and negotiate in good faith to avert a prolonged civil war. He also said he is deeply disturbed by early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Senior U.S. military officials say Kabuls international airport has been closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue. The suspension of commercial flights cuts off one of the last avenues to escape the country for Afghans fearful of Taliban rule. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days and swept into the capital on Sunday. Scenes of chaos played out at the airport earlier, as Afghans rushed to get on the last flights out of the country. Videos circulating online showed airport personnel struggling to coral crowds boarding a plane on the tarmac, while a man with an injured leg lay on the ground. In the background, a U.S. Air Force plane was landing. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban official says the group will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by U.S.-led forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has suspended all operations and told Americans to shelter in place, saying it has received reports of gunfire at the international airport. The U.S. is racing to airlift diplomats and citizens out of Afghanistan after the Taliban overran most of the country and entered the capital early Sunday. The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly and the situation at the airport is deteriorating rapidly," the embassy said in a statement. "There are reports of the airport taking fire and we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has suspended consular operations effective immediately. Do not come to the Embassy or airport at this time. ___ PARIS France is relocating its embassy in Kabul to the airport to evacuate all citizens still in Afghanistan, initially transferring them to Abu Dhabi. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain said in a statement Sunday that military reinforcements and aircraft would deploy in the hours ahead to the United Arab Emirates, so that the first evacuations toward Abu Dhabi can start. Evacuations have been in progress for weeks and a charter flight put in place by France in mid-July. Since May, France has taken in Afghan employees at French structures under potential threat, with 600 people relocated to France. France gradually pulled out troops from Afghanistan between 2013 and 2015, and since then former personnel who worked for the French Army and their families, some 1,350 Afghans, were brought to France, the statement said. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan leaders have created a coordination council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of the power, after the religious militia's lightening offensive swept to the capital, Kabul. In a statement posted on social media by former president Hamid Karzai, he said the body will be led by the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and himself. The statement said the move was to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people, and to manage peace and a peaceful transfer. ___ BERLIN The United Nations refugee agency says more than 550,000 people in Afghanistan have fled their homes due to the conflict since the start of this year. A situational update published Sunday by Geneva-based UNHCR shows about 126,000 people were displaced in the previous month to Aug. 9, the most recent date for which figures are available. A spokeswoman for UNHCR said that while the situation inside Afghanistan is fluid, for now the displacement is largely internal. There is a need to support the humanitarian response in the country, Shabia Mantoo told The Associated Press. If we do see cross border movement then additional support outside the country will be necessary too. The agency continues to have international and Afghan staff on the ground, she said. ___ BERLIN German media have issued an urgent appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel and the countrys foreign minister for an emergency visa program to help local staff who worked for them to leave Afghanistan. In an open letter Sunday, major German newspapers, public and commercial broadcasters, and the dpa news agency warned that the lives of these freelance staff are now in acute danger. The media outlets stressed that reporting from Afghanistan over the past two decades would have been unthinkable without the efforts and bravery of the Afghan staff who supported us on the ground: local journalists, stringers and translators. Citing several recent fatal attacks on journalists, the letter said that due to the advance of the Taliban it must be feared that such murders will now dramatically increase - and many of our staff are at risk. We are convinced: there is no time to lose now, it adds. Our staff who want to leave the country are at risk of persecution, arrest, torture and deaths. That is why we ask you act quickly. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan officials say embattled President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban moved further into Kabul. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they werent authorized to brief journalists told The Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video. He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable, Abdullah said. Ghani's whereabouts and destination are currently unknown. ___ TORONTO -- Canada has suspended diplomatic operations in Afghanistan and Canadian personnel are on their way back to Canada. Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement the decision to suspend operations is temporary and the embassy will reopen if the security situation allows staff to be safe. Some 40,000 Canadian troops were deployed in Afghanistan over 13 years as part of the NATO mission before pulling out in 2014. More than 150 Canadian soldiers died during the Afghanistan mission. ___ WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the Taliban enter the Afghan capital. But he is playing down Americas hasty exit, saying this is manifestly not Saigon. Speaking on ABCs This Week on Sunday, Blinken said: The compound itself, our folks are leaving there, and moving to the airport. Blinken also confirmed that U.S. Embassy workers were destroying documents and other items ahead of fleeing the embassy, but insisted this is being done in a very deliberate way, its being done in an orderly way, and its being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way. The evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had U.S. military helicopters lifting off from embassy grounds Sunday, and sent puffs of black smoke up into the skies over Kabul as U.S. officials worked to keep sensitive material from falling in Taliban hands. The scene comes after President Joe Biden earlier this year played down any idea that the Taliban could capture the country, or that the Afghanistan war would end up in scenes reminiscent of the Vietnam one, with military helicopters taking off from embassy rooftops. Blinken defended Bidens decision to end the nearly 20-year U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, saying Bidens hands were tied by a withdrawal deal President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban in 2020. If Biden had called off the withdrawal, we would have been back at the war with the Taliban, and forced to surge tens of thousands of American forces back into Afghanistan, Blinken said. __ Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City. SYDNEY Australias most populous state on Monday reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths. The previous record daily tally in New South Wales was 466 new cases reported on Saturday. Two of the dead had taken a single dose of a two-shot vaccine. The rest were unvaccinated, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Only 26% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Saturday. Australia has one of the slowest vaccine rollouts among wealthy countries, which is making the delta variant outbreak particularly dangerous. The first shipment of one million Pfizer doses that Australia bought from Poland arrived in Sydney overnight. Residents aged 16-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected suburbs will be given 530,000 of the new doses, the government said. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall Amid a limited supply of vaccines, tensions arise in Africa between those seeking first and second vaccine shots Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19 Man stabbed at LA anti-vaccination protest leaves hospital __ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lankas government has announced nightly curfew starting Monday to control a surge in the COVID-19 cases. A government statement says curfew will be enforced from 10 p.m to 4 a.m from Monday until further notice. Travel for essential services will be allowed during the curfew. Authorities have also banned all public gatherings and wedding receptions. Sri Lanka is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 patients with the doctors warning that medical facilities and morgues in the country are reaching their maximum capacities. The government however has rejected repeated calls from doctors and other health sector associations to announce a full lockdown, because of an ailing economy. Sri Lanka has reported 364,968 positive cases so far including 6,096 deaths. ___ AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Supreme Court has blocked mask mandates ordered by two of the nations largest counties that defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals are stretched thin. Sundays order by the states highest court which is entirely comprised of elected Republican justices halts mask requirements that county leaders in Dallas and San Antonio put in place as new infections soar and students begin returning to school. Texas reported more than 11,500 patients hospitalized with the virus Sunday, the most since January. The ruling is temporary pending a court hearing, though the timing of a final ruling is unclear. Officials in Houston and Austin, as well as public school districts, had also imposed mask mandates despite Abbott prohibiting local governments from reverting back to pandemic restrictions. White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said last week that Texas and Florida accounted for nearly 40 percent of new virus hospitalizations nationwide. The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nations unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than patients typically were during earlier phases of the pandemic. ___ ___ EASLEY, S.C. -- COVID-19 cases have prompted the largest South Carolina school district already back open to return to virtual lessons as students in more than 60 other districts prepared to return to class. Pickens County school officials made the decision at an emergency meeting Friday, after nine days of in-class learning for its 15,000-plus students, the Greenville News reported. We dont know if its safe to continue as is, and other districts should pay attention, district spokesman Darian Byrd said during the meeting. He said four staffers and one student are hospitalized and 142 students have tested positive for COVID-19. Last school years peak was 85 students in January of this year, Byrd said. The countys remote schooling will last at least this week, with the first two days giving students a chance to pick up laptop-like Chromebooks, officials said. Byrd said the district will announce next weeks plans by Thursday. Most other districts openings are scattered from Monday to Thursday. School leaders have said students and teachers are welcome to wear masks, but they cant mandate them even with another spike in COVID-19 cases. They also cant require vaccines for students who are eligible for the shots. ___ WASHINGTON -- The director of the National Institutes of Health says the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall. Dr. Francis Collins tells Fox News Sunday that federal health officials are looking at the U.S. numbers almost daily but no decision has been made because cases so far still indicate that vaccinated people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant. He acknowledges, though, that there is concern that the effectiveness of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson regimen may wane over months. If so, Collins says that may necessitate a booster maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward with others, such as the elderly. Collins says because the delta variant only started hitting hard in July, the next couple of weeks of case data will help the U.S. make a decision. ___ COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government on Sunday banned all public gatherings, its latest move to contain a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases. The ban will be effective from Sunday night and people are urged to avoid visiting public places as much as possible, according to a government statement. Also, restaurants are now allowed to accommodate only 50 percent of their capacity and wedding receptions will be banned beginning Aug. 17. Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths over the last two weeks. Doctors have warned that hospitals and morgues are reaching their maximum capacities. The government has ruled out an immediate lockdown because of the countrys ailing economy, despite repeated pleas from doctors. Sri Lanka has so far reported 351,533 COVID-19 confirmed cases and 5,935 deaths. ___ BOSTON The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that every county in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts are the site of high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus. The rise of transmission in the two states mirrors a nationwide and regional trend. Some health authorities are recommending that even vaccinated people go back to wearing masks indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission. That includes almost all of New England. The CDC reported that every county in the six-state region was the site of high or substantial transmission on Sunday except Orange County, Vermont, and Kennebec County, Maine. In Connecticut, New London, New Haven, Middlesex and Hartford counties were the site of high transmission and the other four counties in the state were listed in the substantial category. In Massachusetts, Suffolk, Nantucket, Dukes, Plymouth, Bristol, Essex, Hampden and Berkshire counties were the site of high transmission and the other six counties in the state were substantial. ___ MOSCOW -- Daily coronavirus deaths in Russia exceeded 800 for the fourth straight day on Sunday, with the authorities reporting 816 new fatalities. The daily tally surpassed 800 for the first time in the pandemic on Thursday and has remained at that level ever since. Russia faced a surge of infections last month that officials have blamed on the spread of the delta variant. New confirmed cases soared from around 9,000 a day in early June to 25,000 a day in mid-July. New infections have since decreased slightly to about 21,000 daily this week, but the daily death toll has remained high. Officials are working to boost vaccine uptake, which has remained lower in Russia than in many Western countries. As of Aug. 6, more than 39 million Russians -- or 26.7% of the 146-million population -- had received at least one dose, while over 30 million, or 20%, was said to be fully vaccinated. Russias state coronavirus task force has reported over 6.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the pandemic and 170,499 deaths. However, reports by Russias state statistical service Rosstat that look at coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively have revealed a much higher number. ___ KAMPALA, Uganda At a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, tempers flared among those waiting for scarce AstraZeneca jabs, with some accusing others of trying to jump the queue. Nurses intervened, telling them the accused had been waiting since the previous day and averting violence in what has become a tense atmosphere as Ugandans jostle for vaccinations. In the aftermath of a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The delta surge has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses cant keep up with, compounding the continents vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. The urgency to obtain a second dose across much of the worlds least vaccinated continent contrasts sharply with rich countries now beginning to authorize third doses. Dr. Alfred Driwale, the top official with Ugandas immunization program, said the small number of doses will do little to remedy the situation as the 5 million Ugandans eligible for vaccination everyone from soldiers to health workers scramble for shots under a first-come, first-serve system. You cant make a policy when there is no certainty of supply, Driwale said. ___ SYDNEY Poland has sent 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Sydney where the delta variant continues to spread, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. The first of the Pfizer vaccines left Warsaw via the United Arab Emirates and will arrive in Sydney over Sunday night, Morrison said. Australia bought the vaccines after weeks of negotiations between Morrison and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Morrison did not reveal the price. A key factor in being able to secure these doses from our Polish friends has been that we have had a significant outbreak in our largest city, Morrison said. Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 due to an outbreak first detected 10 days earlier. Surrounding New South Wales state was entirely locked down from Saturday because of recent infections detected in regional towns and virus found in wastewater in the states north and west. Residents aged 20-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected areas would be given 530,000 of the new doses. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread, Morrison said. The remaining doses would be shared with other Australian states and territories. Only 25% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Friday. ___ ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Foo Fighters rock band is requiring that people who attend their upcoming shows in Alaska be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a negative test result 48 hours before attending. The 12-time Grammy-winning-band plans to perform in Anchorage on Aug. 17 and 19 at the Denaina Center and in Fairbanks on Aug. 21 at the Carlson Center. Negative test results or proof of vaccination must be provided before entering either the original card or copy of card with an ID to match, according to a statement Saturday from Ticketmaster. ___ PHOENIX Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases for the second straight day. The states seven-day rolling averages for cases and deaths also continued to rise along with virus-related hospitalizations. The states coronavirus dashboard reported 1,601 hospitalizations as of Thursday, along with 3,418 additional cases and 27 more deaths. In another development, the superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District said increased spread of COVID-19 threatens to end in-person learning. Also, the Salt-River Pima-Community Indian Community announced residents and visitors must help curb spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks while visiting government offices, businesses and schools on the tribes Phoenix-area reservation. ___ OLYMPIA, Wash. The Washington Department of Health recommended a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people with severely weakened immune systems. The recommendation Saturday comes as the delta variant surges in the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that immunocompromised Americans can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for better protection. The FDAs announcement applies to about 3% of U.S. adults who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called the right thing after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections. The White House said Saturday that the Democratic president had spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in Florida and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson in Arizona. Biden thanked them for their leadership and discussed their shared commitment to getting all students back in safe, full-time in-person instruction this school year. Bidens phone calls of support come as tensions build over whether local school districts can and should require face coverings for students and school staff as in-person classes resume. In Texas, several school districts along with the states most populous county won temporary legal victories Friday in seeking to override Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico health officials say an increase in hospitalizations across the state has prompted them to put out an urgent call for volunteer nurses to help boost the states medical work force. The New Mexico Department of Health has called on nurses or anyone with a medical license to volunteer to help because they believe hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with patients. They want recently retired health workers or anyone qualified to sign up for the states Medical Reserve Corps. Hospitals in New Mexico and across the nation are seeing increased hospitalizations because of long-postponed surgeries and a surge in COVID-19 patients. The delta variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious than previous strains. The state Friday reported 798 additional COVID-19 cases and five new deaths. They bring the count of confirmed New Mexico virus cases since the pandemic began in early 2020 to 218,569 and the number of deaths to 4,446. State officials said their modeling predicts more than 1,000 new cases a day in the next several weeks. ___ MINNEAPOLIS The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The university will allow medical and religious exemptions to this mandate. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people. System leaders said they will soon share more details about the vaccination requirement, including how much time students will have to get the shots after FDA approval and any consequences for not complying with the mandate. Every doting grandfather will tell you his granddaughter is a little princess. Ulysses Grant was no different. The difference between Grant and other grandpas, however, was his granddaughter would become an actual princess. The president was proud as punch at Julia Dent Grants arrival on June 6, 1876. She immediately joined one of Americas most exclusive clubs as one of the dozen or so people born in the White House. Named for her grandmother, also named Julia Dent Grant, she grew up considering the White House all but a second home. Christened in the East Room, she spent her childhood attending parties and events there. More Information Holy Cow! History is written by novelist, former television journalist and diehard history buff J. Mark Powell. Have a historic mystery that needs solving? A forgotten moment worth remembering? Send it to HolyCow@insidesources.com. See More Collapse Of her famous grandfather (who died when she was 8) she later recalled, He held my pudgy, dimpled hand on the palm of his, and we learned to count the dimples and fingers together he taught me cat-cradle with a string. Being a Grant had advantages, which included celebrity status. Ulysses Grant was internationally famous not for serving two terms as president of the United States but for being the general who had won the American Civil War. That VIP status gave young Julia entree to the highest echelons of society. Her father served as President Benjamin Harrisons ambassador to Austria-Hungary, and Julia toured Europe as fashionable Victorian young ladies were expected to do. During a visit to Cannes, France, she met and fell in love with a dashing Russian diplomat, Prince Mikhail Cantacuzene. He proposed just two days after meeting Julia. A planned wedding was called off, but later they reunited. When they finally did get married, in the social capital of Newport, Rhode Island, in September 1899, Julia became Princess Cantacuzene, the Countess Speranasky. In fact, the couple had two weddings; a Russian Orthodox ceremony came first, followed by an Episcopalian wedding the next day. But marrying into the Russian monarchy carried a high price tag. Julia had to move to Russia, where her focus shifted from American republican politics to Romanov royal intrigue. The newlyweds settled in the imperial capital of St. Petersburg, but they also spent time at their extensive estate in Ukraine. They had three children: son Mikhail, daughter Zinaida, and another daughter called Barbara, who was nicknamed Bertha after her great-aunt. (One can only imagine the child explaining that usual name to her Russian playmates. Its an American thing. You wouldnt understand.) When World War I began, the prince was an aide to Czar Nicholas II, then became a general in the field. He was wounded in 1915 while commanding a 15,000 horseman attack, one of warfares last mass cavalry charges. Then the 1917 Russian Revolution came, followed by Russias own Civil War. Everything changed overnight. Julia and her family were forced to flee first to Finland, then to the U.S. They settled in Washington. The couple rallied support for a counter-revolution until the Communists murdered Nicholas and his family. That killed their hopes for a Romanov restoration, though they remained active in the Russian expatriate community. Julia and her prince finally settled in Sarasota, Florida, where he worked in her aunts farming and banking operations. She helped support the family with her writing. Her work appeared in The New York Times, Saturday Evening Post, Womans Home Companion, and other leading publications. She also penned three popular memoirs. Still, the strain of so many ups and downs ultimately took its toll on the marriage. Julia and the prince divorced in 1934. He later remarried; she never did. A countess no more she regained her U.S. citizenship, dropped her old imperial titles, and rebranded herself simply Mrs. Julia Grant Cantacuzene. Time eventually caught up with the former noblewoman. She was going blind before she turned 80, though incredibly her vision partially returned in the final two weeks of her life. Her last years were spent enjoying her six grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren before quietly slipping away in 1975 at age 99. The life that began in the aftermath of Appomattox stretched into the depths of the Cold War. She had seen governments rise and fall, old dynasties swept away and a new world emerge from their rubble. And throughout it all, she carried herself with dignity and style and wrote about her many remarkable experiences with tender deftness. You cant help believing the old general would have been proud of his little princess. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) Thai riot police fired tear gas and sprayed water cannons Sunday as more than 100 anti-government protestors marched on an army base in the capital Bangkok where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence. The group of mainly young demonstrators pelted the police lines that blocked their way, hurling rocks, fireworks and small explosives known as ping-pong bombs. Images on Thai television showed a police traffic control booth in flames. Sunday marked the fourth time in the past seven days that protestors and police have fought in the Din Daeng area of the city. Demonstrators are calling for Prayuths resignation over his perceived bungling of the governments coronavirus vaccination program. Thailand has seen infection rates surge in the past few weeks while vaccination rates remain low. But the protests are also part of a wider push for sweeping political change that includes the resignation of the government, a new constitution and most contentious of all fundamental reform of the powerful but opaque monarchy Elsewhere, thousands of protestors in vehicles and riding motorbikes gathered for a mobile anti-government rally. They met in three locations to hear speeches before slowly driving around the city. By staying in vehicles they hoped to minimize participants potential exposure to COVID-19. One of the main organizers, Nattawut Saikua, a veteran activist and former deputy minister, appealed to those taking part to keep it peaceful, saying violence would alienate many potential supporters. As police and protesters clashed in the Din Daeng area, Nattawut went to the scene to ask the protestors to disperse. We are not here for violence. Were not here to beat the officers or riot police. Were here to beat Prayuth Chan-ocha, he said. Trudeau triggers Canadian election, voting day Sept. 20 View Photo TORONTO (AP) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered an election Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on Sept. 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing Britains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Weve had your back, and now its time to hear your voice, Trudeau said. Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19. Trudeau is seeking to win a majority of seats in Parliament. His Liberal Party fell just short of that two years ago and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation. The election comes as Canada is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus. Trudeau called it the fourth wave amongst unvaccinated people. Trudeau isnt as popular as he once was, but his governments handling of the pandemic has been widely viewed as a success. After a slow start Canada now has enough vaccine for every citizen. More than 71% of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated and over 82% have received at least one dose. The government has spent billions to prop up the economy amid lockdowns that have now lifted. But if the result is another minority government, the knives will start to come out, said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. Trudeau is not widely liked. Hes what the Liberals have so they will fall in behind him, but if he loses hes toast, Bothwell said. Its not that hes unpopular but theres no affection there. The Liberals behave as if he is this beloved figure but hes not. The novelty is gone. But theres still enough there and the performance on COVID was pretty solid so I think people will balance these things going into the election and vote for Trudeau. Trudeau, the son of the late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was first elected with a majority of seats in Parliament in 2015. The Liberals victory ended almost 10 years of Conservative Party government in Canada, but scandals combined with high expectations have damaged Trudeaus standing. His father served as prime minister from 1968 to 1984 with a short interruption. Opposition leftist New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said it is selfish for Trudeau to call an election in a pandemic. Ontario, Canadas largest province, reported more than 500 cases for the fourth straight day. Opposition Conservative leader Erin OToole didnt answer when asked if his candidates will or should be vaccinated. He said he is disappointed Trudeau is trying to divide people about their health. The Liberals are going to keep pounding the Conservatives on this and it will happening as the fourth wave of the pandemic is picking up steam, said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. The fourth wave could hurt the Liberals if lockdowns are reimposed. Wiseman said many Canadians will resent having an election they see as unnecessary, but said the Liberals will win the most seats. Trudeau is seen as having delivered on vaccines and there has been widespread support for the governments income-and job-support programs to counter COVIDs economic fallout, Wiseman said. Canadians compare their situation to the U.S. The current spike in the U.S. contributes to smug complacency among Canadians. This feeling benefits the Liberals at present. Trudeau began his news conference Sunday talking about the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. Canada closed its embassy in Kabul and staff have fled the country. The current situation poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure that safety and security of our mission, Trudeau said. Canada has committed to taking in 20,000 refugees from the country and Afghans who have assisted Canada over the years. By ROB GILLIES Associated Press UK troops in Kabul; UK lawmakers recalled for crisis talks View Photo LONDON (AP) U.K. troops have arrived in Kabul to help evacuate any British citizens and employees who are from Afghanistan, the Defense Ministry said Sunday, as British lawmakers were called back to Parliament from their summer break to discuss the worsening situation in Afghanistan. Authorities said Parliament will be recalled for one day on Wednesday to debate the governments response to the crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also met with his Cabinets emergency committee Sunday as the Taliban advanced into Kabul, the Afghan capital. After the meeting, Johnson said the priority is to get British citizens, as well as Afghans who helped U.K. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, out as fast as we can in the next few days. The ambassador is working round the clock, has been there in the airport to help process the applications, he told Sky News. We certainly have the means at the moment to get them out Its just a question of making sure that theyre able to do it over the next few days. The vast bulk of U.K. embassy staff and officials have already left Afghanistan, Johnson said. The Sunday Telegraph reported that the U.K.s ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, would be airlifted out of the country by Monday evening. The Foreign Office declined to comment on that report. Like other NATO allies, Britain began withdrawing its remaining troops from Afghanistan after U.S. President Joe Biden announced in April that the U.S. was leaving by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the Sept.11, 2001 attacks. Many British lawmakers have criticized Johnsons Conservative government of abandoning Afghanistan. Conservative Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the pullout from Afghanistan was Britains worst foreign policy disaster since the U.K.s failed invasion of Egypt in 1956. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, has urged the government to explain what it planned to do to avert a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and prevent it from again becoming a base for international terrorism. Johnson said Sunday that Britain will work on that with allies at the United Nations Security Council and in NATO, and ensure that no country recognizes the Taliban. I think it is very important that the West should work collectively to get over to that new government be it by the Taliban or anybody else that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror, he said. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace maintained we have not betrayed Afghanistan. He said he had approached other NATO allies about taking the place of the U.S. mission, but none was willing to do so, and Britain could not go it alone. It would be arrogant to think we could solve Afghanistan unilaterally, he said. By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission sent a letter to two popular Austin restaurants, Laundrette and Fresas, asking to stop requiring proof of vaccination or risk having their alcohol permits revoked. TABC cited Section 14 of Senate Bill 968, which states that businesses that do not comply could lose licenses and access to state funding. MORE COVID: ICU beds scarce in Texas, 'Your child will have to wait for another child to die' Reports surface earlier in the week that Laundrette and Fresas, owned by San Antonio native Rene Ortiz, would require proof of vaccination from customers. Both restaurants posted on Instagram that they would no longer require proof of vaccination after TABC notified them, but the restaurants will still require masks for indoor dining when customers are not seated. Igor Mojzes/luckybusiness - stock.adobe.com TABC posted a reminder on its website Thursday about prohibiting proof of vaccination from customers. "Our goal is not to pull anyone's permits and it hasn't come to that yet," says TABC spokesperson Chris Porter. "Our goal is going to be to educate and inform business owners across the state to make sure they're aware of what is required." But what is required? What can businesses do and not do to protect its employees and customer from the spread of COVID-19? What about when it comes to concert venues, which may have TABC permits to sell alcohol? On Wednesday, folk rock artist (most definitely not country) Jason Isbell canceled his show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, tweeting that venue would not comply with his safety protocols requiring proof of vaccination or COVID-19 test results. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion did tweet out a statement, shared by Houston FOX 26 morning anchor and the venue CEO's daughter Sally MacDonald, that the venue just didn't have enough time to adapt to Isbell's protocols, a claim he says is "false." It's clear that businesses can face repercussions for requiring proof of vaccinations for service, and TABC's Porter says that can apply to venues and businesses that have permits to sell alcohol. He says businesses can still require customers to mask up, enforce social distancing protocols and stress "good health habits." When it comes to other protocols like requiring COVID-19 test results or temperature checks at the door, Porter wasn't sure from TABC standpoint. RELATED: 27 people tested positive for Covid after boarding Galveston cruise Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson Chris Van Duesen says he is not aware of anything that would prevent COVID-19 test results or temperature checks at the door, but adds that DSHS didn't implement or enforce any restrictions on safety protocols. Though venues could still operate sans TABC permit, most rely on alcohol sales to succeed. No one wants to imagine a country show without a Lone Star. Local business attorney Kelli Cubeta, partner and founder of Cubeta Law Group, says privately-owned businesses have maintained for a longtime the right to refuse service to anyone. "Where it starts getting a little hairy is whenever you have what people believe are almost like constitutional rights," Cubeta says. Cubeta is digging into what businesses can do in regards to the recent state law and the case with TABC pulling permits from businesses, but she believes that businesses are going to start testing the legal waters moving forward. Especially in light of San Antonio receiving its temporary restraining, which will be challenged by the state Monday. Businesses her law firm have talked to, Cubeta says, are trying not to be more restrictive than they have to, but are worried about their employees. DELTA DEFENSE: Texas children, dedicated hospitals under siege by more than just Covid "I can tell you, most business owners are so desperate to stay alive," Cubeta says."But I think it's going to have to keep getting tested in the court, which is unfortunate, because that's not a good use of taxpayer money litigating policies." PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere's poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down. Haiti's civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country's south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals. Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response. The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble, said Henry. We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people." He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity. The needs are enormous. We must take care of the injured and fractured, but also provide food, aid, temporary shelter and psychological support, he said. Later, as he boarded a plane bound for Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted structured solidarity to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after as many as 300,000 were killed. U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the U.S effort to help Haiti. USAID will help to assess damage and assist in rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti. A growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said. Among those killed in the earthquake was Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes. He died along with several others when his hotel, Le Manguier, collapsed, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. Philippe Boutin, 37, who lives in Puerto Rico but visits his family annually in Les Cayes, said his mother was saying morning prayers when the shaking began, but was able to leave the house. The earthquake, he said, coincided with the festivities to celebrate the towns patron saint, adding that the hotel likely was full and the small town had more people than usual. We still dont know how many people are under the rubble," he said. On the tiny island of Ile-a-Vache, about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) from Les Cayes, the quake damaged a seaside resort popular with Haitian officials, business leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. Fernand Sajous, owner of the Abaka Bay Resort, said by telephone that nine of the hotels 30 rooms collapsed, but he said they were vacant at the time and no one was injured. They disappeared just like that, Sajous said. People in Les Cayes tried to pull guests from the rubble of a collapsed hotel, but as the sun set, they had only been able to recover the body of a 7-year-old girl whose home was behind the facility. I have eight kids, and I was looking for the last one, Jean-Claude Daniel said through tears. I will never see her again alive. The earthquake destroyed my life. It took a child away from me. The reports of overwhelmed hospitals come as Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a lack of resources to deal with it. Just last month, the country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Richard Herve Fourcand, a former Haitian senator, rented a private plane to move injured people from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince for medical assistance. He told The Associated Press that Les Cayes hospital was at capacity. The earthquake also struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was killed, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: Lets put our shoulders together to bring solidarity. Rescue efforts were hampered by a landslide triggered by the quake that blocked a major road connecting the hard-hit towns of Jeremie and Les Cayes, according to Haitis civil protection agency. Agency director Jerry Chandler told reporters that a partial count of structural damage included at least 860 destroyed homes and more than 700 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also affected. The National Hurricane Center has forecast that Tropical Storm Grace will reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday. This is likely to make matters worse since the country is on the verge of suffering the effects of two disasters in quick succession, a magnitude 7 earthquake and a looming storm, Chandler said. Humanitarian workers said gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital, also was complicating relief efforts. Nobody can travel through the area, Ndiaga Seck, a UNICEF spokesman in Port-au-Prince, said by phone. We can only fly over or take another route. Seck said information about deaths and damage was slow coming to Port-au-Prince because of spotty internet service, but UNICEF planned to send medical supplies to two hospitals in the south, in Les Cayes and Jeremie. People in Port-au-Prince felt the tremor and many rushed into the streets in fear, although there did not appear to be damage there. Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. I woke up and didnt have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street, Verneus said. Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS, said aftershocks likely would continue for weeks or months, with the largest so far registering magnitude 5.2. The impoverished country, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 that killed more than a dozen people, and a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake that damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. By Saturday night, the island had experienced four aftershocks stronger than 5.0 and nine above 4.0. Claude Prepetit, a Haitian civil engineer and geologist, warned of the danger from cracked structures. More or less intensive aftershocks are to be expected for a month," he said, cautioning that some buildings, "badly damaged during the earthquake, can collapse during aftershocks.. ___ Associated Press writer Tammy Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. AP writers Josh Boak in Washington, Trenton Daniel in New York and Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report. SYDNEY Poland has sent one million COVID-19 vaccines to Sydney where the delta variant continues to spread, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. The first of the Pfizer vaccines left Warsaw via the United Arab Emirates and will arrive in Sydney over Sunday night, Morrison said. Australia bought the vaccines after weeks of negotiations between Morrison and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Morrison did not reveal the price. A key factor in being able to secure these doses from our Polish friends has been that we have had a significant outbreak in our largest city, Morrison said. Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 due to an outbreak first detected 10 days earlier. Surrounding New South Wales state was entirely locked down from Saturday because of recent infections detected in regional towns and virus found in wastewater in the states north and west. Residents aged 20-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected areas would be given 530,000 of the new doses. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread, Morrison said. The remaining doses would be shared with other Australian states and territories. Only 25% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Friday. Australia has one of the slowest vaccine rollouts among wealthy countries. New South Wales reported 415 new infections in the latest 24-your period on Sunday. A record 466 new cases were reported on Saturday. Sundays total was the second-highest tally of the pandemic. Four people had died overnight, bringing the death toll in New South Wales from the latest outbreak to 46. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: Coronavirus claims more young victims in U.S. as deaths climb Protesters in France denounce COVID-19 health pass for 5th straight Saturday COVAX only goes so far as rich countries dominate global vaccine allotments Iran will impose 6-day general lockdown against coronavirus ___ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: ___ ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Foo Fighters rock band is requiring that people who attend their upcoming shows in Alaska be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a negative test result 48 hours before attending. The 12-time Grammy-winning-band plans to perform in Anchorage on Aug. 17 and 19 at the Denaina Center and in Fairbanks on Aug. 21 at the Carlson Center. Negative test results or proof of vaccination must be provided before entering either the original card or copy of card with an ID to match, according to a statement Saturday from Ticketmaster. ___ PHOENIX Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases for the second straight day. The states seven-day rolling averages for cases and deaths also continued to rise along with virus-related hospitalizations. The states coronavirus dashboard reported 1,601 hospitalizations as of Thursday, along with 3,418 additional cases and 27 more deaths. In another development, the superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District said increased spread of COVID-19 threatens to end in-person learning. Also, the Salt-River Pima-Community Indian Community announced residents and visitors must help curb spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks while visiting government offices, businesses and schools on the tribes Phoenix-area reservation. ___ OLYMPIA, Wash. The Washington Department of Health recommended a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people with severely weakened immune systems. The recommendation Saturday comes as the delta variant surges in the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that immunocompromised Americans can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for better protection. The FDAs announcement applies to about 3% of U.S. adults who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called the right thing after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections. The White House said in a statement Saturday that the Democratic president had spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in Florida and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson in Arizona. Biden thanked them for their leadership and discuss their shared commitment to getting all students back in safe, full-time in-person instruction this school year. Bidens phone calls of support come as tensions build over whether local school districts can and should require face coverings for students and school staff as in-person classes resume. In Texas, several school districts along with the states most populous county won temporary legal victories Friday in seeking to override Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico health officials say an increase in hospitalizations across the state has prompted them to put out an urgent call for volunteer nurses to help boost the states medical work force. The New Mexico Department of Health late Friday called on nurses or anyone with a medical license to volunteer to help because they believe hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with patients. They want recently retired health workers or anyone qualified to sign up for the states Medical Reserve Corps. Hospitals in New Mexico and across the nation are seeing increased hospitalizations because of long-postponed surgeries and a surge in COVID-19 patients. The delta variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious than previous strains. The state Friday reported 798 additional COVID-19 cases and five new deaths. They bring the count of confirmed New Mexico virus cases since the pandemic began in early 2020 to 218,569 and the number of deaths to 4,446. State officials said their modeling predicts more than 1,000 new cases a day in the next several weeks. We ask our nurses, and anyone with a medical license, to once again volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps, Dr. David R. Scrase, the acting director of the state health department, said in a statement. To get through this together, we need everyone who can provide patient care to work side by side with us during this critical time. The states Reserve Medical Corps has filled more than 139 requests during the pandemic, deploying 2,750 volunteers. ___ MINNEAPOLIS The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The university will allow medical and religious exemptions to this mandate. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people. System leaders said they will soon share more details about the vaccination requirement, including how much time students will have to get the shots after FDA approval and any consequences for not complying with the mandate. ___ OLATHE, Kan. The most populous county in Kansas is requiring its employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing if they arent vaccinated. Johnson County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson said that only 46% of county employees had reported being fully vaccinated as of Wednesday. Countywide, nearly 58% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. Beginning Aug. 23, government employees who are not fully vaccinated must get tested once a week. The Kansas City Star reports that employees who work in departments providing direct care to residents are subject to tests up to twice weekly. Similar requirements already have taken effect in school districts, businesses and cities elsewhere. ___ PARIS Thousands of people, from families to far-right sympathizers, marched in cities across France for a fifth straight Saturday to denounce a COVID-19 health pass needed to enter restaurants and long-distance trains. Some 1,600 police were deployed for three separate marches in Paris, a week after the health pass went into effect. Liberty was the slogan, with protesters saying the health pass limits their freedom. Polls show most French people support the health pass. The marches came as France is facing soaring numbers of new infections, driven by the more transmissible delta variant. In Montpellier, some 7,500 people marched. The city is in the region where the infection rate is above 600 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the country. On Friday, 46.1 million people in France, nearly 68% of the population, had received at least one vaccine shot. More than 38.8 million, or 57%, had two shots. NEW YORK New York health officials say theyll soon issue state guidance on giving additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to people with severely weakened immune systems, now that the federal government is allowing it. State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker says the states vaccine task force met Friday to discuss the matter. Zucker says the group will complete its review quickly. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced transplant recipients and other similarly immune-compromised patients can get a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. It doesnt apply to the general public. New York, like some other states, has its own task force of scientists and health experts who review COVID-19 vaccines, a process the state says is meant to ensure New Yorkers confidence in the inoculations. The FDAs decision applies to an estimated 3% or less of U.S. adults, including organ transplant recipients. The CDC says others who could qualify include people with advanced or untreated HIV infections and cancer patients who are receiving certain chemotherapies. ___ MONTGOMERY, Ala. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Alabama are increasing after a case surge fueled by low vaccinations rates and the highly contagious delta variant. State Health Officer Scott Harris says Alabama is reporting double-digit death numbers for the first time in months. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Alabama rose to 21 deaths per day on Aug. 11, according to Johns Hopkins University. Harris says the reported deaths were expected to rise as the state experiences a surge in cases and hospitalizations. Deaths are a lagging indicator. Deaths happen last. We see case numbers go up, we see hospitalizations go up and then we see deaths go up, Harris says. On Friday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a limited state of emergency aimed at giving medical providers flexibility on staffing and capacity decisions and easier shipment of emergency equipment and supplies. The Republican governor stressed she would not be issuing any closure orders or mask mandates. ___ DALLAS Texas health officials reported 13,614 coronavirus cases and 144 deaths on Friday, the most deaths since Feb. 26. State health officials registered 11,261 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas. The state is quickly approaching its highest number of hospitalizations during the pandemic 14,218 on Jan. 11, when it was in the throes of a winter surge. Texas has totaled more than 2.7 million confirmed cases and 54,196 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic. ___ SEDALIA, Mo. Mostly unmasked crowds packed into the Missouri State Fair this week as it opened in Sedalia amid soaring COVID-19 numbers. Fair officials decided in the spring to bring back the full fair after replacing it with a much smaller youth livestock show last year because of safety concerns, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. State Fair Director Mark Wolfe says his staff anticipated up to 340,000 attendees before the event ends Aug. 22. Unlike the state fair in neighboring Illinois, masks are optional. Among the unmasked was Brian Eggers, a 55-year-old farmer who lives outside Chillicothe. He lost a close neighbor as well as aunts and uncles to COVID-19 but says he hasnt gotten around to getting vaccinated. Im not anti-vaccine, but I havent gotten it myself yet, he says, watching a youth livestock show, adding: If God wants to take me, thats his choice. Jessica Miller, who helmed the vaccination station at the fair, say five patients were immunized in the first 2.5 hours of operation. Some told Miller their jobs were requiring the vaccine. ___ We Finally Know Why Older Sunflowers Keep Facing East (And Why Its a Good Thing) Science Alert (KW). Eastern Hemlocks Face Extinction. A Tiny Fly Could Save Them Wired Its time for a rethink on financial inclusion new principles show how World Economic Forum #COVID19 China? Myanmar Trash collectors unsung heroes during COVID restrictions Vietnam News. Remember essential workers? Good times. Australia: New South Wales in worst ever Covid situation BBC. Handy chart: Syraqistan UK/EU New Cold War What Will Become of ISS if Russia Abandons Plans? Interesting Engineering The Caribbean Biden Administration Police State Watch Our Famously Free Press RussiaGate Evidence presented to grand jury in Durhams Russia probe Associated Press Imperial Collapse Watch Guillotine Watch Where Police Killings Often Meet With Silence: Rural America NYT Class Warfare Status Monkeys Not Boring. Status As A Service. Escape from LA Yasha Levine Small towns desperate for water in California New York Times Sea Level Projection Tool NASA (Furzy Mouse). Interactive. Antidote du jour (via): Bonus antidote: (6/) Right now, somewhere on this beautiful planet, a mother humpback whale swims gracefully with her calf. Awareness of whats at stake is a first step to change our behavior. #oceans #ClimateCrisis #nature #WorldNatureConservationDay pic.twitter.com/nez6HIjMfi Alexander Verbeek (@Alex_Verbeek) August 3, 2021 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. The changing climate has been killing off corals. During the El Nino in 2016, warm water threatened the corals in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) As the world's foremost expert on climate change prepares to warn of an urgent and catastrophic threat to the global climate system, scientists believe the fires, floods, and extreme weather witnessed throughout the world in recent months are only a taste of what may be expected if global warming takes hold. Less than three months before crucial UN meetings that could determine the future course of life on Earth, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will release a major report, the most thorough assessment ever. The results, finalized on Saturday night after an intense two weeks of online discussion by experts from across the world and reflect eight years of study by renowned scientists, have already been previewed by policymakers. Creating Practical and Achievable Strategies Greenpeace UK policy director Doug Parr stated that governments must heed the warnings. "Practical, financed, and achievable strategies [by governments] to keep us below the ostensibly safe [heating] limits are practically non-existent. Decades ago, urgent climate action was required; now, we are running out of time. As the host of the UN climate conference, the UK government has a major duty to ensure that world leaders sign up to measures that not just put the brakes on the climate catastrophe, but slam it into reverse." The IPCC, which is comprised of hundreds of the world's leading climate scientists, issues thorough assessments every seven years, with this being the sixth since 1988. This one, however, will be different: previous research has shown that the 2020s are a critical decade in which greenhouse gas emissions must be halved to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which has been established as the threshold of safety in previous IPCC reports and is the lower of two goals in the 2015 Paris agreement. According to Michael Mann, a prominent professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, this is the last IPCC report that can significantly impact policy terms before we surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius and the Paris Agreement's goals. Related Article: Worsening Global Warming Will Kill 83 Million People by 2100, Warn Scientists Worsening Calamities "Climate change is increasingly amplifying weather extremes like the ones we've seen this summer - droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and superstorms," he added. "Climate change's effects are no longer subtle. Instead, we can see them unfolding in real-time in the shape of unprecedented extreme weather events." In recent months, there have been fires in the United States, heatwaves in northern latitudes, and disastrous floods in China and Europe. Scientists warn that unless climate change is halted, this might become the norm. "The observations this summer show that some impacts [predicted in previous IPCC climate assessments] appear to be underestimated, but we can't know if the devastation of summer 2021 is the new normal without a few more years of data," said Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London. "But we do know that if emissions continue to grow, climatic consequences will become increasingly severe." Grim Prediction He forewarned that the ramifications would be severe. "It's important to remember that we all live in areas that have evolved through decades and centuries to adapt to a certain environment. The really terrifying aspect of the climate issue is that "every single achievement of every human culture on Earth took place in a climate that no longer exists," he explained. "When world leaders meet in Glasgow in November, the emphasis is on them to agree on comprehensive and attainable measures to cut emissions immediately, as well as strategies to adapt to climate impacts." Also Read: Environmental Justice: How and Why Environmental Activism Became Mainstream For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) At a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, tempers flared among those waiting for scarce AstraZeneca jabs, with some accusing others of trying to jump the queue. Nurses intervened, telling them the accused had been waiting since the previous day and averting violence in what has become a tense atmosphere as Ugandans jostle for vaccinations. In the aftermath of a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The delta surge has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses cant keep up with, compounding the continents vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. The urgency to obtain a second dose across much of the worlds least vaccinated continent contrasts sharply with rich countries now beginning to authorize third doses. Dr. Alfred Driwale, the top official with Ugandas immunization program, said ruefully that the small number of doses will do little to remedy the situation as the 5 million Ugandans eligible for vaccination everyone from soldiers to health workers scramble for shots under a first-come, first-serve system. You cant make a policy when there is no certainty of supply, Driwale said. Health officials throughout Africas 54 nations have repeatedly expressed disappointment over what they see as vaccine nationalism as rich nations appear to hoard doses while poor countries lag far behind. In June, amid severe shortages, the World Health Organization warned that vaccination campaigns in Africa had come to a near halt, underscoring the continents plight at a time when many countries faced deadly surges. Less than 2% of the continents 1.3 billion people are fully vaccinated and African countries have received just over 100 million vaccine doses, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Donations of AstraZeneca from countries such as France are not considered large amounts in efforts to vaccinate 60% of Africas population by the end of 2022, said John Nkengasong, the groups director. He told reporters Thursday that large shipments of AstraZeneca are not expected anytime soon until the situation with an Indian manufacturer changes. The best vaccine to use as a second dose is any vaccine thats available, he added, using the example of getting the first AstraZeneca dose and then the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has begun arriving in African countries after the continent purchased 400 million doses. Uganda recently received 300,000 doses of Chinas Sinovac vaccine that authorities insist cannot be used in combination with AstraZeneca. In Congo, health experts are awaiting a Sunday shipment of more COVID-19 second doses, said Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, who is coordinating the governments pandemic response. Some 81,910 people have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca since the start of the vaccination campaign in April, and more than 4,000 people have returned for the second dose. AstraZeneca is out of stock there. The scarcity of AstraZeneca is causing anxiety in countries that used it widely while hoping substantial shipments would continue arriving. Some health workers, teachers and others who spoke to The Associated Press said their second dose has been due for several weeks, leaving them feeling unsafe. We are told that (the delta variant) is very deadly and we are all scared. So most of my colleagues have taken the first AstraZeneca vaccine, but we are unable to the second jab now, said Ifeoluwa Oluseyi, a teacher in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. Nigeria, Africas most populous nation with more than 210 million people, earlier this month received 4 million Moderna doses donated by the U.S. and expects a delivery of more than 29 million Johnson & Johnson doses purchased by the government through the African Union. Oso Kowe, a Nigerian physician who is among many yet to be fully vaccinated, said she considers herself lucky to have escaped COVID-19 as she waits to get a second dose after a first one received on May 7. Kowe, of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, said she has tried three times to get her second dose. My not getting the second dose wasnt really my fault, she said. So, I will just try my best and hope for the best that I wont contract the virus. Dr. Misaki Wayengera, head of a technical committee advising Ugandas pandemic response, said it was inevitable that some, unfortunately, are going to have to wait longer for doses. A Ugandan teacher, waiting her turn at a crowded vaccination site on a recent morning, said she would not leave until she got her second shot, due since June 2. My question is, does that first dose still work? I mean, was it wasted? Will I need to get a third shot? There are questions in the air and no one is giving me answers, Racheal Nambuya said. I am trying my best to get this shot and, as you can see, I am not the only one. There have been reports of fake vaccination certificates issued to people who got jabs outside designated centers and some even paying bribes to get jabs adding to the confusion surrounding a vaccination campaign that teeters on availability. And because of logistical challenges, vaccines take even longer to reach remote places outside urban centers. With some vaccination sites allocated about 100 doses per day, the struggle for vaccines can literally be physical. Some people almost exchanged blows here this morning, said Robinah Wataba after getting a second dose that had been due for several days. There was too much disorganization here. More than you can imagine. She felt discouraged the previous day when she came to Kampalas City Hall and witnessed the clamorous crowd. This second dose everyone wants it. I was asking myself, What is the probability that I will be among those people who will be able to get it? she said. I pity those who havent gotten it because from now on its going be even harder. ___ Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria, Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, and Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report. Stamford native Bianca Shinn Desras makes frequent trips to Haiti to visit friends and family, but Saturday morning was the first time she ever experienced an earthquake. I felt everything around me circling and shaking, Desras said. I literally thought I was losing my mind. Desras said initially she froze up until she heard voices yelling out to run. The ground was trembling while I ran, Desras said. This made running down four flights of stairs difficult, but she was able to make it outside unharmed. Many individuals farther southwest were not so lucky. Just before 8:30 a.m. Saturday, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck 78 miles west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 6.2 miles, the United States Geological Survey said. This was followed by a series of aftershocks. The quake killed at least 304 people and injured at least 1,800 others, according to the Associated Press. Angelucci Manigat, editor of the Bridgeport-based Haitian Voice, has many friends and family that he hadnt heard from as of Saturday night. Not all of them are accounted for, Manigat said. So Im still waiting for more details. He said that while many in Haiti have experienced earthquakes, the situation is made more difficult by other factors, including the potential for a hurricane to hit the island in the coming days. He said people will be sleeping outside despite the incoming hurricane weather to stay safe from aftershocks. Manigat acknowledged that the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July is making the situation worse. Theres a lack of leadership, Manigat said. So all the institutions are not really functioning at this time. Desras called on Connecticuts political leaders to use their voice to help. The minimum amount we should get is support, Desras said. Just show us that youre with us. She said she had seen messages of support from elected officials from other states, but none from her home state. Americares officials said it has medicines and relief supplies on the way to Haiti for survivors of Saturdays quake. A shipment carrying 9 tons of intravenous fluids is headed to earthquake-damaged Les Cayes, and Americares relief workers in Haiti and the United States are preparing additional shipments in the coming days to supply health workers treating the injured with antibiotics, wound care supplies and urgently needed medical supplies. Americares relief workers on the ground in Haiti are assisting the local response, and the health-focused relief organization plans to deploy additional staff in the coming days to support the relief efforts. Water storage tanks in Les Cayes were destroyed in the earthquake, flooding the streets and creating an urgent need for safe drinking water, said Kate Dischino, vice president of Stamford-based Americares. Survivors need immediate medical care for broken bones, lacerations and other wounds. We are getting requests from hospitals and health centers throughout the affected region in need of medicine and supplies. Americares has worked in Haiti since the 1980s, supporting health centers and local organizations with donated medicine and medical supplies both in response to emergencies and ongoing needs. For individuals interested in helping, Desras cited Fonkoze and Partners in Health as two other organizations that provide support for Haiti. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. 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). John J. Sloan III is professor emeritus of criminal justice and sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He wrote this for The Conversation, an independent, nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. For years, it seemed the world was making progress eliminating hunger. Then, starting in 2014, the trend slid back slowly and reversed in many nations; now, some 700 million people-;nearly 9 percent of the world's population-;go to bed hungry, according to the UN. One of the hardest-hit regions is sub-Saharan Africa. Here, many people reflexively blame droughts stoked by climate change. However, a new study looking at the question in granular detail says that is not the case: long-running wars, not the weather, are to blame. The study, just published in the journal Nature Food, finds that while droughts routinely cause food insecurity in Africa, their contribution to hunger has remained steady or even shrunk in recent years. Instead, rising widespread, long-term violence has displaced people, raised food prices and blocked outside food aid, resulting in the reversal. "Colloquially, people would say it's climate-induced droughts and floods, because that's what people tend to say," said Weston Anderson, who led the study as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society. "But academics have not compared the importance of drought to violence in triggering food crises in a holistic way." To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed 2009-2018 data from the Famine Early Warning System, a USAID-funded network that provides information to governments and aid organizations about looming or ongoing food crises in dozens of countries. The system shows that the number of people requiring emergency food aid in monitored countries surged from 48 million in 2015 to 113 million in 2020. The system is not designed to quantify the different factors behind the emergencies. But Anderson and his colleagues were able to tease these out for 14 of Africa's most food-insecure countries. The nations reach in a band from Mauritania, Mali and Nigeria in the west, through Sudan, Chad and other nations, to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in the east. The study also took in several nations further south, including Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that periodic, well-documented droughts have been behind food crises across large areas. However, the overall effects of drought did not increase during the study period; of anything, they went down in some areas. When drought did hit, farmers usually bounced back in the next planting season, within a year or so. Animal herders took twice as long to recover, because the areas where they live saw with more extreme conditions, and it took people time to rebuild their hard-hit livestock herds. Amid the usual ups and downs of rainfall, violence has been responsible for the progressive increase in hunger, the study found. Long-term conflicts ranging from repeated terrorist attacks to pitched combat between armies have caused shortages lasting year after year, with no end in sight, the authors say. This has been especially the case in northeast Nigeria, where the Boko Haram guerrilla army has waged a relentless hit-and-run campaign against the government and much of the populace for the past decade. Also in South Sudan, where a messy, multi-sided civil war that started in 2013 continues to sputter along. Sudan and Somalia also have seen warfare-induced increases in hunger, but in those nations, droughts have been the more dominant factors, the study found. In most cases, pastoralists are again the most affected by violence as they are with drought, because they are more likely to live in the most violence-prone areas. The latest casualty is Ethiopia, where hunger has arced upward across the country in recent years, mainly due to below-average rainfall. But civil war erupted in the country's Tigray region last year, greatly adding to the misery. The study did not examine this new conflict, but a recent UN report said that more than 5 million people in the region urgently need food aid, and many are already seeing out and out famine. "This severe crisis results from the cascading effects of conflict, including population displacement, movement restrictions, limited humanitarian access, loss of harvest and livelihood assets, and dysfunctional or nonexistent markets," a top UN official said. On top of that, the drought in Ethiopia is projected to continue through this year. The researchers looked into a third possible cause of hunger: locusts. Again, not surprisingly, locusts affect food security in some years by damaging forage and crops-;but not on a scale large enough to account for the increase in hunger during the study period. (The study did not look at the unusually large waves of locusts that swept much of East Africa in 2019-2020; these may have had more drastic results.) One further factor the researchers looked at: whether the onset of drought contributed to flareups of violence, and thus more hunger. One of the report's coauthors, climatologist Richard Seager of Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, connected the dots in this regard in a widely cited 2015 study arguing that one spark for the ongoing Syrian civil war was a multi-year drought that drove many people off their land, into cities. This does not seem to be the case for the African countries, he said. The authors write, "We found no systematic relation between drought and either frequency of conflict or deaths related to conflict. Conflict may be affected by environmental stress in some cases but the relationship across Africa in recent decades is complex and context-specific." While warfare has been the predominant driver of hunger in some countries, that does not mean others have completely escaped the violence that can disrupt food supplies. For instance, over the last decade, much of Mali has been subject to on and off attacks by separatist and Islamist insurgents who at times have taken entire cities. Since 2015, the once largely peaceful nation of Burkina Faso has seen hundreds of attacks by rebels and jihadists, including a raid on a village in early June this year that killed more than 100 people. "The overall message is that if we're going to predict and handle food crises, we need to be paying attention to conflicts, which can be really complicated-;not just the more easily identified things like drought," said Anderson. "Droughts have a clear start and a clear end. But there are all kinds of violence. And a lot of the time, there is no clear start or end to it." That said, warfare is certainly behind surging hunger in other parts of the world that the team did not examine, he said, most obviously amid the civil war raging in Yemen. (Newser) An Ohio woman sought a protective order against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer last year after accusing him of punching and choking her without consent while they were having sex, per the Washington Post . The allegations of sexual misconduct detailed are similar to recent allegations by a California woman against Bauer, who is on paid administrative leave. According to sealed court records and other documentation obtained by the Post, the Ohio woman said Bauer struck and choked her without her consent while they were having sex. He also allegedly sent her a text message from a phone number known to be registered to Bauer saying he doesnt feel like spending time in jail for killing someone. Per the AP , the order in Ohio was the result of an ex parte proceeding, which means it was issued without a hearing from the other side. The order in California was issued the same way. The Ohio woman tried in 2017 to show police photographs of injuries to her eyes, but instead she was arrested for underage drinking, according to a police report which said the report did not indicate whether her allegations were investigated. The newspaper did not disclose the woman's age except to say she was a legal adult at the time. The Post obtained photographs showing bruises on her face and blood in her eyes. Bauer tweeted a statement Saturday disputing the Posts report, calling it a false narrative. He said the newspaper had contacted hundreds of his female friends and acquaintances. Bauer said the woman harassed and physically assaulted him and also tried to extort me for millions of dollars last year in exchange for her not coming forward with false claims. (More the in AP (Newser) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a national election for Canada to take place in September, though the next vote wasn't required until 2023. Trudeau went through the formality of requesting an election be held in a visit Sunday to Canada's governor general, the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the Wall Street Journal reports. Mary Simon agreed, setting the vote for Sept. 20. Canada is one of the most vaccinated nations in the world, and the prime minister is using his record on battling the coronavirus as a selling point. "We've had your back, and now it's time to hear your voice," Trudeau said Sunday, per the AP. "Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19." Although his popularity has dropped, a majority of Canadians still approve of the job he's done on the pandemic. story continues below Trudeau also wants a ruling majority in parliament, which his Liberals lost two years ago. Not only does he need support from other parties to pass legislation, but committees in parliament are run by the opposition. That power has been used to investigate Trudeau's connection to a youth charity with government contracts and his actions concerning sexual misconduct allegations in the armed forces, per the Journal. Polls show Trudeau running ahead of everyone before the election, with support for big government spending to help people hurt by the pandemic and help the economy rebound. Canada's neighbor makes it feel better about its handling of the pandemic, analysts say; more than 70% of Canadians over age 12 are fully vaccinated. "Canadians compare their situation to the US," a political scientist said. "The current spike in the US contributes to smug complacency among Canadians. This feeling benefits the Liberals at present." (Read more Justin Trudeau stories.) Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Cloudy early, then off and on rain showers for the afternoon. High 52F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 44F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. NEW HAVEN - It had already been a violent week when Leonard Jahad got the news. He canceled an afternoon appointment and sprang into action. There had been yet another shooting near the Hamden-New Haven line, likely a homicide, and he needed to get to the hospital. It was Tuesday. News soon would hit that 33-year-old Kevin Mills had been shot and killed on Dixwell Avenue between Cherry Ann and Elizabeth Streets. Two days earlier, Tyishoun Matheney, 27, was fatally shot blocks away on Butler Street in Hamden. The night before that a shooting close to a bar nearby left a man injured. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media Jahad, a former chief probation officer, is not a social worker or a medical professional, nor is he a police officer. In fact, as the head of the Street Outreach Worker Team and the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program, he works alongside men with criminal histories who now dedicate their time to fighting for peace locally. The team, which operates in Hamden and New Haven, has been on the front lines of the crisis, supporting the community, getting at-risk youth on the right track and, when tragedy hits, trying to keep the violence from spinning further out of control. Police and outreach workers have indicated the homicides near the New Haven-Hamden town line appear targeted and so are unlikely to pose a threat to the general public. The Aftermath After a shooting occurs, an outreach worker goes to the hospital to comfort the family and, if necessary, calm the bereaved, according to Jahad. Its commonplace for Jahad to talk to family members, to get victims to cooperate, before we even are able to speak with anybody, said Hamden police Lt. William Onofrio, head of the Neighborhood Initiative Unit. People respect him, they trust him, and its his whole team. I havent seen anyone that works for him that really doesnt come to the table like that. To preserve community trust, Jahad said, his team does not share information directly with police but does encourage sources to come forward. The outreach workers also keep tabs on social media, using a vast network of contacts to determine who might be involved in violent crime, Jahad said. They serve as mediators, trying to prevent retaliation. Usually, someone on the team knows the victims, their families and other affected community members. William Juneboy Outlaw III, who has been on the team for 10 years and whom everyone calls Juneboy, said he knew both Mills and Matheney, the recent homicide victims. The whole neighborhood they are totally shocked, Outlaw said, noting both men are from the same neighborhood. They devastated. Im devastated. Several days ago, Outlaw went where he has always gone to find sanctuary: the banks of the Quinnipiac River in Fair Haven, near the I-91 overpass. There, he can hear the soft whir of the highway a sound he says he used to fall asleep to and enjoy the breeze coming off the tall grasses. Outlaw spent his early years in a housing project that once overlooked the river, seeking solace by the water then, too, he said. Now, he visits the spot in good times, and in bad. He has a message for the community. When youre a citizen, I mean, you have every right to say what you saw, Outlaw said. We need more citizens thats whats holdin us back a lot. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media The messengers Some might see outreach workers like Outlaw, who has a criminal past, as unlikely role models. Others say they have the best chance of getting through to people. The model of the program is to hire credible messengers, people who have been in that life, you know, who can understand factors that contribute to crimes, Jahad said. In the 1980s, Outlaw headed up one of New Havens most notorious gangs, according to Citizen Outlaw, a 2019 book about his life. It tells of how Outlaw served 20 years in prison after being convicted of homicide and assault; his original sentence had been 85 years, but he won an appeal to get it reduced. When Outlaw came home after 20 years behind bars, Outlaw said he had a goal: to keep folks from going down the same path he did. Once an enemy of law enforcement, the police now value the former gang leader. As were trying to prevent crimes hes out there doing the same thing. Hes preventing, hes talking kids out of that lifestyle every day, Onofrio said. He has such a strong, powerful message that kids relate to. Also sending that message is Tyrone Tiger Whitaker, who joined Jahads team in 2019 after being incarcerated for 30 years. Whitaker, who was 17 when he was convicted in a 1988 slaying, said he grew up while behind bars, learning compassion and humility. While still in prison, he launched a program called Skills of Socialization, which aimed to keep youthful offenders from being incarcerated again. When he got out, I wanted to give back to my community, because I was someone who at some point took from my community, Whitaker said. What I did was wrong, absolutely wrong, and Im embarrassed by what I did (but) Im using it with the kids now, and hopin that I can help the kids. When he tells his story, kids pay attention, he said. He tells them, one day in prison is way too much. Some of the kids come to CTVIPs resource center, a white building on Ashmun Street with blue-framed doors, a patio and a large, grassy yard that represents an integral part of the teams programming. Just havin em there and them spendin time and stay out of trouble is the main thing, you know, and catchin em early, Whitaker said. Tellin them my story just kinda catches their ear. Kids come by for tutoring, to play video games or use the music studio upstairs. During a recent summer program, some of the areas most at-risk youth learned organizational and time management skills, heard from guest speakers and went on field trips, according to Jahad. Seeing kids get on the right track is what Whitaker loves about his job. You see the change in them it feels great, so thats all I want from it, he said. We just want the world to be violence-free. Thats a tall task but we work it. We just be playin our small role in this fight, but I feel like it can be accomplished. You just gotta start savin some people, and they can start savin some people, and itll work out. WASHINGTON (AP) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed a procedural vote this month that would set up future passage of two economic measures crucial to President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, a move Democratic leaders hope will win must-have votes from unhappy party moderates. In a letter Sunday to Democratic lawmakers, Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that the House will take a single vote that would clear an initial hurdle for both a budget resolution and a separate infrastructure bill. The budget blueprint would open the gate for Congress to later consider a separate, $3.5 trillion, 10-year bill for health, education and environment programs. Nine centrist Democrats said Friday they would oppose the budget resolution until the House first approves their top priority: a $1 trillion package of road, railway and other infrastructure projects. In the face of solid Republican opposition, Democrats can lose no more than three defectors to pass legislation through the closely split chamber. Late Sunday, the moderates issued a statement saying they still wanted a vote on final approval of the infrastructure bill to come ahead of the budget. They stopped short of saying they'd oppose Pelosi's plan to initially move both measures forward together, suggesting the speaker's move had bought some time yet left the battle unresolved. As Democrats, we remain committed to working with our colleagues to advance the Presidents agenda, they wrote. The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week with bipartisan support, and the moderates want to bank a quick win by sending it to Biden for his signature. Democrats are calling the House back from summer recess on Aug. 23. By forcing the House to vote on moving both measures a step forward together, Democratic leaders hope to build pressure on moderates to join the rest of the party in edging its economic and social agenda toward eventual final passage. Bolstering the social safety net, combating climate change and creating jobs rank atop Biden's and Democrats' priorities. A defeat, especially at this early stage, would be deeply wounding to the party's legislative goals and a political blow ahead of next year's elections for congressional control. "These bills will be the biggest and most consequential initiatives that any of us have ever undertaken in our official lives, Pelosi wrote. Even so, her party is divided. Progressive Democrats' No. 1 goal is approval of $3.5 trillion worth of spending boosts and tax cuts for health care, education, social safety net and climate change programs. Raising taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations would finance much of it. Passing the budget resolution is pivotal because that would shield the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill from Republican Senate filibusters, or delays, that would kill it. The House and Senate hope to have initial versions of that huge measure ready by mid-September and to approve a final package quickly after that, but that may be optimistic. Even once the budget resolution passes, moderates' and progressives' clashing priorities will assuredly resurface during work on that follow-up bill, and finding the near-unanimous support Democrats will need won't be easy. Democratic moderates, including many from swing districts who face dicey prospects in next year's elections, think that bill's price tag is too high and worry that the GOP will pound them with campaign accusations of backing tax increases. Because of that, progressives fear that moderates would oppose the $3.5 trillion bill if the House first approved the infrastructure legislation. To retain leverage on the moderates, Pelosi has repeatedly said the House won't vote on the infrastructure bill until the Senate passes and sends the House the $3.5 trillion measure. Asked Sunday if Pelosi might drop her strategy of holding back on infrastructure until the social and environment bill is ready, spokesman Drew Hammill said, There's no change in her position." When the House returns this month, it will also vote on revised legislation addressing federal oversight of many states' election laws, Pelosi wrote, another Democratic priority. That measure seems likely to pass the House but get bogged down in the 50-50 Senate. Pelosi praised the Senate's infrastructure measure, but suggested the House might not rubber-stamp it. She said that legislation is not inclusive of the totality of President Biden and Congressional Democrats vision." She said House lawmakers are reviewing the bill." TORONTO (AP) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered an election Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on Sept. 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing Britains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Weve had your back, and now its time to hear your voice, Trudeau said. Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19." Trudeau is seeking to win a majority of seats in Parliament. His Liberal Party fell just short of that two years ago and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation. The election comes as Canada is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus. Trudeau called it the fourth wave amongst unvaccinated people." Trudeau isnt as popular as he once was, but his governments handling of the pandemic has been widely viewed as a success. After a slow start Canada now has enough vaccine for every citizen. More than 71% of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated and over 82% have received at least one dose. The government has spent billions to prop up the economy amid lockdowns that have now lifted. But if the result is another minority government, the knives will start to come out," said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. Trudeau is not widely liked. Hes what the Liberals have so they will fall in behind him, but if he loses hes toast, Bothwell said. Its not that hes unpopular but theres no affection there. The Liberals behave as if he is this beloved figure but hes not. The novelty is gone. But theres still enough there and the performance on COVID was pretty solid so I think people will balance these things going into the election and vote for Trudeau. Trudeau, the son of the late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was first elected with a majority of seats in Parliament in 2015. The Liberals victory ended almost 10 years of Conservative Party government in Canada, but scandals combined with high expectations have damaged Trudeaus standing. His father served as prime minister from 1968 to 1984 with a short interruption. Opposition leftist New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said it is selfish for Trudeau to call an election in a pandemic. Ontario, Canada's largest province, reported more than 500 cases for the fourth straight day. Opposition Conservative leader Erin O'Toole didn't answer when asked if his candidates will or should be vaccinated. He said he is disappointed Trudeau is trying to divide people about their health. The Liberals are going to keep pounding the Conservatives on this and it will happening as the fourth wave of the pandemic is picking up steam, said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. The fourth wave could hurt the Liberals if lockdowns are reimposed." Wiseman said many Canadians will resent having an election they see as unnecessary, but said the Liberals will win the most seats. Trudeau is seen as having delivered on vaccines and there has been widespread support for the governments income-and job-support programs to counter COVIDs economic fallout, Wiseman said. Canadians compare their situation to the U.S. The current spike in the U.S. contributes to smug complacency among Canadians. This feeling benefits the Liberals at present. Trudeau began his news conference Sunday talking about the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Canada closed its embassy in Kabul and staff have fled the country. The current situation poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure that safety and security of our mission, Trudeau said. Canada has committed to taking in 20,000 refugees from the country and Afghans who have assisted Canada over the years. MIAMI (AP) A young mother had just celebrated her first wedding anniversary and was one of six members of a Jacksonville church to die over a 10-day span. Another Florida woman had just given birth to her first child, but was only able to hold the newborn girl for a few moments before dying. A California man died a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday while his wife was on a ventilator at the same hospital in Oakland, unaware of his passing on Aug. 4. The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nation's unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic. The U.S. is now averaging about 650 deaths a day, increasing more than 80 percent from two weeks ago and going past the 600 mark on Saturday for the first time in three months. Data on the the age and demographics of victims during the delta surge is still limited, but hospitals in virus hotspots say they are clearly seeing more admissions and deaths among people under the age of 65. Florida hospital officials are seeing an influx of young, healthy adults filling their wards across the state, many requiring oxygen. In the past week in Florida, 36% of the deaths occurred in the under-65 population, compared with 17% in the same week last year when the state was experiencing a similar COVID surge. Florida is the national leader in coronavirus deaths, averaging more than 150 a day in the past week. The younger patients mark a shift from the elderly and frail, many living in nursing homes, who succumbed to the virus a year ago before states made seniors a priority to get inoculated first. More than 90 percent of seniors have had at least one shot, compared to about 70 percent for Americans under 65. At a predominantly Black church in Jacksonville with a hipster vibe, contemporary music, and a strong social media presence reflective of its young, energetic congregation, six members died over 10 days starting in late July. All were under the age of 35. They were all healthy, all unvaccinated, laments Pastor George Davis of Impact Church, who knew each one personally and has struggled with his own grief at the funerals. He's held two vaccination events for his congregation of about 6,000 where over 1,000 received shots. Among the church members who died were a 24-year-old man Davis watched grow up since he was a toddler, and a woman from his worship team who celebrated her first wedding anniversary only weeks before she died. Her husband recovered. Davis said the young woman was just the picture of health, vibrant. There is a sense among younger people that they are somehow invincible, said Dr. Leana Wen, public health professor at George Washington University and former Baltimore Health Commissioner. Unfortunately, though, some people who are hospitalized are going to die and thats going to mean some people who are younger; and as youve seen these are people in some cases who are leaving behind young children. Among those parents are Kristen McMullen, who had decorated her babys room with rainbows and suns, fully embracing her favorite season, summer after which she would name her first child. The 30-year-old woman fell ill three weeks before her due date and was admitted to a hospital in Melbourne, Florida, with COVID-19. After an emergency cesarean section, McMullen was able to hold her baby girl for a few moments before being rushed off to an intensive care unit, where she later died. She would say that she was scared and that she didnt want to die, her aunt Melissa Syverson said, struggling to talk in between sobs. She was fighting to get back to the baby. McMullens aunt said her family did not want to disclose whether McMullen was vaccinated. Carlos Reyes was skeptical of the vaccine and so was his wife, Maria until they and their two teenage children had to be rushed to the hospital in Oakland. Their 14-year-old son, Sergio, did not need to stay after getting oxygen while 19-year-old Emma joined her parents in the intensive care unit. She was released after a few days, and the parents were put on ventilators. Their 32-year-old daughter who has an auto-immune disease was the only one vaccinated when they fell ill. "We were all just a little hesitant at the beginning," said the couple's oldest daughter, Jasmine Rivas Fierro, 34. Their four children didnt want to break their mother's heart by telling her while she was still in intensive care that Carlos had died a day after their 22nd anniversary. She loved him so much," Rivas Fierro said of her mother, who is still in the hospital. The family is telling people that they must be fully vaccinated to attend Carlos' funeral next week. Cindy Dawkins also left behind four children, ranging in age from 12 to 24. She died Aug. 7, less than a week after she celebrated her 50th birthday with her family at Universal Studios in Orlando. She had a cough and seemed tired that day before her condition quickly deteriorated and she had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Her family believes she contracted the virus at her waitressing job at a bistro in their hometown of Boynton Beach, Fla., where her coworkers have also tested positive. She was healthy and had been getting tested regularly but was still mulling over getting the vaccine. Maybe the vaccine would have helped fight it, but I dont know if it would have completely stopped it," her 20-year-old son, Tre Burrows, said. As the family wrestles with grief and sorts out guardianship of Dawkins' youngest children, they are also saddened by what could have been. Dawkins came to the U.S. from the Bahamas when she was in high school and her children say she was close to becoming an American citizen, an event the family planned to celebrate with a trip over Thanksgiving. Everything was finally going right, her daughter Jenny Burrows said. And then this happened. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the hospital where McMullen died is in Melbourne, Florida, not West Melbourne. __ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Bayern Munich legend, Gerd Muller, is dead. Muller passed away at the age of 75 on Sunday morning. Bayern Munich disclosed this in a stateme... Bayern Munich legend, Gerd Muller, is dead. Muller passed away at the age of 75 on Sunday morning. Bayern Munich disclosed this in a statement via their website. Today the world of FC Bayern stands still. The German record champions and its entire fan base mourn Gerd Muller, who died early Sunday morning at the age of 75, the statement read in part. Muller made history with Bayern Munich and the German national team during his playing days. The former striker scored an unbelievable 566 goals in 607 competitive games for Bayern and set the unprecedented record of 365 goals in the Bundesliga. Muller also secured the top scorer award seven times. For the DFB selection, he scored 68 times in 62 appearances. President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned attack on travellers from a religious event in Bauchi State who were passing through Rukuba, near J... President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned attack on travellers from a religious event in Bauchi State who were passing through Rukuba, near Jos, Plateau State. The 22 victims were on their way from the Annual Zikr prayers in Bauchi State when they were attacked on Saturday. Reacting, Buharis Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday said the attacks on innocent citizens was unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions. He stated that the incident was a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights and with the evident preparedness, it was clear the attack was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers. He added that Buhari has ordered security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Buhari also condoled with families of the victims. He noted that the Federal Government will continue to liaise closely with the local authorities including security, the police, and governmental agencies as the facts of the sad incident continue to unfold. This week marks the 100th anniversary of Delgado Community College, Louisianas oldest and largest institution of its kind. It opened as Isaac Delgado Central Trades School on Aug. 17, 1921. The school was named for Isaac Delgado, a 19th-century immigrant from Jamaica who became a wealthy New Orleans businessman and sugar planter. When he died in 1912, his will left money for the city to establish a manual trade school. The schools original building on City Park Avenue opened to just 75 students. The curriculum included carpentry, cabinet making, plumbing, sheet metal work, machinist trade, electrical workers trade, printing, painting and tailoring, according to The New Orleans Item. In the 1940s, the school added more metal and woodworking programs to meet the need for skilled workers during World War II. In the 1950s, Delgado which by then admitted women as well expanded to become a technical institute at the junior college level. A technical two-year college program was introduced and in 1960 the first graduates received their college degrees. Then as now, school leaders continually pushed for stable funding sources for the college. In 1970, control of the school was transferred from the city to the state. In 1980, it was renamed Delgado Community College. The Charity School of Nursing became part of Delgado in 1990 and the nursing and allied health programs now graduate some 400 students each year. In all, Delgado offers more than 30 associate degree programs, as well as technical diploma and certificate programs with classes at seven locations. Kris Wiley is the director of the Roseburg Public Library. She can be reached at kwiley@cityofroseburg.org or 541-492-7051. This content is provided by Travel Leaders / Fly Away Travel, located at 1445 W. Harvard Avenue in Roseburg. Call 541-672-5701 for information. A story of determination and inspiration: Three men return from spinal injuries to continue working in the woods Several of his close political associates have surrendered to the Taliban without a fight or fled into exile. His army has all but collapsed, and the warlords he was counting on have proved ineffectual or are bargaining for their lives. Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, is more isolated than ever, facing pressure to step aside and not just from the Taliban. His dominion is shrinking by the day. He governs the capital, Kabul, two other cities in the north and east, and pockets in the interior. Yet Mr. Ghani is stubbornly clinging to office. In a brief recorded speech televised early Saturday afternoon, Mr. Ghani promised to prevent further instability but did not resign. With Taliban forces having captured Pul-i-Alam, another provincial capital this one only 40 miles from Kabul Mr. Ghani said he had begun extensive consultations at home and abroad and that the results would soon be shared. He said remobilizing Afghanistans defense forces was a priority. On Wednesday, he flew to one of his loyalist redoubts, the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in attempts to rally pro-government forces; the city fell to the Taliban on Saturday night. On Thursday, officials said, he spoke by phone with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III. On Friday, he was said to be leading a national security meeting in the Kabul presidential palace. Still, Mr. Guehenno said, Western democracies must not adopt a doctrine of indifference to the plight of other people. Afghanistan was never a particularly vital interest for Europe to begin with. NATO went to war there 20 years ago only to show solidarity with the United States after 9/11. But the suddenness of Afghanistans collapse is another reminder of what can happen when Europe outsources decisions to Washington. NATO countries let the Americans call the shots in Afghanistan, even if they complained about a lack of consultation. For NATO, the mantra was always in together, out together. Once President Biden decided to pull the plug, NATO troops also began leaving at speed; there is little appetite for returning. Europes main worries now are a new flow of Afghan migrants and a new safe haven for terrorism. But for a long time now, European terrorism has had its roots closer to home, in North Africa and the Middle East and in domestic disaffection. The Biden administration has other problems, and Europeans want support from Washington on more important issues, like climate change, Russia and China, said Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, the London research institution. Biden will take some hit for lack of consultation with allies and piggybacking on a flawed Trump strategy, Mr. Niblett said. But there is a lot more to be gained for American soft power by getting through the corona crisis and focusing on vaccines for the world, than on putting more effort into whether the Afghan government survives. Flash floods in northern Turkey have killed at least 27 people, and left many other local residents missing and hundreds homeless, as rescue workers scrambled to evacuate those affected by the disaster and reach villages that had been cut off by the waters and lost power. In the province of Kastamonu, at least nine people, including five young children, were still missing. Eight were from the same extended family in the town of Bozkurt, including four children. Turkish authorities have yet to announce an exact number of missing. But accounts from residents of areas affected by the disaster suggest a far worse picture than the one portrayed in official statements. Thank God we managed to leave that house, but there are many people who couldnt, Sumeyra Ergin Felek, one resident, said in a video posted on Instagram. There are many people under the ruins. WASHINGTON President Bidens top advisers concede they were stunned by the rapid collapse of the Afghan army in the face of an aggressive, well-planned offensive by the Taliban that now threatens Kabul, Afghanistans capital. The past 20 years show they should not have been. If there is a consistent theme over two decades of war in Afghanistan, it is the overestimation of the results of the $83 billion the United States has spent since 2001 training and equipping the Afghan security forces and an underestimation of the brutal, wily strategy of the Taliban. The Pentagon had issued dire warnings to Mr. Biden even before he took office about the potential for the Taliban to overrun the Afghan army, but intelligence estimates, now shown to have badly missed the mark, assessed it might happen in 18 months, not weeks. Commanders did know that the afflictions of the Afghan forces had never been cured: the deep corruption, the failure by the government to pay many Afghan soldiers and police officers for months, the defections, the soldiers sent to the front without adequate food and water, let alone arms. In the past several days, the Afghan forces have steadily collapsed as they battled to defend ever shrinking territory, losing Mazar-i-Sharif, the countrys economic engine, to the Taliban on Saturday. Mr. Bidens aides say that the persistence of those problems reinforced his belief that the United States could not prop up the Afghan government and military in perpetuity. In Oval Office meetings this spring, he told aides that staying another year, or even five, would not make a substantial difference and was not worth the risks. Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara Whats Up? (Aug. 8-14) Infrastructure Bill Moves to the House The Senate approved a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to rebuild roads and bridges and to fund broadband and climate resilience initiatives. The legislation includes several measures to help pay for it, including repurposing pandemic relief funds and tougher scrutiny of cryptocurrency transactions (though the Congressional Budget Office said the plan would still add $256 billion to the deficit over the next decade). Shortly after the passage of the infrastructure bill, the Senate voted along party lines to pass a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint to expand the social safety net, which would be funded primarily by higher taxes for the wealthy and corporations. Both measures face an arduous path in the House. Misinformation Surges The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is causing a new surge in cases as well as a spike in vaccine misinformation. Compared with June, mentions of some phrases prone to misinformation in July jumped as much as five times, according to Zignal Labs, which tracks mentions on social media, on cable television and in print and online outlets. Experts say the boom signals that efforts by social media companies to remove falsehoods about the virus from their platforms havent worked. Californias Push for Solar Power California regulators supported a proposal that would require builders to include solar power and battery storage in many new commercial structures and high-rise residential buildings. Doing so could reduce emissions over the next 30 years as much as if more than two million cars were taken off the road, they said. The proposal also calls for new homes to be wired in ways that help and even encourage conversion of natural-gas heating and appliances to electric sources. The states Building Standards Commission is expected to include the proposal in a December revision of the building code. It would take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara Whats Next? (Aug. 15-21) Get That Vaccine Card Ready New York Citys new vaccine requirements go into effect on Monday. They require customers and staff to show proof of at least one vaccine dose for indoor dining, performances and gyms. An even further-reaching rule will take effect in San Francisco on Friday. It will bar unvaccinated people from indoor dining, bars, nightclubs, gyms, large concerts, theaters and other events held inside. The new rules apply even to people who can show they have tested negative for the coronavirus. President Biden has required that federal workers either be vaccinated or undergo frequent testing, and encouraged businesses to require employees to get the shot. Last week, United Airlines, Amtrak, Capital One and McDonalds joined the growing list of companies to mandate vaccines for all or some workers. As New York awakens from its slumber, its clear this isnt just any morning. Theres Stephen Colbert, emerging onto a rooftop, and Peppermint, a drag performer, strolling on a bridge in glittering heels. On the Lower East Side, Sara Bareilles is sitting in a cafe, but she has something on her mind, so shes not touching her lox bagel. Some folks like to get away, she croons, take a holiday from the neighborhood. Thats the opening line of Billy Joels 1976 song New York State of Mind. Some of New Yorks most recognizable entertainers follow Ms. Bareilles, as they take turns singing, dancing, playing instruments and for the less musically inclined, like Andy Cohen kissing a camera, in a music video that was released on Sunday in an effort to uplift the city as it recovers from the pandemic. And yet when it comes to competence, theres still a there, there. Take the collapse in June of the high-rise condominium in Surfside, Fla., that killed nearly a hundred people: When it comes to building design, construction, inspection and maintenance, competence isnt merely a self-serving myth. Either enough steel was used in the condos foundation, or it was not; either needed repairs were identified and made, or they were not. In the case of Surfside, there was plenty of incompetence going around, and the result was disaster. Democracy, too, is unsustainable without competence at every level. We need citizens who understand our political system and who are capable of evaluating competing arguments, and we need leaders capable of developing and carrying out wise policies. Concretely, we also need voting machines that work, a voting system that ensures that the declared count reflects the votes that were cast, competent election officials who work in that system and who value professional integrity over party, and capable judges who can similarly evaluate, without partisan bias, whether the voting process was fair and accurate. But any concept of competence that encompasses only skill and efficacy is an impoverished one, one that readily enables the kind of self-serving behavior and policy so many Americans distrust. After all, skilled and effective people can be careless, shortsighted, selfish, biased, corrupt or sadistic consider Mussolini and his supposed ability to make the trains run on time. If we want to rescue the concept of competence from the critiques of both right and left, we need to understand it in its broadest sense, rather than its narrowest. To be worth anything in a democracy, the idea of competence also needs to encompass judgment, humility and empathy. Evaluating legal claims about voting rights, for instance, shouldnt be a mere technical exercise; legislators, judges and other officials considering such claims need an understanding of Americas history of racial exclusion, an awareness of the limits of legal processes and a keen sense of how different rules and policies will affect other living and breathing human beings. The concept of competence will always be messy and contested, and to some extent, thats as it should be. But we cant survive as a cohesive nation if we cant agree on the basic premise that it is possible to know things at least some things with a reasonable amount of confidence and that it is possible to get things done in a manner that we all recognize as reasonably effective. If we give up entirely on the idea of developing a broad and shared understanding of competence or on the idea that competence matters, we might as well give up on the democratic project itself. Rosa Brooks, a professor at Georgetowns law school, is the author of Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City. The officers were never supposed to be in Jacarezinho that day. A Supreme Court ruling last year prohibited raids in Rio de Janeiros low-income neighborhoods during the Covid-19 pandemic, except in absolutely exceptional cases. The operations stated objective of arresting 21 low-level gang members under suspicion of dealing drugs was hardly exceptional. Police forces have a long record of justifying brutal raids as efforts to combat drug trafficking and fight crime. The May 6 police raid was the bloodiest in Rios history. It doesnt have to be this way. Crime in Rios favelas grew over decades of government neglect. Officials failed to provide basic social services and ensure a daily police presence. To enter the favelas, officers resorted to raids that often turned violent. Residents not only resented the police for the brutality but also the state for abandoning them. In 2008 the state attempted to drive out the gangs by creating Pacifying Police Units, or U.P.P.s. The program placed officers in poor neighborhoods that had fallen under gang control, with the goal of restoring public security and ending a culture of violence and distrust between residents and the police. The state also invested in infrastructure like health clinics and garbage collection. A couple of years into the program, police killings had dropped by 86 percent in communities with U.P.P.s. The police presence increased school attendance, and quality of life improved. But the initiatives shortcomings undermined its successes. Residents were frustrated when the government seemed to have abandoned its efforts to improve their lives. Police officers complained of difficult working conditions. As trust eroded, crime spiked, and the old system of policing by force started to return. By 2013, tensions culminated in protests over the disappearance of Amarildo de Souza, a Black construction worker in Rios Rocinha favela. The news coincided with nationwide protests calling for government reforms to address many grievances, including corruption and police brutality. Amid the protests and media attention, the civil police and prosecutors investigated Mr. Souzas disappearance. Similar to the case of the five youths, they might not have done so otherwise. Investigators found Mr. Souza had been tortured by police officers after they took him in for questioning about gang activities in the neighborhood. His body was never found. Three years later, Edson dos Santos, a police major, and 11 other officers were convicted of torturing Mr. Souza to death. Mr. Santos was declared guilty of orchestrating the crime but was never fired and continued to receive his salary in prison. He was released on parole in 2019 and was reinstated as a police officer this year. As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise across the country, some areas with low vaccination rates have been hit hard, like Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. The same is true for the U.S. Virgin Islands, where only about a third of residents are vaccinated. In recent days, the islands have seen their highest numbers of confirmed cases and hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic. The islands, a popular tourist destination with a year-round population of about 106,000, are now in the top 20 U.S. states and territories for cases per capita, according to a New York Times database. Active cases have been ticking up for weeks, rising from around 60 at the beginning of July to a high of 401 on Friday, according to data from the islands Department of Health. Before this summers surge, the highest number of active cases was 295, reported nearly a year ago. Only 37 percent of the population was fully vaccinated as of Saturday, trailing every state but Mississippi and Alabama, according to federal data. OTTAWA Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday announced an early election in Canada, a step he said was needed to give his government a mandate for dealing with the pandemic and the recovery from its economic effects. The widely anticipated move signaled his confidence that voters would return him to power after three consecutive campaigns. The election, scheduled for Sept. 20, will come less than two years after the previous vote and at a time when coronavirus cases are rising in many parts of the country, leading health officials to declare that a fourth wave is underway. Mr. Trudeau could have waited until 2024 to call an election. Everyone understands that we are really at a pivotal moment in the history of our country, Mr. Trudeau said after asking Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament to permit the snap election. This is a moment where Canadians can and should be able to weigh in on what were going through and on how were going to build a society that is stronger and better. Before, we had a lot of hope and anticipation. Now, it feels like our hands and feet are tied, said Zoe Chow, an elected district official who had represented the working-class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po since 2015 before resigning in July. We have to think very hard about what to do next because it feels as though everything we do is considered wrong. By targeting opposition figures in local councils, the authorities are effectively burying the last vestige of democracy in Hong Kong. Dozens of politicians are in jail and facing potential life sentences on national security charges. Apple Daily, a major pro-democracy newspaper, has been forced to close after the arrest of its founder and top editors. Hong Kongs largest teachers union and the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized large protest marches, both said in recent days that they would disband. Beijing has rewritten the rules for future elections to bar candidates it deems disloyal. The district councilors said they were alarmed by the governments plans to impose a new loyalty oath on them and reports that perceived violations could leave them imprisoned, barred from politics or bankrupted. District councilors are not usually in the political limelight. They handle unglamorous tasks such as dealing with pest infestations, overflowing trash and illegal parking. They help residents with everyday problems such as the payment of bills or economic aid. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Sunday that the defeat of Afghan security forces that has led to the Talibans takeover happened more quickly than we anticipated, although he maintained the Biden administrations position that keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan was not in American interests. This is heart-wrenching stuff, said Mr. Blinken, who looked shaken, in an interview on CNN after a night that saw members of the Taliban enter the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the shuttering of the U.S. Embassy as the last remaining American diplomats in Afghanistan were moved to a facility at the citys airport for better protection. Mr. Blinken stopped short of saying that all American diplomats would return to the United States, repeating an intent to maintain a small core of officials in Kabul. But he forcefully defended the administrations decision to withdraw the military from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, saying it could have been vulnerable to Taliban attacks had the United States reneged on an agreement brokered under President Donald J. Trump for all foreign forces to leave the country. 12/08/2021 Barbados has joined the two-pillar plan to reform the international taxation rules and ensure that multinational enterprises pay a fair share of tax wherever they operate, bringing to 133 the total number of jurisdictions participating in the agreement. The Statement, released on the 1st of July 2021 and agreed by Barbados today, establishes a new proposal for international tax reform based on a two-pillar package. Pillar One aims to ensure a fairer distribution of profits and taxing rights among countries with respect to the largest Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), including digital companies. It would re-allocate some taxing rights over MNEs from their home countries to the markets where they have business activities and earn profits, regardless of whether firms have a physical presence there. Pillar Two seeks to put a floor on competition over corporate income tax, through the introduction of a global minimum corporate tax rate that countries can use to protect their tax bases. This two-pillar package is the outcome of negotiations co-ordinated by the OECD for much of the last decade and aims to ensure that large MNEs pay tax where they operate and earn profits, while adding much-needed certainty and stability to the international tax system. The two-pillar solution contains a number of points on which members of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS must still agree details. In addition, a small number of the Inclusive Frameworks 139 members have not signed on to these proposals. The deal will be finalised in October 2021, complete with an implementation plan to develop model legislation, guidance and a multilateral treaty in 2022, with implementation from 2023. Further information on the continuing international tax reform negotiations is also available at:https://oe.cd/bepsaction1 Media enquiries should be directed to Pascal Saint-Amans (+33 1 4524 9108), Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTPA), or the CTPA Communications Office. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, further tightening their grip on the country as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the U.S. Embassy. 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What better way to kick it off with a satellite entry onto the grandest stage of them all? Keep reading to discover how you can win your shot at poker immortality. Read on to find out more COLUMBIA More than 70,000 Columbia-area students are heading back to classrooms, but the powerful emergence of the COVID Delta variant thats led to a spike in cases statewide has renewed the debate over mask wearing. Administrators, elected officials, parents, teachers and students have all weighed during board meetings over the past few weeks with their fear and opposition over loosened restrictions that make facial coverings voluntary, as required by a state budget amendment that threatens loss of aid to school systems that violate it. South Carolina last week surpassed 10,000 COVID deaths since the outbreak began in March 2020, prompting state epidemiologist Linda Bell to say has never been more concerned for our state than I am right now. An examination of recent school board meetings in Richland and Lexington to get a clearer picture of how district leaders plan to move ahead in another uncertain academic year. Richland One A week ahead of an Aug. 18 start date, commissioners in the Columbia district that covers 22,000 students in 52 schools criticized state lawmakers for including the mask opt-out provision. They have the backing of Columbia city leaders, who have challenged it with an emergency order requiring face coverings at elementary and middle schools within municipal limits. State Attorney General Alan Wilson and Gov. Henry McMaster disagree and the issue could head to court, which does not deter Richland One commissioners. We all took an oath. And the oath is to serve and protect children, and its hard to do my job when Im being blocked from doing whats right for children, commissioner Cheryl Harris said Aug. 10. As of Aug. 12, the district had 110 staff and students in quarantine, with 14 active cases. There is no issue, no question of discussion that is off the table at this time, Harris said. Harris said enough local businesses, churches and nonprofits have come forward to provide masks for schools in the rural reaches of the district, and enough resources exist for them to be handed out elsewhere. Avoiding the use of public dollars to obtain facial coverings, Harris said, could be a loophole in the Legislature's amendment. Officials announced a special meeting on Aug. 16 to discuss the districts masking policy. I really have a problem with us not protecting our kids from a pandemic," Richland One commissioner Angela Clyburn said. "Our kids know, they see whats going on in our communities. Theyre losing parents and grandmas and granddads and uncles and aunts and sisters and brothers, and theyre friends parents, she said. And they know what protects them. Richland Two Language in the states budget amendment barring masks mandates inside schools does not pertain to buses, health care areas and visitors. So administrators in South Carolinas fifth-largest district are recommending those guidelines be enacted as classes get ready to start on Aug. 18. Trustees agreed, but said they wished they could go even further. Chairwoman Teresa Holmes urged constituents to contact the Richland County Council and local government bodies to follow Columbias lead in issuing a mask decree for elementary and middle schools, though none of Richland Twos schools fall within Columbia city limits. Between Aug 7 and Aug. 9, the latest data available, the district reported 13 positive cases among staff and students. "I pray that people will be able to do what it takes to do keep not only their children safe, but teachers, trustee Amelia McKie said Aug. 10. It is unfortunate that the pandemic is deadly, it is unfortunate that it has been politicized, it is unfortunate that masks and vaccines have been weaponized. But parent Larry Smalls warned during recent board meeting of the political consequences that would follow what he viewed as overreach. Let's roll up our sleeves and fight this thing. I want to add to that, let's roll up our sleeves and fight this thing by not hiding in fear behind a useless mask, he said. Lexington-Richland Five Schools in this 17,500-student district that includes the towns of Chapin and Irmo will open at an elevated level of caution: Visitors wont be allowed on campuses, some sports and extracurricular activities could be suspended, and shortened school days may be considered to allow for deep cleaning. But Interim Superintendent Akil Ross made it clear that the states law, banning mask mandates in schools, will be honored. As of Aug. 13, the district has no positive COVID cases, but 26 teachers, staff and students are in quarantine. We're excited about accepting students however they come," Ross said Aug. 9. "Whether you have a mask or no mask, whether you're vaccinated or unvaccinated, we're ready for your children to return to school." Over the past year, several protests have broken out ahead of school board meetings, mostly in favor of requiring masks or staying virtual for as long as possible. Malloy Green, an incoming seventh grader at Chapin Middle School, pleaded with trustees to follow medical advice and do all they can to promote public safety. She said her father died of heart failure last December after being stricken during a run and not being able to have ventilator access because of hospitals crowded with COVID patients. Most of the children are living in ignorance of the full scope of the situation that we have been in since March of last year, she told the board. We can't have normal unless we go without it for a bit. Lexington One and Lexington Two Lexington One Superintendent Greg Little has said educators want to avoid large scale shifts in instruction, and will only do so based on disease spread as monitored over a three-week period. The district, which educates 27,300 students across 31 schools, is recommending masks on buses and inside health rooms and hiring additional nurses who can be deployed to any school. The Lexington One school board holds its next meeting Aug. 17, the same day school starts. At Lexington Two, misting machines, videoconferencing, virtual events and new signage promoting social distancing will all be part of the new school year at the 8,500-student district. Face coverings are optional but recommended, and each school will have a supply for faculty, students and visitors. To promote respiratory etiquette, aggressive cleaning of high-touch areas such as doorknobs, playground equipment, sink handles and cafeteria tables will occur daily. Charleston's perennially creative poet laureate, Marcus Amaker, has a new project just in time for the school year. This one is meant expressly for the next generation of music enthusiasts. "Black Music Is," a new illustrated book for children ages 8 to 12, represents a collaboration with Charleston artist Nathan Durfee. It was created as a love letter to African American music and history. The book is the first to be published by Free Verse Press, a new independent publisher of poetry books in the Charleston area. The company also produces Charleston's Free Verse Poetry Festival. Through rhythmic poetry and captivating visuals, "Black Music Is" mines Black music's role in culture around the world. And it does so through the ears of an engaging main character of the feline variety. In a nod to jazz, his name is Bebop the cat. I am a music nerd, and I care a lot about what students are learning," Amaker said in a statement. "My hope is that this book deepens someones appreciation of what Black musicians have done for our global musical landscape." To further illuminate the cultural journey, Amaker collaborated with acclaimed Charleston artist Nathan Durfee, whose pop-surrealist illustrations create a fanciful backdrop for the rhythmic poem. Through transporting word and image, "Black Music Is" introduces pre-teen readers to five musical genres, all spun out by Bebop as he plays records by Black musicians. The genres include blues, hip-hop, rock, bluegrass and jazz. Every record takes the cat and readers to a different colorful, sonic world. Sign up for our new opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Along the way, they learn about leading Black musical artists, among them Big Mama Thornton, BB King, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Max Roach, Prince and Alice Coltrane. The book also covers modern-day musicians, including Our Native Daughters, Saba, Rapsody, Big Joanie and Black Thought, among others. Amaker, the recent recipient of a fellowship from the Academy of American Poets, has long demonstrated a creative skill set that spans artistic disciplines, among them poetry, music and design, and is well versed in merging art forms to expressive end. This past year he collaborated on the classical album "Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers," the album release by Chicago baritone Will Liverman and pianist Paul Sanchez that quickly ascended Billboard's classical album charts. For it, Amaker worked with composer Shawn E. Okpebholo on a composition for the second part of the work "Two Churches," or "Movement 2: The Rain," which focused on the Emanuel AME Church massacre. Durfee, another prominent player in the Charleston arts scene, is a fine artist known for his whimsical depictions of figures contenting with challenging situations. He's also a seasoned hand at children's book illustration. To celebrate the start of the school year, Amaker is giving free copies of the book to 150 local schools. Throughout the month of August, Amaker is making local appearances to celebrate the release of the book, including events at 1 p.m. Aug. 22 at Buxton Books, 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at itinerant literate and 9:30 a.m. Aug. 29 at Sightsee coffee shop. Copies of the book can be purchased on Amaker's website, marcusamaker.com. I know readers worry about my wife, Becky, and me living so close to the fires here in Northern California. Hopefully, they do more than worry and pray because the flashing strobe on my iPhone emergency notification is blinding! This is the County Sheriffs office issuing an evacuation ORDER for a fast-moving wildfire affecting the following zones: NCO-E050, NCO-E102.... The home Becky and I share nestles snuggly in the foothills, but I have no clue what our assigned zone is. Smoke swirls on the horizon, so I jump on the internet, searching furiously for our zone. At last, good news. And bad. I can hardly tell the difference. The fire is five miles away, so we neednt evacuate. But the fire is only five miles away! Departure feels imminent. I rush down the garage stairs to retrieve suitcases. The long-timers in this gold country tell me to always keep a go-bag packed. Ours isnt exactly packed. We are doing that now. So, what goes in the bag after toiletries and a few blue jeans? Surely my laptop used for writing my columns. I walk circles around Becky, searching for clues while she loads the family photo albums shes artistically compiled over recent decades. I return to the garage for more suitcases but pause to check the gas level in our car. Local authorities advise maintaining a full tank during fire season. Im caught with a fourth of a tank. I return upstairs where Becky is loading some vintage toys from her childhood, to share with our newest grandson. I grab my military files and tax records and throw in iPads for good measure. Becky focuses on personal items, and I grab more mechanical things. She wants priceless representations of the life weve lived; Im morbidly attracted to the replaceable. My greedy arms fill, like a kid whose overloaded hand is stuck in the candy jar. If I withdraw my hand, Ill have to let some stuff go. Sign up for our new opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Which of us is the better packer? I recall reading about Jesus visiting with a man who felt his life was well packed. The man claimed hed kept the laws of his religion and had done all the right things since childhood. But he still sensed something lacking at his spiritual center, so he asked Jesus how to become whole. Jesus suggested he might go and sell all your stuff and give the proceeds to the poor and your treasure will be in heaven. The man leaves sorrowfully because he cant give up his stuff even if it means saving his soul. How can I make a similar decision to give up my stuff in the face of this fire? Becky reaches for a painting on our wall, one she commissioned from a Honduran artist. Its a quiet seaside landscape with a rowboat in the bay. Across the bottom, the artist inscribed folk-song lyrics she had requested: The river is wide, we both shall row, my Love and I. I load the painting in the car, Becky nearby, and I reach for her hand the same one I first took 41 years ago. No worries, I say, as the tears well. We have each other. I think we have everything we need. *** Gratefully, Becky and I never had to evacuate, but many others lost everything in the fire. You can help victims of the River Fire. Send checks payable to: Nevada County Relief Fund c/o SNMH Foundation, P.O. Box 1810 Grass Valley, CA 95945. Email info@NevCoRelief.org. Help fire victims statewide with donations to Disaster Relief Ministry, California Southern Baptist Convention, 678 East Shaw Ave., Fresno, CA 93710. Fire survivors can seek help at www.riverfiredonationhub.com. ON OCEAN BOULEVARD. By Mary Alice Monroe. Gallery Books. 384 pages. $26.99. On the heels of a breakup and the loss of her startup job in California, 25-year-old Linnea Rutledge has returned home to Charleston, feeling low. Her parents, Julia and Palmer, offer her support and a place to stay, but are pretty busy with changes of their own: after a brush with bankruptcy, theyve sold their downtown home and relocated permanently to the familys home on Sullivans Island. Searching for direction, Linnea turns to her aunt, Caretta Rutledge (Cara for short), a character Monroe first introduced in The Beach House in 2002. Now a program director with the South Carolina Aquarium and adoptive mother to 4-year-old daughter Hope, Caras also about to be remarried at 55 though the lavish plantation wedding her fiance David has planned threatens to give her cold feet and advises Linnea, Create the narrative for your own life. Dont allow other people to do it. While strolling the neighboring Isle of Palms beachfront, Linnea runs into Annabelle, an acquaintance from high school, and Pandora, a British beauty and engineering masters student whose bold style and personality stand out amongst Linneas Charleston crowd. Linnea soon finds new love with Gordon, another Brit and visiting professor at the College of Charleston, though feelings for her ex, John, pop up now and then. Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! A cozy beach drama unfolds, full of turtle facts (Cara is a fixture of the real-life Turtle Team, which protects and relocates turtle nests locally), a sea of nicknames to keep track of, a subplot involving vaccination for measles, not COVID-19 and even a brief but glitzy trip to New York City, all adding up to a rollercoaster read. Characters take great pains to make their lives look great from the outside, but there are no shortage of cracks in their facades from money troubles to alcoholism and illness. In the midst of wedding planning and gossip, Cara and her best friend Emmi also struggle to care for their aging longtime neighbor Flo, who is in the clutches of Alzheimers. Although On Ocean Boulevard is the sixth in a series, readers need not have read every Beach House book to enjoy it. Monroes writing has a timeless quality, and characters shine in quiet, heavy-drama moments, like one characters prayer and the casts memories of Linneas late grandmother, Lovie. Younger characters, though, feel a bit more stilted: Annabelle is generically political and Gordons Britishness feels a tad forced though its a plus for Linnea that hes also Oxford-educated, a gentleman and a ginger. More than romance, female friendship is the ideal for Monroes multigenerational heroines, who are at every stage of life. While they may come off as prissy or privileged at times, Cara, Linnea and friends femininity and love of family will undoubtedly strike a chord with many readers. GEORGETOWN Many tourists know Georgetown as the port city that marks the halfway point between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, while residents know it to be a vibrant and historic oasis away from the hustle and bustle of its neighbors. Sandwiched between two coastal tourist powerhouses, the city's officials have long scratched their heads on how to make Georgetown, specifically the area around Front Street, a place travelers want to stop and spend time in rather than just drive through on their way to other destinations. Now, developers, business owners and local government officials are working together to establish a mix of resident- and tourist-friendly attractions that could make Georgetown an entirely unrecognizable city in the next decade. Georgetown Business Association President Jack McManus said he wants development that meshes with South Carolina's third-oldest city that dates back to 1729. "(It is about) people (who) live here and understand what the beauty is about, it's not investment coming in from New York or something like that that's just found the right demographics and now are prepared to put this kind of investment in here," McManus said. "I think there's a soul about it that I hope we keep." Balancing tourists versus residents is at the forefront of discussions. Government officials and developer will analyze traffic counts through various parts of the city, said Brian Tucker, who is Georgetown County's economic development director. Those who drive on U.S. 17 every day are different from those who drive by the Walmart on North Fraser Street, Tucker said, so working with developers to ensure like-minded developments and people are grouped together is key. "There's interest on the Highmarket (Street) corridor around Walmart, that interest is gong to be your typical community retail with your shopping centers, possibly your chain restaurants," Tucker said. Alternatively, the Front and Church Street areas are likely to see much bigger changes and redevelopment over the next five years there, Tucker said. "Whether that be a brewery, restaurants, another sort of destination retail, or it could be residential," Tucker said about what he is looking to attract to Front Street. "What we are looking for is more the scale of developments versus the use ... we don't necessarily want someone to take an existing storefront that used to be a women's boutique store and just open another women's boutique store." Recently, developer and Front Street business owner David Kossove offered to buy the Georgetown City Council the city's electric department building on Church Street. Combined with the land he already owns next to the building, he hopes to build luxury condos, a market and offices overlooking marshland in a $25 million project one Tucker cited as an example of the types of redevelopments the city is seeking. Kossove told council Aug. 11 in a special meeting that it is dragging its feet, and that Georgetown leaders have not properly invested in what he deems to be the most valuable piece of property in the city. "I ask you, please consider this sale as exactly what it is an opportunity for a public-private partnership that would benefit every citizen living in this city," Kossove said. Sign up for our Myrtle Beach weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Myrtle Beach area. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Myrtle Beach news staff. Email Sign Up! Though Kossove's vision is on a lot on Church Street, areas on Front Street are also seeing interest: a developer is interested in turning the Georgetown Times office into a 56-unit boutique hotel. Georgetown's downtown area has the added benefit of being both a district that allows local taxes to go directly back into area development and a federal opportunity zone that gives developers tax breaks for building in economically struggling areas. Though these incentives have been around for several years, developers and government officials agree that not much has been done to take advantage of them. While resident Janette Graham agrees Georgetown is more than a way to get somewhere else, she thinks the city should take a resident-first approach to developing Front Street. She also questions why more attention is not being given to the dilapidated homes and businesses on the city's West End. Though the West End is within same zones eligible for tax incentives, developing and improving it can prove to be difficult because of issues with zoning and heirs property, or land that lacks a clear title due to generations of families passing down the property without a clear title or will. Regardless, as a resident who was raised in Georgetown who left for 50 years and came back, Graham wishes the city prioritized its residents over tourists who may or may not come. "There's so many projects that have popped up, and I understand that there are vacancies (around Front Street), but there's more needed on the West End than (around Front Street)," Graham said. "I can't count the number of empty houses that are on the West End that need to be either revamped or torn down." Developments for tourists and residents are not mutually exclusive, though, Tucker said, and just because tourists enjoy an amenity doesn't mean residents can't also. This balance of what is best for tourists versus residents is ultimately about attracting visitors whose interests are best suited for what Georgetown can offer, said Georgetown Chamber of Commerce President Beth Stedman. "We really have to look at the balance between the economic impact, the jobs that tourism creates and the concerns of the community," Stedman said. "We certainly want our guests to feel welcome, and I think it's really important to have that cooperation and support from the local community." The beautiful and unique character of Georgetown, many agree, must be preserved, and people will always disagree on how to best do that, Tucker said. But the city has so much more potential than what it is living up to now, Tucker said. "There's no single opinion of what is ideal (for Georgetown)," Tucker said, "but there are certainly a lot of folks that are very proud of what Georgetown is, and those same folks are also very optimistic about how much greater Georgetown could be." 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 Cleve DuBois doesnt want his current trappings to distract you. Behind the orange jail uniform, the cinderblock cell, the shackles that snake around his wrists and waist the heart of a caped crusader still beats. Two decades back, DuBois became a local celebrity by patrolling the streets of Charleston decked out as his alter ego, Batman. He drove a homemade Batmobile, complete with a tail piece that spit fire, with a sidekick dressed as Robin perched in the passenger seat. Stares and headlines followed. These days, the 48-year-old custom car whiz is in a mess of trouble. To hear him tell it, the past two years of his life have read like a bad comic book, punctuated by drug use, stolen cars, bail jumping, gang associations, an angry cartels vengeance and a brassy run from police in Virginia. Now, Batman is in the big house, stewing in the Berkeley County jail and facing many dark nights in prison if convicted of trafficking a hefty quantity of methamphetamine. DuBois cops to a host of scurrilous activity, but insists he was set up by arch enemies to take the fall for a carload of meth. He is angling for a new attorney and looking to beat the rap for a crime that could land him behind bars for up to 30 years. Berkeley County investigators and the regions top prosecutor wont discuss his claims, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on a pending case. He currently has no lawyer, and some of the people he cited as references didnt return calls from The Post and Courier. An ex-flame described him as a relatively good guy in need of a reality check. The road ahead looks bleak for him if the evidence holds up in court. But DuBois prefers to envision a future in which he redeems himself and returns to his former Gotham glory handing out toys to children, driving his rig in charity events and trying to help others get off drugs, he said. To mark his fresh start, he plans to legally change his name to Batman. On a recent morning, DuBois shimmied out of his jailhouse shirt to display a pair of bat wings inked across the span of his husky, pale chest. He held up a heavily tattooed hand to display a weathered Batman ring, His voice trembled and tears seeped over the heart tattoo etched on his left cheek. Above his other eye, the word "Loyalty" was inked in cursive. I lost my car, my wife, my house, my kids everything, he said, fixing a reporter with a penetrating stare. But Batman hes coming back. And hes coming back stronger. Im dying to do it. 'I was a hero' DuBois was working as a shipyard crane operator in 2001 when he converted a 1978 Mercury Cougar four-door into a version of the Dark Knight's famous ride. He wanted to impress his son, Cleve III, who was 9 at the time and nuts about Batman. The black car had fiberboard wings, a jet intake front-end, a propane flame thrower in the rear and red bats on the door. It drew immediate attention prowling the streets around Charleston with a costumed DuBois behind the wheel. DuBois soon opened a custom auto body shop in Goose Creek. He built a collection of Batmobiles and a Batcycle fashioned from a 1991 Kawasaki. Kids flocked to his ride and police invited him to charity events. I grew up without a father, and the way kids would look at me with the car and the outfit I was a hero, he said. And it was good to be a hero. In 2004, DuBois even displayed a bit of crime-fighting prowess when he helped North Charleston police track down the mastermind behind the disappearance of a muscle car used in the 1970s film Smokey and the Bandit. DuBois, who had initially been fingered in the caper, directed detectives to a former partner who reportedly had the coveted Trans Am. He then maneuvered his Batcycle in front of the suspect's truck, cutting off the man's escape until officers arrived, police said. DuBois said things took a turn for the worse around 2014 as drugs, gangs and other ills began to permeate and derail his life. After a night of hard partying near Spartanburg in July 2017, he was accused of attacking his 8-month-pregnant girlfriend and violently threatening her with a boxcutter and a pellet gun, according to a police report. Convicted of domestic violence, he was sentenced to two years probation, State Law Enforcement Division records show. DuBois was still under supervision when Berkeley County sheriff's deputies pulled him over in May 2019 in Summerville. They found nearly 4 pounds of meth stashed under the hood of his car, according to an arrest affidavit. DuBois admits that he abused meth and said he knew there were drugs in his car that night. He said he was trying to help the son of an old friend unload a small quantity of meth, believing the mans life was in jeopardy over a debt to a drug cartel. But DuBois contends he was set up by a confidential informant who planted a massive quantity of meth in the car without his knowledge and then alerted police. Neither the sheriffs office nor 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson would address his claims, citing the pending court case. Radical road trip DuBois said he tried to track down the informant when he was released from jail on bail about 10 months later, but that didnt go well. The drug suppliers thought he was coming after them and sent someone over to his house to beat him with a crowbar. He nearly lost an ear, he said. A North Charleston police report from July 2020 documented the attack and his injuries but made no mention of a cartel being behind the violence. DuBois said he laid low until October of last year, when he received word that a daughter he shared with his ex-fiancee had COVID-19. He wanted to help but wasnt sure where they were now living. His former flame had fallen in love with his adult son and left town while DuBois was in jail, he said. An electronic monitoring tracker tethered him to the area as a condition of bail. So DuBois cut it off and went looking for his family. He said he had no choice but to steal a car to accomplish his mission. He traveled through nine states in six days, purloining another car along the way to complete one leg of the trip, he said. His ex-fiancee said DuBois never found them and they preferred it that way. Bridget DuBois said no one in her family had contracted COVID-19. He was looking for them because he was angry she had taken up with his son, whom she has since married and had a child with, she said. Either way, things came to a head when police in Radford, Va., towed and impounded one of DuBois' borrowed vehicles, a red Audi A3. DuBois said he channeled his inner Batman, scaled the impound lot fence and stole the car back from police. He blasted through the gate, busting it wide open as he skidded onto the road in the luxury compact. DuBois outran the law for a spell, but officers nabbed him when he ditched the car and tried to run off, a police report stated. He pleaded guilty to several charges there in late-June, paving his return to Berkeley County to stand trial in the meth case, court records show. Bridget DuBois said she hopes her former love will get the help he needs to beat the charge, grow up and become a good citizen. Though the man she calls "Batt" treated her poorly during their relationship, he has redeeming qualities when hes not stoked on drugs and abusive, she said. When Batt is away from everyone, not using drugs and in a stable home, he is so smart and kind-hearted, such a family man, she said. With his thinning hair, his face tattoos and his graying goatee in a pair of knotted twists, DuBois doesnt look much like Bruce Wayne, let alone the Dark Knight. Like many a middle-aged man, hed probably have a hard time even squeezing into a Batman suit these days. But DuBois insists a hero's heart still beats within him, if he can only get one more chance at redemption. "I miss it, and I want it back," he said. "I want to be Batman again. I want to be on the good side of the law again. There is little question that climate change is real and it is now. The only real question is what we are going to do about it. Ample lists of specific potential solutions have already been compiled by competent environmental experts. Of all these solutions, however, there is one fundamental reality which undergirds them all: Something has to change. If were going to get serious about climate change, then there can be no more business as usual. Instead, we are going to have to rethink the lifestyles to which we have become accustomed. Examples include the size and type of houses we live in, the size and type of cars we drive, the way we work and the choice of foods we eat. Such changes do not necessarily translate into a loss of quality of life. They do, however, translate to a change in the way we live our lives. If we are serious, then we will have to ask ourselves one fundamental question: How much are we willing to adjust our accustomed lifestyle to spare our children and grandchildren the likelihood of inheriting an overheated, broken planet? As parents and grandparents, and no less as citizens of planet Earth, let us hope that we are willing to ask ourselves that question, and even more importantly, to thoughtfully confront the answer. DAVE BROWN Creek Landing Street Charleston Airports news good The recent article about the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island is welcome news. Plans for reestablishing the north-south runway are exciting. It confirms the viability of the airport and the prosperity that will follow the development of this jewel. If the announced plans allow for some changes, more people will support the improvements. Originally, the north-south runway was closed and converted to a taxiway because three runways were too expensive to maintain. Three runways also multiply the potential for flight path conflicts of arriving and departing aircraft. If runway 4/22, which is the small runway beside the Stono River, was eventually removed, the airport would remain a two-runway system. The southern boundary of the reestablished north-south runway could be moved north 1,000 feet. These two actions would allow space for a road to the center of the airport and the land bordering the marsh and river. The land at the center of the airport could be developed. The beautiful and historic waterfront is worthy of a park. The elevated land close to the open water is perfect for a boat landing. It would take coordination with Charleston County Aviation Authority members, Charleston County Park and Recreation commissioners, municipal officials and engineers. Can we explore the opportunities? DAVID PURCELL Casa Bianca Drive Charleston Respect teachers Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! My roommate at Clemson is now a 27-year veteran elementary school teacher in Dahlonega, Georgia. She has always been a committed teacher, even once inviting a 7-year-old boy to live with her family when his family was going through a difficult time. She puts so much thought into the school experience. She once recounted a particular incident with something so innocuous as handing out birthday cupcakes in the classroom and using it as an opportunity for learning. I admire her dedication to students and her stamina over all these many years. A few years ago, she had breast cancer. She remains on medication and undergoes treatments for the disease. Her school was not enforcing mask wearing during COVID-19 last year. She got a note from her doctor saying that her medical condition required the protection of masking around her. Thankfully, the school honored the doctors instruction. I think about the teachers and staff in Lowcountry schools and how many of them may be in my friends situation. Will they be protected? Will we honor their years of service with the simple act of wearing a mask? Do we respect our teachers? Do we respect our teachers? JAYROE WURST Myrick Road Mount Pleasant Passing memories The Aging for Amateurs column in Mondays Post and Courier, What to do with Grandmas China, was perfect timing for us. Our attorney advised us to add a handwritten list to our wills indicating who we wanted to inherit our possessions. We spent three emotional days accomplishing this. I admit, I have numerous curio cabinets filled with collectibles that have meaning only for me. As we asked our children what they would like to have, we realized they did not want our stuff. They have their own stuff. I believe it will eventually change back to children wanting to cherish their parents and grandparents memories and being thrilled to be given these things. Possessions I have from my Nana are so important to me. I also advised my husband that from now on, we will be using our china every night for dinner. He even agreed to hand-wash the dishes every evening. CAROL RYAN Oyster Bay Drive Summerville As visitors from Taiwan and South Korea trickle in, a few businesses in the tourism sector have reopened, while some remain hesitant to open their doors. "It's tough, but we're looking at over 2,000 visitors by the third week of August," said Guam Visitors Bureau President and CEO Carl Gutierrez. Gutierrez and other tourism officials are urging businesses in the tourism sector to reopen. Gian Maldo, a manager at Tagada Guam, an amusement park in Tumon that used to be teeming with tourists, said, "We are encountering some of the tourists from Korea and Taiwan, but not much, maybe one or two, or five a night. We are still slow, up and down, compared to pre-pandemic numbers." The park can operate at full capacity, and Tagada Guam continues to practice pandemic protocols by checking temperatures and requiring face masks while in the park. The park features such amusement rides as bumper cars and the Tagada Disco, an attraction that spins riders around like a top, at various angles. Businesses such as Axe Murderer Tours have a little more diversity in their clientele, servicing military and local customers along with a segment of tourists. "Prior to the pandemic, we were quite fortunate to have about 25% of our business comprised of tourists," said Megan Scheibe, one of the owners of the company. "We had a location at the Sheraton devoted entirely to tourists. Of course, now there are no tourists, but we did receive quite a few customers with the British carrier. "But now, we have to practice a comprehensive list of protocols due to our business, which sometimes involve the sharing of equipment," Sheibe said. Axe Murderer Tours provides scuba training and tours, and sales and service of scuba equipment. According to Post files, during a recent board meeting at the Guam Visitors Bureau, information was released that Japan Airlines and other carriers were suspending flights from Japan to Guam until the end of September. However, Philippine Airlines will resume regular flights, with Korean Air to begin flights twice a week from Korea. Budget carriers T'way Air and Jin Air will provide service once a week from Korea, and Eva Air will be flying a schedule of charter flights from Taipei throughout August. Now comes word that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. The Taliban might have awaited the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 to take the capital city and make the humiliation of the United States even deeper. Maybe they have something special saved for that day. Even so, as of this morning, the humiliation appears to be complete and total. I yield the floor to News Items proprietor John Ellis in his post Bidens folly. Only a few days ago the American intelligence community reportedly advised Biden that there would be a 90-day window before the catastrophe materialized. Not too intelligent, and not quite a decent interval, to borrow the concept that has been applied to our withdrawal from Vietnam, but good enough for Joe Biden. The Free Beacon cruelly quotes Biden anticipating the future course of events in Afghanistan only last month. What a disgrace. Quotable quote (Biden last month): The likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely [sic]. The Afghan government and leadership has [sic] to come together. They clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place theres not a conclusion that, in fact, they cannot defeat the Taliban. Worried by the imminent food crisis predicted by agriculture experts, some stakeholders from the North-central have urged the federal government to start importing food to avert the catastrophe. Already, as a result of the current scarcity and high prices of foodstuff in the country, some of the stakeholders in the zone are taking measures to avert the crisis. A survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed such measures to include the provision of farm inputs such as fertilizers and seeds, as well as implements to farmers to enable them to grow more food crops. They said that these steps would go a long way in boosting the supply chain and subsequently beat down prices of foodstuff in the market. The Plateau State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hosea Finangwai, said the government had put adequate measures in place to avert the food crisis in the state. Mr Finangwai said that the state had devoted significant attention to expanding the horizon of farmers and providing them with farm inputs, seedlings, agro-chemicals and markets for their produce. He said that in providing fertiliser to farmers, the Bokkos fertilizer blending plant in the state had been revived and was providing the commodity to farmers. Mr Finangwai said the state government had also been consistently subsidising seedlings and other farm inputs to farmers to encourage them to boost their production. The commissioner said that the state was given the mandate to produce 30,000 metric tonnes of grains and it was able to do so because of the various enabling platforms provided. We produce to meet the demands; the Central Bank is there giving soft loans, while microfinance banks, corporate organisations are all helping, where necessary to enable farmers to produce. We have about 450 registered cooperatives aimed at encouraging farmers to come together to learn good agricultural practices. So, many farmers have accessed these loans on various platforms, Mr Finangwai said. He said the government had also recruited 400 extension workers and deployed them to the 17 local government areas of the state. Mr Finangwai said that the state was declared as a wheat and barley centre of excellence after research by the Lake Chad Research Institute showed that 18 varieties of wheat could be cultivated in the state, and farmers had been trained on that. Rotkang Gukas, chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Plateau chapter, on his part, urged the federal government to urgently address the current security challenges in the country to enable farmers to work on their lands without fear of being attacked by criminals. Mr Gukas said this would help in boosting food production and averting the imminent food crises. In Benue, Francis Yongo, State Chairman, Confederated Forum of Rice Farmers, says members of the union were leaving no stone unturned in order to increase food production, particularly rice. Mr Yongo said that most of them had started harvesting their crops which were huge. With the efforts put in by farmers in the state, I am pretty sure that we will not experience acute food shortage, he assured. Emmanuel Ade, an agriculture expert in the state, advised both government and rich individuals to buy and store foodstuff, now that farmers had started harvesting their crops. ADVERTISEMENT If this is done, it will go a long way in tackling wastages, which is usually experienced during harvest. During harvest, the tendency to waste the yields is always there because they usually have enough and the excess will not be properly preserved for the future. But, if government or rich individuals buy and preserve the excesses, the challenge of post-harvest losses will be nipped in the bud and food crisis will be prevented, Ade said. In Lafia, Nasarawa State, Mr David Omadachi, Manager of Lafia Silos Complex, disclosed that the facility had over 16,000 metric tonnes of different varieties of grains prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Omadachi added that over six metric tonnes of the grains were released to the federal government during the period, for distribution to Nigerians as palliatives. He said the gesture was aimed at cushioning the effects of the pandemic on the people. We do not distribute the foodstuff to Nigerians directly, we usually give them to the National Emergency Management Agency for onward distribution on the directive of the Federal Government, Omadachi said. He added that the capacity of the Federal Government-owned Lafia silos was 25,000 metric tonnes, while the management started stocking the facility since 2019 with millet, Sobo, maize and garri. Ofomata Ikechukwu, coordinator of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, told NAN that the Lafia Silos was fully operational. Mr Ikechukwu said grains of different varieties were stored in the silos in case of any eventuality. On the distribution of farm inputs to farmers, the coordinator said farmers were given adequate inputs to ensure bumper harvest and guarantee food security in the country. Mr Ikechukwu said farmers were given soft agricultural loans and inputs such as seedlings, fertilizer and ruminants. He said the Federal Government was working hard in ensuring that more farmers, especially those in rural communities, benefitted from the governments intervention. On his part, Samuel Meshi, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in the state, blamed the regular increase in prices of foodstuff in the country on insecurity. Mr Meshi appealed to governments at all levels to expedite efforts to secure lives and properties, especially in rural areas, to enable farmers go to their farms freely without being attacked. He also urged philanthropists to build silos for storing food items, not necessarily to make profit, but to save the country from food crises. Meanwhile, the Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Haliru Jikantoro, has urged governments at all levels to provide women farmers with gender-friendly equipment and inputs. Mr Jikantoro said this would increase agricultural production and ensure food security, since greater number of the farmers in the country were women. There is the need for governments at all levels to provide our women farmers with gender friendly equipment and inputs since they are the majority among our farmers, he said. The commissioner also expressed the need to support the rural women farmers because the prices of inputs such as fertilizer had increased, while farm implements such as tractors were imported and out of their reach. The tractors are very costly, even when they get it locally, the cost of hiring one is on the high side, Mr Jikantoro said. He advised the Federal Government to allow free importation of tractors. What the Federal Government need to do in order to avoid food crisis is to allow free importation of agricultural machines to achieve mechanised farming. There is also the need to encourage our local industries to manufacture simple machines such as the power tillers, planters and others, Mr Jikantoro said. He said that the measure would encourage women and the youth to take agriculture as a business, adding that gone are the days when women participated in processing alone. The commissioner said the government needed to tackle bandits who had converted the fertile lands in the forests to their safe haven, thereby preventing farmers from accessing their lands. The bandits attack the farmers, especially the women farmers, which has reduced agricultural production drastically, he said. Mr Jikantoro said that the farmers needed to be sensitised on climate change in order to avoid losses emanating from flooding. The farmers should be sensitised and provided with equipment to read the weather properly, he said. Mr Jikantoro lauded the various Federal Government intervention programmes such as the Anchor Borrowers Programme, FADAMA, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Value Chain Development Programme for cassava and rice, among others. He expressed the need to support the farmers more, so as to enable them sustain their activities. Mr Jikantoro said the Niger government was doing everything possible to support the various agricultural intervention programmes of the Federal Government to succeed in the state. He assured women farmers that the state government would give priority to their demands. We are already discussing with women farmer groups on how to support them. My ministry has provided a temporary office accommodation for them and we have also given them preference in the distribution of inputs for the wet and dry season farming, Mr Jikantoro said. Sulaiman Baffa, a foodstuff dealer in Taraba State. urged the Federal Government to allow the importation of foodstuff so as to avert the looming production deficit in the country. Mr Baffa observed that flooding and other social factors were militating against enough food production, thus creating fear of food shortage in Nigeria. The grains dealer said the importation of foodstuff would boost the supply chain and crash the high prices of food items. Mr Baffa explained that the current demand for foodstuff had overwhelmed production and supply, thus giving rise to the increase in prices of the commodities. He, however, commended the government for its efforts at ensuring food security in the country. Mr Baffa specifically lauded the government for supporting farmers with farm inputs as well as loans to enhance food production. Bitrus Nyagba, Head of Department of Crop Science at Taraba State University, Jalingo, urged the Federal Government to double its efforts at elevating smallholder farmers to mechanised farming system. Mr Nyagba said such a gesture would enhance food production in the country. (NAN) Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns over Nigerias ability to respond to possible cyberthreats, questioning the efficiency of the countrys lead advisory team and the management of its dedicated fund. The Cybercrime Advisory Council, led by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, was set up in 2016 and was tasked with checking rising cybercrimes and formulating the modalities for implementing the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act 2015. While Nigeria is yet to face a significant cyber attack, experts say the country does not need to wait until that happens before it takes action. They argue that with growing incidents of cybercrimes globally, structures put in place to address such threats need to be functional and funds judiciously used. Nigeria lost about N250 billion in 2017 and N288 billion in 2018 to cybercrime, a Proshare report said. A Global Trend Aligning with global trend, Nigeria enacted the Cybercrimes Act in May 2015, its first law to deal with cyber crimes. The law gave strength to a 2011 ECOWAS protocol on fighting cybercrime, and to the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy adopted on February 5 of same year. The legislation empowered the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Attorney General of the Federation to enforce its provisions, and mandated the establishment of a fund for its operations. It also made it mandatory for the government to set up a multi-agency Cybercrime Advisory Council and the National Cyber Security Fund maintained with the CBN and administered by the NSA. The fund is funded by a 0.005 per cent levy on all transactions by GSM service providers, telecommunication companies, internet service providers, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, and the Nigerian stock exchange. On April 19, 2016, the Buhari government set up a 31-member council made up of representatives of various establishments and civil society. With that decision, Nigeria became the fifth African country and the first in West Africa to enact the cybercrime law and set in motion strategies for its implementation. The inaugurated council was tasked with formulating the modalities for implementing the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act 2015. The CBN on July 4, 2018, set up the cyber-security fund after instructing the relevant organisations to set aside required levies from online transactions made by Nigerians. Controversies However, there are concerns over the efficiency of the council and the management of the multibillion naira fund. For instance, while the legislation mandates the council to meet four times a year, PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the council has only met six times since they were constituted in 2016. ADVERTISEMENT The last time the council meeting was on July 20, 2020. By the provisions of the law, the council should have met about 20 times at the time. There are also questions surrounding the lack of transparency in the management of the funds. A member of the council, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the council has not been serving the purpose for which it had been set up. The source said since the council has only been able to meet about six times since it was set up in 2016, its efficiency has been called to question and members are not happy. We should have met at least 20 times if we are to go by the stipulations of the Act but the NSA rarely calls for meetings. His excuse is that he is always busy. But we know that with the emerging cyber threats world over, this is the right time for the council to be fully functional and discharge its roles but this is not so, the source said. The source also said there needs to be more openness in the management of the funds and its disbursement should be for only projects approved by the council and not unilaterally approved by the NSA. The mechanism through which the fund is to be disbursed is not clearly defined in the law and this has made its management at the discretion of the NSA, sources within the council argued. Section 44(5) merely says up to 40 per cent of the fund may be allocated for programmes countering violent extremism. It is not clear if the funds have been deployed in dealing with the violence in the North-east and other parts of the country. Section 43 also says the fund will be applied toward the functions of the Council as well as establishing an enabling environment and formulating general policy, which includes awarding research and graduate training grants in the cybersecurity field. One source said members were stunned recently when, after months of inactivity amid the COVID crisis, the NSA launched a National Cyber-security Policy and Strategy document which had minimal input from the council members. The source said the NSA also early this year, perhaps in reaction to the unease among members of the council over his handling of its activities, replaced some members. The source, who was particularly concerned about the lack of transparency in the management of the fund, said there is no accountability as per the resources that should have been utilised to meet specific timelines and projects specified in the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy adopted in 2015. For now, the NSA runs a one-man show in which council members are now mere onlookers, the source said. The main reason why these members were selected from various establishments was to help the NSA implement the strategy as clearly spelt out in the act and the relevant projects to help Nigeria address cyberthreats and related crimes. But now, the council is dormant and has failed to serve the purpose for which it was set up. We dont meet regularly to agree on anything. Efforts to get a reaction from the NSA on the report were not successful as his known phone line was switched off despite several attempts to connect. Two officials in the Office of the NSA initially agreed to speak on the matter on the condition of anonymity, but later failed to send a response days after an email was sent to them as requested. A subsequent reminder sent to one of the officers asked to give an official response was not responded to. Also, the director, Corporate Communications of the CBN, Osita Nwanisobi, did not respond to enquiries from PREMIUM TIMES on the status of the fund, days after he also asked that the questions are sent to him via his phone. Separately, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that banks and related financial outfits have been remitting fees from customers online transactions into the fund, as directed by the law. A member of the council who represents the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola, told PREMIUM TIMES the council convenes whenever pertinent issues that the NSA needs assessing are brought to its (his) attention. The most recent one to my knowledge was the updating of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy that was concluded efficiently and on time and approved by Mr President Buhari GCFR earlier this year, he said. He said the policy and strategy document released is relevant and all the focus should be on implementation and execution of the numerous recommendations already laid out. This is still work in progress and engagements with critical stakeholders will begin in earnest. He added that all cyber threats are actively being monitored by all stakeholders in a collaborative manner. Cyberspace is vast and the most critical stakeholders are you and I. There is a need to raise public awareness programmes across all communities and of course, distil digital literacy to encourage safe internet usage. Set up for failure? Mr Teniolas optimism is not shared by some industry experts who want Nigerians to take more than a cursory interest in the nations preparedness for cyber threats and how the funds are being managed. The Executive Director of the Centre for Cyberspace Studies, Nasarawa State University, Uche Mbanaso, said Nigeria is ill-prepared to handle cyber-threats, arguing that the NSA-led council is not enough. The fund is a good initiative. This is what almost every other country does to be able to appropriately fund such a complex security terrain in cyberspace, he told PREMIUM TIMES. However, the cybersecurity sector in Nigeria has really suffered a lot of setbacks simply because there is really no agency mapped out to take the responsibility of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is very vast and complex. In many instances, it is not something you can subsume under ONSA (Office of the NSA) because ONSA, for instance, doesnt have its own staff. It takes staff from security and intelligence agencies. You cannot enhance cybersecurity by ad-hoc staff. You need a consistent and sustainable workforce that can champion cybersecurity, he notes. He also said policing the cyberspace is not as easy as policing the physical space. Before someone gets into our physical space in Nigeria, he (or she) must obtain a visa. Someone coming into your cyberspace does not need a visa. Someone coming into Nigeria also has to pass through immigration. Not so for cyberspace. These are some of the factors that make policing cyberspace a very complex and sophisticated venture. He said Nigeria is not yet serious about securing its cyberspace. UK has nothing less than six agencies that work on cybersecurity. There are different aspects of cybersecurity. Look at our critical infrastructure, for instance, it is very huge. Many countries have agencies just for the protection of critical infrastructure. They also have agencies that are dedicated to responding to threats. They have agencies that deal with research and development. The scholar, who said it was time for the nation to take practical steps to secure its cyber assets, then took a swipe at the council. Who are those in the advisory council? How many experts are in that council? People cannot give what they dont have. The council is made up of mostly civil servants. Most of them dont have anything to offer as per knowledge in cybersecurity. This is an area that needs expertise. In years to come, our military may be procuring cyberweapons with millions of U.S. dollars and even exporting it from Nigeria will be a tug of war. Cyberweapon is more lethal than a nuclear weapon. Why not start now by creating centres of excellence? We dont want to invest. Ayoola Falola, a cybersecurity expert based in Abuja said the NSA-led team appears set up for failure. Just like many other advisory councils set-up in Nigeria the law mandates ministries and MDAs to donate members. There is no care if such government establishments have the right staffing and framework to support such membership, he said. Cybersecurity is a fast-paced industry; but based on the membership representation from government agencies, the council doesnt seem to have enough theoretical and technical knowledge to support the mandate they are given. To help make the council effective, I recommend they elect permanent members (based strictly on merit) and invest in a programme that would keep the council busy and engage the stakeholders to ensure that the goals of the act are established and fulfilled. He also called for more transparency in the management of the cybersecurity funds and called for more companies to be made to contribute to it. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Imo State, Nigerias South-east, said two of their officers were killed during an attack on a police facility in the state on Friday. The police spokesperson in the state, Mike Abattam, in a statement on Saturday, said the attack occurred at the Izombe Police Division at about 2:45 a.m. Mr Abattam, a chief superintendent of police, described the attackers as bandits. He said the police successfully repelled the attack and prevented the attackers from gaining access into the police facility. Three of the attackers were killed and rifles one pump action gun with two rounds of live cartridges and one locally made double barrel pistol with two expended cartridges recovered from them, according to the statement. Some of the attackers fled with gunshot wounds, the statement added. Unfortunately, the command lost two of its gallant officers in the attack. Our tactical teams were presently in pursuit of the bandits and combing the bush for the arrest of the fleeing bandits and possible recovery of their arms. The command is using this medium to call on the good people of Imo, especially the Izombe community, to assist the police with credible information that will lead to the arrest of the fleeing bandits, the police spokesperson said. Mr Abattam advised residents to report to the nearest police station, any person seen with bullet wounds. He also advised hospitals to report any person who comes to them for treatment of bullet wounds. Fridays incident indicates that the deadly attacks on security agencies in the South-east region may be far from over. (NAN). Nigeria on Saturday recorded eight additional fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic with 665 fresh cases reported across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This is contained in an update shared on the Facebook page of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Saturday night. The data indicates that Nigerias total infection from the pandemic currently stands at 181,962 while the fatality toll increased to 2,219 from 2,211 reported a day earlier. According to the disease centre, a total of 12,917 Nigerians are currently down with the disease nationwide. While a good number of them are being managed at various designated healthcare facilities, a huge number are receiving home care. The development has further put pressure on the already overstretched health facilities in the country, especially as the industrial action by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) enters its 14th day on Sunday. Specifics The update by the NCDC indicated that more than half of the new cases reported on Saturday in Nigeria were recorded in Lagos State. With 369 cases out of the 665 infections, Lagos State has remained Nigerias coronavirus pandemic epicentre. Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, for the first time in many months, ranked second on the log with 68 new cases reported on Saturday while Oyo State accounted for 63 with Kwara and Rivers State reporting 28 and 26 cases respectively. Edo and Delta states also reported 21 and seven new Infections respectively while Ekiti State registered 15 and its nearby Ondo State reported 13. The FCT and Ogun State recorded three infections each while Gombe reported one. Nigeria has tested over 2.5 million samples from its roughly 200 million people. Meanwhile, the NCDC said about 166,826 of the over 181,000 total infections in Nigeria have recovered after treatment. Vaccination Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has said the second phase of its vaccination campaign will kick off on Monday. A terse statement issued by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, noted that it would be flagged off at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, by 9:30 a.m. The statement , which was signed by the spokesman for Mr Mustaphas office, Willie Bassey, enjoined accredited journalists and other participants to observe protocols against the pandemic, particularly the use of facemasks. Nigeria had earlier scheduled the flag-off for August 10 before it was postponed to August 16. A statement credited to the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, had cited the need to conclude the assessment of the Moderna vaccines, donated by the U.S. government, by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The statement had read in part; The start date for the vaccination has been postponed to next week Monday. This is to enable NAFDAC to finish its assessment and preparatory processes. ADVERTISEMENT But while the assessment of the more than 4 million Moderna vaccines were being conducted, the country received additional 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccines from the African Union (AU). The Plateau State Government has imposed a curfew on Bassa, Jos North and Jos South local government areas, following Saturdays attack on commuters in Jos North Local Government Area, where 23 persons were reportedly killed and 23 injured. At least 20 people suspected to have been involved in the attack have, so far, been arrested, an official said. The federal government and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, have also condemned the attack and called for the perpetrators to be punished. PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday reported the police confirming that 22 people were killed and 14 injured during the attack on travellers in Gada-biyu, in the northern part of Plateau State. Governor Simon Lalong in a statement by his spokesperson, Makut Macham, on Sunday said the curfew started on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. I have directed the imposition of curfew on Jos North, Bassa and Jos South Local Government Areas, commencing 6pm to 6am,from today, 14th August 2021. The curfew shall remain in place, subject to further review by the State Security Council, he said. The governor warned against violation of the order, saying security personnel would take all measures to maintain law and order in the affected areas. He said the state government would continue to monitor the situation and take further action if necessary, to ensure the safety of lives and property. Mr Lalong also called for calm and appealed to residents to avoid any action or utterances that would further inflame the situation, saying security agencies are conducting investigations on the attack. So far, 20 suspects have been arrested and the security agencies are conducting investigations to get to the bottom of the matter, he assured. He sympathised with the families of those who lost their loved ones, and those injured as a result of the unfortunate incident . Presidency condemns attacks The presidency, through a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday, condemned the attack. According to him, such attacks on innocent citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions. It is widely known that Plateau State has been one of the states affected by herder-farmer clashes, which have, in a significant way, been curtailed following the intense peace-building efforts of the administration of Governor Simon Lalong. However, to be clear, this is not an agriculturalist-on-pastoralist confrontation but rather a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing. With the evident preparedness of their attackers, it is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers not an opportunist ambush. These kinds of attacks on our countrys citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions of our nation. The Presidency stands steadfast with both Christians and Muslims at this time in condemnation of this latest attack and expects and insists that justice is swiftly but fairly delivered to the perpetrators. ADVERTISEMENT The statement also quoted President Buhari as saying: Make no mistake about it: in line with my commitment to protect all Nigerians, I have ordered our security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of this gruesome massacre of innocent travellers and bring them to justice. The president commended the efforts by the governors of Plateau, Bauchi, and Ondo, the Sultan of Sokoto Saad Abubakar III, Dahiru Bauchi and Christian and Muslim leaders to calm the situation. The presidency offered condolences to the families of the victims. Mr Shehu said the federal government would continue to liaise closely with the local authorities including the policeand governmental agencies as the facts of the sad incident continue to unfold. In his reaction, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi expressed his sympathy with the families of the victims of the attack. Mr Bello expressed his disgust over the incident, giving his condolences to the government and people of Plateau State in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed. Mr Bello, who is also the Chairman of the Committee on Security of the Northern Governors Forum, described the attack as inhuman, barbaric and unwarranted. He said the cause of the attack must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to book. The governor, however, called for calm among the people of Plateau, urging them to refrain from revenge. He assured that the government was on top of the situation, admonishing that Nigerians should live in peace with one another, irrespective of their religious beliefs and ethnic differences. The statement explained that the victims were travelling from Bauchi State to Ondo State when the gunmen descended on them, killing many and injuring others. Mr Bello also expressed his sympathy to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the government and people of Ondo State over the incident. (NAN) A notorious bandit in Zamfara State, Halilu Kachalla, is helping the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Nasiru Magarya, in the negotiation for the release of his father kidnapped 11 days ago. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the elder Mr Magarya was kidnapped alongside his wife and five others in Magarya village on August 4. The other kidnapped victims include the speakers step mother, two uncles and three other relatives during the attack. Ransom negotiation A top aide of the speaker, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with journalists on the development, said the bandits reached out for ransom a day after the abductions. According to the source, a former commissioner, who is also from Zurmi local government, has been leading the negotiation with the bandits. He said other government officials and friends of the speaker are also involved. It was a deliberate plan to extort money from the speaker, said the source, who said he has been involved in the negotiation from the beginning. Though they didnt speak with the speaker directly, they started the negotiation by asking for N500 million. But we dont have such amount, so our people continued discussing with them (the bandits). According to the source, people from the speakers camp had been begging the bandits to reduce the ransom which he said they initially did to N200 million. But we still told them the money is too much. They kept saying we should bring the money because they dont like harming older people. Asked if the state government was involved in the discussion, the source said he had no knowledge of that. But he added that some top aides of the governor were discussing with the people from the speakers camp to ensure safe return of the abductees. Another source, who is the speakers business associate in Katsina State, said the ransom was again slashed to N100 million after a series of negotiations. They (bandits) told us that since it was not only one group that undertook the operation, they needed much money to settle everyone. They are now asking for N100 million from us but it is still too much. Asked if they know how many groups were involved, he said the speakers people in Zurmi Local Government Area said there are more than six groups. He added that the bandits are now asking for N5 million for each of the groups involved. Kachallas involvement The speakers aide told PREMIUM TIMES that the banditry kingpin, Mr Kachalla, was invited into the negotiation by a local government official in Shinkafi. He said the speakers followers in Zurmi and Shinkafi local government areas had reached out to Mr Kachalla immediately after the abduction. They first suspected Halilu because the abduction took place in his territory. But when he told them he had no hands in the kidnapping, the suspicion turned to Turji who controls Zurmi and some areas in Katsina. He, however, said he was not certain whether Mr Turji was involved in the kidnapping. But he confirmed that Mr Kachalla, who once accepted the governors amnesty, had been reaching out to the kidnappers. He said: So far, Halilu has been playing an active role but some of us from the speakers camp dont like the initiative because it will expose the speaker to many things. The local government official from Shinkafi is playing a role and we appreciate that but we are being careful. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Kachalla holds sway as a leader of bandits in Shinkafi (Zamfara) and Sabon Birni (Sokoto) and other communities in Zurmi where the speakers father was abducted. ADVERTISEMENT At least 21 persons, including 11 disqualified military recruitment applicants, died on Sunday after a bridge collapsed in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State. Residents said the bridge collapsed under a heavy flood. The chairperson, Jigawa Civil Society Forum, Musbahu Basirka, told PREMIUM TIMES that the victims were travelling in a Hummer commuter bus from Kano to Adamawa State when the incident happened. Mr Basirka said the bridge on the Gwaram-Basirka road collapsed and killed the 21 persons, including a teenage girl ,but one of the recruits survived with a leg fracture. PREMIUM TIMES had reported on August 6 how the Jigawa State Government announced a diversion of traffic from the highway linking the state and Kano with North-east Nigeria over concerns over the state of another major bridge following heavy downpours. The state government had urged commuters to use alternative routes to allow work on the bridge. However, the bridge marked for the work was not the one affected in the Sunday collapse. The police spokesperson in Jigawa, Lawan Adam, said the police responded to a distress call following the incident. It involved One Hummer bus with reg no. FYK 406 ZA Gombe State conveying 18 passengers from Kano State to Adamawa State and a Canter lorry reg no. not found, conveying 3 passengers destination not known yet, fell into broken culvert full of water. Victims were evacuated to Basirka Hospital. 21 passengers have been confirmed dead by medical doctor while one Simon Chinapi Maged 26 yrs of Mubi Adamawa State survived the accident. Commissioner of Police Jigawa State Police Command, CP Aliyu S Tafida, psc in accompanied of AC_Ops, DPO, Gwaram and other officers have visited the scene and directed prompt and discrete investigation into the incident, the police spokesperson said. ADVERTISEMENT The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) under The Everlasting Arm Parish has empowered its teenagers through trainings on career advancement. The 2021 teens conference themed A brave new world: who dares, wins held in the Abuja Parish on Saturday. The career event was organised to teach teenagers the need to take responsibility for their future. Speaking at the event, one of the panelists, Omowale David Ashiru, group managing director, (Nigeria), New Globe Education, noted that the conference was organised to answer teenagers questions on their career journey and as it related to current reality. Theres a lot of pressure and when teenagers gather they ask questions on what they want to be. I want to let them know where they should feel pressured and where they shouldnt, when to think about the future and the way the world is changing, she said. Another panelist,Chairman, Talent City, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji advised young persons to shun get- rich-quick syndrome because the benefits are temporal. What I keep telling young people is that the easy way is not that easy and the reality is that you really have to have a mindset of what you can do for the world rather than what the world can do for you, Mr Aboyeji said. That completely changes the approach of a number of these situations because it is not about being rich but about making a difference and in the process of offering value you might have an opportunity at wealth. Mr Aboyeji also admonished parents to allow their children work on their purpose as God has defined for them. Also speaking at the event, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Max.ng, Chinedu Azodoh taught the teenagers to leverage fear for success through research, preparations and execution. A participant, Adia Ekpeyong, said she learnt the importance for teenagers to work hard to achieve their career goals. If you work hard to achieve your dream, you will become a leader and be successful. I want other children to learn how to be a success and be first in everything they do, Mr Ekpeyong said. Gospel John, another participant, said the conference will impact his future career as an architect. We learnt that if there is light, we can be brave enough to achieve anything. Also things that seem impossible, are possible if we can achieve it, he said. ADVERTISEMENT At least three children were killed and two injured as a bomb suspected to have been planted by insurgents a long time ago exploded at Ngala village of Borno State on Saturday, officials have said. The bomb was planted under a bridge in the border community probably to bring it down, but it failed to go off. On Saturday, children playing under the Mblu Bridge unintentionally detonated the lethal weapon. The incident raised concerns about the safety of children in the so-called liberated communities especially now that the state government is returning thousands of internally displaced persons to their communities. The United Nations expressed worries about a future where childrens safety may not be guaranteed due to the abandoned explosives in Borno. The avoidable deaths of the children as young as 12 years who were playing on Mblu Bridge in Ngala, is yet another sad reminder that children remain direct and indirect targets of the protracted conflict wracking north-east Nigeria, the Nigerian head of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Peter Hawkins, said. While three children have sadly lost their lives, three others are in critical conditions while two other children sustained mild injuries, the top humanitarian worker said. UNICEF worries that in 12 years of protracted conflict in the north-east, thousands of children have been killed, maimed, abducted, displaced, and experienced multiple violations of their human rights. UNICEF is deeply worried that conflict-affected children continue to be casualties of war. First of all, we extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the children killed. No family should have to go through this and no child should fall victim to unexploded remnants of war while playing, said Mr Hawkins. He said children are at particular risk from unexploded ordnance, which are small enough to pick up or kick around, and which children can mistake for toys or objects of value. Such weapons account for over half of those killed or injured by landmines and other explosive remnants of war globally. READ ALSO: Landmine kills seven hunters chasing Boko Haram terrorists in Borno These deaths are unacceptable. All sides to the ongoing conflict must protect children and prioritise their wellbeing at all times. Playing fields, schoolyards and communities must be safe and habitable for children, said Peter Hawkins. Childrens lives should not be at stake in a conflict they didnt start. We must address the shrinking safe spaces for children and ensure that children especially those already affected by conflict are protected and have a chance to survive and fulfil their potential. In the last 12 years of the Boko Haram insurgency, the insurgents often build a fortress of explosives around their seized territory to ward off attacks from government forces. Security operatives hunting the insurgents have lost soldiers who ran into landmines planted by the insurgents. ADVERTISEMENT Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Jos North Local Government Area, following Saturdays attack on commuters in the area. A total of 23 persons were reportedly killed and 23 injured. Mr Lalong in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Macham, on Sunday in Jos, said the action was to forestall further security threat in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that that the governor had on Saturday announced that Jos North, Jos South and Bassa Local Government areas shall observe a curfew from 6p.m to 6a.m. From 2 p.m. of today, Sunday 15th August 2021, a 24-hour curfew will come into effect in Jos North Local Government Area. This is necessitated by security reports, which indicate rising threats to the safety of lives and properties within the Local Government, he said . He urged Plateau residents to comply with the directive, to allow security agencies maintain law and order and deal with those bent on causing chaos. Mr Lalong stressed that the 24-hour curfew in Jos North Local Government Area would be operational until further notice. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned the killing of 23 travellers in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the travellers, mainly Muslims who were returning to Ondo from Bauchi where they attended an Islamic function, were killed by armed persons suspected to be a local militia. The killing has been condemned by most Nigerians including President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau and the Christian Association of Nigeria; all of whom have called for the arrest of the perpetrators. Mr Lalong said on Sunday that 20 suspects had been arrested by security agencies. In a statement on Sunday, the NSCIA, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, warned against reprisals and called for calm. the Council urges the security agencies to fish out all the perpetrators of the dastardly acts and ensure that adequate justice is done, the NSCIAs Director of Administration, Zubairu Usman-Ugwu, said in the statement. Read the full NSCIA statement below. The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alh. Muhammad Saad Abubakar, CFR, mni, unequivocally condemns the massacre of a group of innocent Muslims who were returning from Bauchi to Akure, Ondo State, on Saturday. While affirming the statements of their Excellencies, the Governors of Plateau and Ondo States that it was a case of mistaken identity and not particularly intended for the Muslims, the Council appeals to all Muslims to be calm and nobody should take laws into his or her hands. The Council re-emphasizes that no human life deserves to be wasted on any ground be it religious or ethnic. The Council is monitoring the investigation and would ensure that justice is done. In the spirit of the Islamic injunction, O you who have believed! If some transgressors bring you news (that requires taking action), verify it carefully (before you believe and act upon it), lest you harm a people in ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done (Quran 49:6), we re-assure all peace-loving individuals and groups that appropriate actions would be taken subsequent to a thorough investigation. In the meantime, while efforts are on to locate the eight missing Muslims, the Council urges the security agencies to fish out all the perpetrators of the dastardly acts and ensure that adequate justice is done. The Council commiserates with all Muslims, particularly Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the host of the religious event from which the victims were returning. The Council prays that Almighty Allah heal the wounded and grant Al-jannah to the departed martyrs. Amin. Signed Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu Director of Administration ADVERTISEMENT A case of the Ebola virus has been detected in Abidjan, in an 18-year-old woman of Guinean nationality, Cote dIvoires Health Ministry has announced. The Pasteur Institute of Cote dIvoire examined the womans blood sample taken on Friday, and informed local health authorities on Saturday of the positive case, Health Minister Pierre Dimba said in a press release. The patient had left the Guinean city of Labe by road, and arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday, Mr Dimba said, adding she was diagnosed and taken care of immediately on Thursday by health services. This is an isolated and imported case, the minister said, adding that the patient is currently in quarantine at the epidemic disease treatment center of the University Hospital Center of Treichville in Abidjan. The government assured its citizens that all measures that have been successfully tested in the past are (being) taken for the control of the disease, Mr Dimba said. The government will promote the vaccination of front-line health workers, immediate contacts of the patient, and security forces at points of entry, he added. READ ALSO: During an emergency interministerial meeting held Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Patrick Achi, the participants decided to reactivate community event-based surveillance for Ebola, and strengthen cross-border collaboration with Guinea. On February, 14, Guinea declared a new outbreak of Ebola in Gouecke, a sub-prefecture in its Nzerekore Prefecture. There have also been fresh cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in its North Kivu province. The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak, which mainly hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, claimed over 11,300 lives, with more than 28,600 cases recorded. (Xinhua/NAN) There has been considerable progress and achievements made in the implementation of the cybersecurity roadmap in Nigeria, since the inauguration of the Cybercrimes Advisory Council: The Office of the National Security Adviser was reacting to a PREMIUM TIMES report, in which experts and some council members had expressed displeasure over the operations of the council and the nations seeming ill preparedness to tackle cyber threats. In the report, cybersecurity experts raised concerns over Nigerias ability to respond to possible cyberthreats, questioning the efficiency of the countrys lead advisory team and the management of its dedicated fund. The Cybercrime Advisory Council, led by Mr Monguno, was set up in 2016 and was tasked with checking rising cybercrimes and formulating the modalities for implementing the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act 2015. While Nigeria is yet to face a significant cyber attack, experts said the country does not need to wait until that happens before it takes action. They argued that with growing incidents of cybercrimes globally, structures put in place to address such threats need to be functional and funds judiciously used. Nigeria lost about N250 billion in 2017 and N288 billion in 2018 to cybercrime, a Proshare report said. The ONSA has coordinating responsibility, various MDAs as well as private organisations have huge responsibilities in the implementation of Nigerias cybersecurity roadmap as highlighted in the NCPS 2021, the aide said in the press release. The NSAs full response is reproduced below: RESPONSE BY THE ONSA ON ITS COORDINATION RESPONSIBILITIES ON CYBERSECURITY IN NIGERIA 1. The progress and achievements made so far since the council was inaugurated especially the recently published national cybersecurity policy\strategy document. There has been considerable progress and achievements made in the implementation of the cybersecurity roadmap in Nigeria, since the inauguration of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council: a. The cybercrimes incidences especially Yahoo Yahoo (advanced fee fraud) have drastically reduced as a result of collaboration amongst various MDAs and the international community. b. The resilience of banking platforms and cyber incidents readiness for the banking sector is part of the Federal Governments efforts on cybersecurity and cybercrimes. c. The Federal Government ensured the implementation of the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration signed in April 2018 by the Nigerian Government. This effort has enhanced cooperation between Nigeria, UK Government and the other Member States. This has also developed the confidence of investors, considering our current efforts in developing a cybersecurity ecosystem. d. The national cybersecurity capacity review was completed by the Federal Government in 2018. The objective was to understand the cybersecurity maturity of Nigeria, identify gaps and facilitate planning as well as coordination. e. The Federal Government has completed the identification, evaluation and classification of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), awaiting presidential assent for designation and gazette. However, there are current efforts to facilitate the development of protection plans and guidelines for CNII. f. Capacity building for law enforcement agencies in cybercrime investigation was conducted in 2018, 2019 and is still an ongoing process, in consonance with the Cybercrimes Act 2015. This has facilitated some arrests and prosecutions of cybercriminals with the most impact from EFCC and DSS. ADVERTISEMENT g. The Review of the NCPS 2014 and development of NCPS 2021. h. Nigeria played an active role and participated in the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security, which commenced in 2019. The task of the Working Group was completed in February 2021 and the Report of the OEWG has been submitted accordingly. Implementation of the report and other similar efforts in the UN would ensure safe use of the internet for prosperity and against criminality. OTHER PROPOSED ACTIVITIES IN 2021 AND ANTICIPATED IMPACT i. There is an ongoing effort by the Federal Government to develop a framework for the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC). The establishment of NCCC would ensure that the coordination of cybersecurity is seamless, with effective monitoring of the impact to achieve the objectives of the national cybersecurity roadmap for Nigeria. j. The Federal Government has commenced the planning and preparation for sector-based sensitisation on the implementation of the NCPS 2021, which will be held between September to November 2021. This has become necessary because MDAs and private sector organisations have responsibilities in the NCPS 2021 as outlined in the implementation action plan. These workshops will create that awareness for them to understand their responsibilities within the strategy, to facilitate its implementation. k. Planning and preparations for the risk assessment of the 13 CNII sectors to facilitate the development of a protection plan for the CNII is currently ongoing. l. Preparations for the development of an information-sharing platform as specified in the NCPS 2021. m. There are ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to develop a 5G risk management framework before the final deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria. As a follow up to the OEWG, the UNGA has approved the establishment of an Open-ended working group on the security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 20212025. The Committees inaugural meeting was in June 2021 and main sessions are due to start in December. The Federal Government is galvanizing efforts of various stakeholders to ensure Nigeria plays an active role in the committee. It is likely the Committee work would facilitate the development of a convention on security on the use of ICT. 2. Gains made by the fund and how it is being used\programmes targeted or being targeted. a. The commercial banks have commenced remittance of the fund but there are still issues of current under-remittance from the banking sector. This is currently been resolved. b. There are challenges with remittance from other businesses as specified in the Cybercrimes Act 2015. However, the Federal Government is working on modalities to develop regulations and guidelines to facilitate the full implementation as well as enforce compliance. Cyber fund will be used for all cybersecurity activities including CNII protection, implementation of the action plan of the NCPS 2021, capacity building of security/law enforcement agencies, development of the CERT ecosystem, cybersecurity awareness, capacity building for both public and private sector, research and development, fund the activities of NCCC as well as facilitation of international cooperation. 3. Reports that the advisory council has not been meeting regularly as stipulated by the cyber act. The General Elections, the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020 and the review of the NCPS in 2020 distorted the regular sittings of the Advisory Council. But things will normalize with the current stability of the COVID 19 pandemic in line with the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act. 4. Is Nigeria prepared in light of current global cyber threats? Yes. This is achievable with the full implementation of the new NCPS 2021 by all stakeholders in synergy with both the public and private sectors in Nigeria as well as cooperation with the international community. Please note that while ONSA has coordinating responsibility, various MDAs, as well as private organizations, have huge responsibilities in the implementation of Nigerias cybersecurity roadmap as highlighted in the NCPS 2021. How can we reconcile a good and righteous God with the terrible acts in the bible? An ambassador is sometimes required to tell lies for his country. But is an ambassador for Christ required to do likewise for the Lord? Certainly not! However, you might be mistaken if you listen to many of the falsehoods propagated in the churches about the gospel of the kingdom of God. Jesus is the Truth. The gospel is the gospel of truth. Nevertheless, many people feel an effective way to promote the gospel is by telling lies. They make promises on Gods behalf that He never made. They say, without Christ there is crisis, implying falsely that the Christian life is crisis-free. They make financial wealth an object of the gospel. They insist God is out to make all Christians billionaires, provided they first give their hard-earned monies as tithes to the churches. But the worst lies of all are those told about God. These lies are told by Christians who reject the knowledge of God and who create God in their image. God says: I have kept quiet while you did these things, so you thought I was just like you. (Psalm 50:21). However, it is important never to forget that: God is not a man. (Numbers 23:19). Deceived psalmist A popular refrain in the churches says: God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. But is this true? Does God Himself claim to be good all the time? Clearly, God is not good in the way that men define goodness. Because we insist foolishly that God is good all the time: We call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free. (Malachi 3:15). The psalmist says: As for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. (Psalm 73:2-5). However, the counsel of God says: I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil. (Zephaniah 1:12). Offensive God In many respects, many of the actions of God in the Old Testament do not conform to human standards of goodness. God Himself warns us, saying: My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9). If God were to be good all the time according to man, the righteous would not die in an accident. Evil men will not prosper. Jesus would not be despised and hated by men. He would not be: a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:14). For example, in the Old Testament, no case was made against incest. The daughters of Lot had sex with their father and had children with him. (Genesis 19:33-36). Their action and pregnancy could only have happened by the determinate counsel of God. Discrimination The law not only discriminated against women, it considered them less valuable than men: When a man consecrates by a vow certain persons to the Lord, according to your valuation, if your valuation is of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. If it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. (Leviticus 27:2-4). The rape of virgins was condoned. Moses directed Israel concerning Moab: Kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. (Numbers 31:17-18). ADVERTISEMENT After decimating Benjamin with an oath not to give their daughters in marriage to them, the men of Israel kidnapped 400 virgins of Jabesh Gilead. (Judges 21:10-12). God also sanctioned discrimination against the handicapped: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron, saying: No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. (Leviticus 21:16-17). Slavery The Law of Moses approves slavery: From the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. (Leviticus 25:44-46). It even approves the selling of children: If a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. (Exodus 21:7). Death penalty God passed a death sentence on most transgressions. The killing of witches was divinely approved: You shall not permit a sorceress to live. (Exodus 22:18). He told the Israelites to stone anyone who worshipped the sun, moon, or host of Heaven. (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). Mass slaughter was sanctioned as punishment for unfaithfulness to God: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. (Exodus 32:27-28). When a man was arrested for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, God told Moses: The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. (Numbers 15:35). God prescribed genocide for those whose land He forcibly gave to the Israelites: Of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them. (Deuteronomy 20:16-17). Children were slaughtered, while livestock were spared. (Deuteronomy 3:6-7). The Bible even details an example of cannibalism: This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; but she has hidden her son. (2 Kings 6:28-29). Reconciliation The question then is this: How can we reconcile a good and righteous God with these terrible acts? Unlike Christian apologists, God does not whitewash them. Instead, He claims full responsibility saying: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7). Amos concurs: If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? (Amos 3:6). But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? (Job 12:7-10). CONTINUED. Faribisala@yahoo.com; www.femiaribisala.com There was this conversation between President Muhammadu Buhari and Al Jazeera television held in Quatar in March, 2016. That interview explains the imperialness, the Kabiyesi-ness in Buhari and his feudal reasoning which often clashes with the constitutional requirements of his office as president of Nigeria. It also rubbishes Nigerians hoopla against the presidents oft recourse to medical exile in the United Kingdom at the drop of a hat. The conversation came at the height of a foreign exchange crisis that the Buhari government sank Nigeria into. Sitting regally like the Emir of Daura on a gold-plated chair, in the front of Martine Dennis, his Al Jazeera interviewer, she had asked him how parents whose wards were schooling abroad would cope with the then scarcity of forex and its huge worth. Boldly, Martine had asked: What about those who are slightly more privileged like yourself Youve got children studying abroad. There are parents in Nigeria with kids in universities and schools abroad, who are now facing the possibility of having to pull their kids out. They can actually no longer afford to pay for school fees? And Buhari replied: If the country cannot afford it, so be it. Fazed by the scant human feeling in the reply and unsatisfied with the curt reply, Martine further pursued, cheekily: But your children will continue their studies, no doubt? Buhari then replied: Those who can afford it can still afford it. But for those who cant, Nigeria cannot afford to allocate foreign exchange for those who decided to train their children outside the country. We cant just afford it. Cheekily again, Martine blurted, So its tough luck? And the Generals last word, indicative of finality on that unconscionable questioning was, Well, thats the true situation we are in. As if Martine was a seer, many Nigerian parents actually withdrew their wards from those foreign schools. Apart from the feudal nature of the Daura where he grew up, Buhari was, for decades, a military man, nurtured on the maxim that might is right. Democracy and constitutionalism were alien constructs in the barracks. The military officer was always right and woe betides any subaltern who queried his judgment. So why these disgruntled noises all over the place? Like Buhari, in The President Is A Sick Man: Buharis Secret Therapy Inside the Oneida (April 4, 2021) I detailed African leaders who have made the west their infirmary. Last week, when that unsettling photograph of Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, issued from their UK convalescent home, majestically colonized the social media space, like ants gradually constructing an anthill, Al Jazeeras Martine Dennis constructed a profiling of Buhari in my mind. In different postures, Buhari and Tinubu, two very consequential Nigerian leaders who, like any other mortal, are rumoured to be battling lifes unkind health cudgel, smiled resplendently in the photograph. This was apparently to cushion whatever pain emanating from whatever ails them. And simultaneously, three persons crept into my subconscious New Yorks departing governor, Andrew Cuomo; Helen Zille and ex-President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. Why would Buhari and Tinubu choose to hibernate in a UK infirmary to look up their health at a time when Nigerias health, literally and figuratively, is gasping for breath? Why flaunt such sickening pictures of them seeking bailout from their own sicknesses, in the face of a sick Nigeria? In its literal representation, Nigerias health sector is manifesting some sickening features. This is a time cholera is ravaging Nigerians, having unofficially killed about 700 people. The Delta variant of dreaded COVID-19 pandemic also seems to be ramping up enough energy to ferry more Nigerians to the morgue. Yet, about 19,000 medical doctors in Africas most populous nation are on strike, the fourth since the outbreak of the pandemic. Ravaged by non-payment of salaries and allowances which in some cases have mounted up to 16 months, anyone with a sick patient at this time will understand the purport of the prayer, may Nigeria never happen to you. Martine Dennis words came ringing in my mind. It is tough luck for Nigerians who died due to the parlous state of Nigerias medicare and tougher luck for those who cannot Andrew like Buhair and Tinubu to treat their ailments abroad. At its metaphoric best, Nigeria is sick at all levels, the most bothersome being the ailment that has afflicted its leadership. Nigerian leaders exhibit acute sickness of mind. Some are so sick that the disease of mind reflects in their acquisitory thirst, while others sickness is manifest in that they are incapable of stemming the drift in Nigeria. Yet, some others is that they cannot replicate in Nigeria the order and finesse they daily see in their junkets abroad. That Buhari, who campaigned to be president on the promise of reforms of the collapse that has ripped through Nigerias public health architecture, was in London to straighten the rough edges of his own health, while Nigerias health sector is going through worse stasis than when he became president, six years ago, is the greatest indicator of a Nigeria that is sick. Nothing could be as sickening as the fact that, though Nigeria is footing the huge foreign exchange bill of his convalescence, Nigerians dont know what ails President Buhari. In a piece penned by Helen Zille, most of these issues were analyzed. Born Otta Helene Maree, Zille is a South African politician who served as Mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009, among other positions. Written immediately South African ex-president, Jacob Zuma, was jailed for fifteen months for contempt by SAs Constitutional Court, a piece which subsequently went viral, using the aid of personal acquaintance and in-depth examination, Zille analyzed how Zuma transitioned from a traditionalist to constitutionalist. As a traditionalist, she said, his province of operation was borderless but in the South African presidency he occupied, Zuma was circumscribed round constitutionalism and alien tenets of democracy, whose his understanding of their concepts was at best meager and theoretical. Zille called the route Zuma had to travel a total misalignment and unfamiliar to him. It was a forensic examination of Zuma. Zille beautifully explains the complexity of the dual circumstances of many African leaders. The piece explains why Buhari talked on top apologies to General Ibrahim Babangida Nigerian parents in 2016 because of the majesty of his privileged position as Kabiyesi of Nigeria; it also explains his and Tinubus junkets to London for medical vacation, as well as Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economys continued presence in office, as against the ease of New York Governor, Andrew Cuomos resignation. This is where the reality of Zilles tragic observation of the enormous complexity existing in the clash between leadership in traditional and modern society comes to the fore. Now, you must have heard the very un-African story of Cuomo. Buffeted on all flanks by charges of serial harassments of women and violation of state laws, last week, Cuomo publicly announced that he would be stepping aside from his exalted position in a fortnight. He had been indicted in a report made by New Yorks Attorney-General, Letitia James. The report detailed how eleven women fell to Cuomos randy inclination. President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as a third of New York state senators, joined the moving trolley of calls for his resignation. And he did. In Africa, kings dont vacate their exalted monarchies as Cuomo did. A couple of months ago, a seismic scandal raged through Nigerias Ministry of Communications. Frightening heaps of debris were heaved out from the odious babanriga of Pantami, who also doubled as a renowned Muslim cleric. You would think al-Qaedas Osama bin Laden or Boko Harams Shekau authored the blood-dripping statements attributed to Pantami. In a speech he delivered in 2006, Cleric Pantami publicly offered condolences to the Islamic world on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaedas Iraq leader. In another audio clip denouncing Nigerian armys relentless war against Boko Haram, tearfully and passionately, Pantami mourned decimated insurgents who he described as our Muslim brothers being killed like pigs. Hot lava volcanic calls for his removal whooshed all over the Nigerian firmament. But not to worry, in Nigeria, chiefs in a monarchy cannot be disgraced out of the palace by common, ordinary citizens. Anyway, not to worry. Presidencys most voluble legman, Garba Shehu, has cleared the airs. President Buhari stands behind Minister Pantami, he said, as The Minister has, rightly, apologized for what he said in the early 2000s. And Pantami lives happily ever thereafter. At the heart of it, writes Zille, this tragedy is rooted in the enormous complexity of our collective decision to impose a modern constitutional democracy on what is largely a traditional, African feudal society. Zille submitted that Zuma, throughout his terms in office, saw corruption as a Western thing. Labeled one of Africas most corrupt leaders, Zuma couldnt connect with why there should be hoopla that he was spending his money as president of South Africa. Doesnt Misuzulu Sinqobile kaZwelithini, King of the Zulu nation, oldest surviving son of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and his Great Wife, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, spend the Zulu nation money the way he wanted? What is this noise from western democratic theory that there should be distinction between private and public purses? As Deputy to Thabo Mbeki from 1999 to 2005, Zuma was dismissed when his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, got enmeshed in soliciting for bribe, racketeering and corruption. He was apparently fingered to have a hand in them. As president, he was accused of funneling state funds into the upgrade of his rural Nkandla homestead and benefited improperly from the expenditure. Zumas presidency was alleged to have inappropriately burrowed into the South African economy to the tune of R1 trillion (approximately US$83 billion). Nepotism, favouritism, cronyism which western democracy and constitutionalism frown at, are the linings that underpin the African feudal society. An ancient Yoruba wise-saying, rather than excoriate judicial favouritism, tepidly justifies it in its saying that if one doesnt have a representative in a decision-making conclave, even if he is right, he would come out wrong beyan o leni nigbimo, bo rojo are, ebi lo ma je. So when Buhari stuffs national appointments to the brim with his Hausa/Fulani people, he is merely behaving true to type of a typical African feudal leader. Zuma and many other African leaders cannot understand the constitutional idea that people are born with inalienable rights that no-one can take away from them, and that elected leaders are there to protect and defend these rights. To Zuma, this is a Western thing. Zille herself, while she was Mayor, could not understand how a constitutionally elected office holder like herself had to kowtow under the control of a Chief from whom she was obliged to go and seek permission (and) bring a gift to seek his favour. Indeed, Zille quoted Zuma to have once been shocked while attending an extended Cabinet meeting at an incongruent situation where judges dictated to him what to do. I was elected. The Judges werent. How come they are in a position to tell me what to do? he was said to have wondered. Those examining poor human rights records of governments of so-called military-turned-democrat leaders must have gathered enough empirical data to confirm that their intolerance is borne of their long association with khaki. The lingo of our reference to these feudalists-turned democrats is also a borrowing from feudal African language register. While Americans willfully referred to President Donald Trump as silly and no offence was made, this is almost treasonable in many of Africa. Needless superlatives like His Excellency, Executive Governor, Honourable, Distinguished and the like are some of the feudal trappings that have made the transition from traditional to constitutional governance very difficult. Attitude of Nigerians and their leaders to corruption also mirrors this irreconciliation of where we are and where we are coming from. Professor Peter Ekehs Colonialism and the two publics in Africa: A theoretical statement does much justice to this dissonance. While the two publics private and public are similar in the wests, they are not available in post-colonial Africa. Morality, which is the foundation of the two realms in western world, is absent in Africa as well. We have our different standards of morality which reflects in our government and politics. ADVERTISEMENT Now, if the above was tragic, it cannot be as tragic as the partisanship the photographs of Buhari and Tinubu on medical exile in the UK generated. Analyzed based on political party, religion and regional divides, the impression I got from their analyses on social media was long live the king! Yes, Tinubu isnt occupying any government office but that is the man many Nigerians have stupidly asked to be their president after the calamity of Buhari must have ended. Some comments on the photograph even said of Tinubu, who held a walking stick, thats our president in 2023! Absent from all the analyses above is the complicity of every one of us in the kinds of leaders we get to rule us. Our situation is akin to a man who puts a heavy load on a knock-kneed carrier who Yoruba call the amunkun, and who wants the load to be balanced. It is not possible. If we want good governance, we must insist on good people. Not only must we insist on good leaders, we ourselves must begin to defrost our minds of the feudal, long reign the king mentality that encrusts them. The road to good Nigeria cannot be one laced with the contours of party partisanship, religious bigotry and executive oraisa (All right, sir!, lingo of miscreants) that we flaunt on our leaders. Apostle Suleimans alalupaida money magic Recently, mercurial wealth-preaching Apostle Johnson Suleiman, General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries Internationals incredulous preaching, where he illogically told his massive congregants that angels would immediately begin to credit their bank accounts as they heard his words, went viral. While Suleiman was at this magical feat, the congregants began to scream, ecstatic. Indeed, they claimed, alerts from angels began to land on their phones. It reminded me of one day in the old Oyo State town of Ikire, when as a little boy, I ran into sorcerers who Yoruba of old called the alalupaida. Somewhere in the Ori-Eru area of the town was a mat underneath a palm frond-made tent stuffed with many bystanders like me. A man suddenly lay on the mat and a cloth was spread over him. By the time the cloth was pulled off, there laid a huge crocodile flipping its giant lips on and off. As bata drums began to crack their sonorous rhythms, the cloud suddenly started to thicken. Alarmed, the alalupaida concierge began to hurriedly unwind their magic, leading to the alalupaida-turned croc unrolling into a human being. If the rain had poured on him, he would have forever become a croc, I was told. Last week, as the Suleiman video went viral, the melancholic voice of Israel Balogun rang on my phone. I was perhaps the first lawyer and journalist his mind could immediately race to for help. He had received a correspondence from Suleimans lawyer, a copy of which he sent to me. It was threatening to sue him for a viral video he had posted on the social media, alleging criminal defamation and cyber stalking. Hampered by distance of where we both were, I talked to a Lagos lawyer friend of mine and gave Balogun his number. The Youtuber was subsequently arrested and whisked to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and detained. Here, I am not about to talk of the celebrated Marxian dictum of religion being the opium of the people or Jamaican reggae band of the 1970s, the Wailing Wailers notion of mind imprisonment. In their Concrete Jungle track, they sang, no chain around my feet but I am not free. I am talking about the imprisonment of the mind of Nigerians by religious Smart Alecs, Nigerians whom poverty has not allowed to reason out of the barbs of lack. Lionized by his arrest of Balogun, Suleiman then took a swipe at condemnations that have trailed his miracle money show, and maintained that criticisms of this magical money-spinning were akin to insulting God. No one will dictate to him how to run his ministry, he said and maintained: If you talk against miracle money, you are insulting God. While I dont have any problem with those who willingly walk to Suleimans church in search for bailout of their distressing economic situations and their incredulous belief that angels credit their accounts, once the video of these sorcery and magic leaves his church and enters the realm where science and common sense rule, Suleiman loses any right to talk down on or seek alliance of his thoughts with the rest of us whose lives are not ruled by magic but science. Inibehe Effiong, Baloguns very brilliant lawyers submission is very apposite in this regard. He is waiting for Suleiman to have his day in court and an opportunity to subpoena those angels and the banks to provide the mother bank from where they forwarded the money to the congregants accounts. According to Effiong, Since Apostle Johnson Suleman has the unparalleled grace and power of commanding angels to transfer miracle money from the Central Bank of Heaven to the accounts of human beings in commercial banks, I hereby restate my call for him to help Nigeria out of her financial woes by commanding his cash dispensing angels to credit the Federation Account. I do not see any difference between what Suleiman did in that magical money conjuration and what those alalupaida of old did. Since Suleimans world isnt scientific but spiritual, he shouldnt have relied on science to arrest the Youtuber or anyone for that matter. The angels capable of abandoning their spiritual realm to perform a physical bank transaction could also have arrested Balogun, couldnt they? Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist. A Nigerian university said it was investigating allegations that some of its lecturers have been conducting examinations for students in hotels. The University of Calabar in Cross River State, Nigerias South-south, on August 10, issued a memo to the university community, saying it was launching an investigation into allegations that its lecturers had resorted to conducting examinations at homes and hotels. Although the memo did not state why a lecturer would abandon the halls on campus and have student(s) sit for exams in hotel, it is believed that sexual and monetary gratification may be a prime motive here. Management has information to the effect that lecturers have resorted to giving students scripts to write exams at homes, hotels and relaxation places, said the memo signed by Michael Okom, a professor and the deputy vice-chancellor in-charge of administration, University of Calabar. Mr Okom, in the memo, said the university was also investigating allegations of money-for-grade, otherwise called sorting, and sex-for-grade, sexual harassment, and extortion. Some departments and lecturers have been specifically fingered and investigations have commenced In fact, they would soon be invited to interact with the Disciplinary Committee, he said. The deputy vice-chancellor warned lecturers to desist and repent from these despicable activities. Florence Obi, a professor of special education, is the vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar. She was elected vice-chancellor in September 2020, the first female to be so elected 45 years after the establishment of the university. Mr Okom told PREMIUM TIMES, Saturday, that Mrs Obis administration has a zero tolerance policy against vices like sorting, sex-for-grade, and sexual harassment. He said there have been series of complaints from students against some lecturers. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, has zero tolerance for these vices because even in her inaugural speech she made it clear that she wasnt going to tolerate them. We dont want that to be mere political statement, we needed to let everyone know that we are very serious about enforcing our zero tolerance policy, he said. He said the universitys investigations into the allegations would be thorough and that the school would try and get as much evidence as possible. The results of the investigation would be made public and lecturers who are culpable would be made to face the law, he said. The deputy vice-chancellor assured that the identity of students who volunteer information on the allegations would remained concealed. It could even be an anonymous report and we are going to investigate and make sure we get the person(s) red-handed, we will use the DSS, we will use our internal security, he said. Vice-chancellors reaction Mrs Obi told PREMIUM TIMES she doubts if any of the university lecturers would conduct examinations in hotel. She said she has never had such a case brought to her attention. She, however, admitted that sorting existed in the university. She said she had personally intervened in some cases and forced lecturers to refund money to students. ADVERTISEMENT In one or two cases, lecturers have written apologies and they have quietly refunded money (taken from students) because these students actually sent text messages to me that they were asked to pay this. The lecturers have been cautioned. Let it be that people know that we are going to be hard on them. The one of randy lecturers writing exams in hotels, I dont want to say its true. In this my tenure, we have rebranded our answer booklets, we have customised and serialised them. So now, we know that serial number one to 100 belong to so department. It is very inconceivable for people to go out and write exams and bring in the answer booklet. Lecturers are also made to account to all the answer booklets given to them, she said. The vice-chancellor said the General Studies courses were hitherto plagued by sorting. But that in order to eliminate that, students today write computer-based examinations and their grades are given to them immediately after. The university runs a centre for gender development to help students fight sexual harassment within and outside the campus, she said. Sorting, sex-for-grade, and sexual harassment are not peculiar to the University of Calabar this newspaper published a report in 2020 detailing how sexual harassment forces students to quit Nigerian universities. In the report, a female student shared the experience she had at the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, which forced her to abandon school to learn how to sew dresses. On this fateful day, we just finished our exam and we were asked to go back home on the same day. He met me at the school gate and offered to give me a lift to Osogbo from Offa. I didnt object because they were two in the car already. When we got Erin-Ile, the other man came down. When we got to Okuku, he said we have to talk. I questioned him about what we have to talk about again. I even thought it was a bar only for him to drive inside a hotel. He said I should follow him inside and put off his clothes. I started cryingIn the room, he was half-naked with his socks on. I had to tell a lie that I am a virgin and that there is this traditional rite a suitor is to undergo in our family before deflowering us. If this is not done, anyone who sleeps with us will die. New Delhi, Aug 15 : India on Sunday registered a marginal decline in daily Covid caseload and recorded 36,083 fresh cases and 493 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. On Saturday also new cases showed a marginal dip as India recorded 38,667 fresh infections in the last 24 hours. Less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported since the 49 consecutive days. India's recovery rate from the Covid infection currently stands at 97.46 per cent. The active caseload also registered a decline of 2,337 on Sunday and the total caseload climbed to 3,85,336. The active caseloads constitute 1.20 per cent of total cases, as per the bulletin released by the health ministry. As per the health ministry data, total 37,927 patients were discharged from the hospitals and health centres in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cured to 3,13,76,015 to the date in India. The death toll due to Covid has reached 4,31,225 in the country. The Weekly Positivity Rate remains below 5 per cent and is currently at 2 per cent. The daily positivity rate continues to remain below 3 per cent for 20 continuous days and currently stands at 1.88 per cent. Meanwhile, India's Cumulative Covid Vaccination Coverage has exceeded 54 crores of landmark. A total of 73,50,553 doses of vaccines were administered in the last 24 hours, pushing the total vaccination so far to 54,38,46,290, said the bulletin released by the ministry. With substantially ramped up testing capacity across the country, a total of 19,23,863 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours in the country. Cumulatively, India has conducted over 49.36 crores (49,36,24,440) tests so far. New Delhi, Aug 15 : In a major boost for India's energy sufficiency and security targets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced to launch a National Hydrogen Mission. Delivering his Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister stressed on the need for energy independence and said that the plan involves India becoming a global hub for green hydrogen production and exports. He said that among all the programmes being carried out today in the country, the one which would help India make a large leap is the area of green hydrogen. "Under the National Flag, I am announcing the National Hydrogen Mission," Modi said. The Prime Minister also said that India will have to pledge to become energy independent before its 100 years of Independence. The strategy will be to leverage scale for its ambitious green hydrogen plan in line with the renewable energy programme, making India lead the world in terms of clean energy. Kabul, Aug 15 : As the Taliban is continuing its rapid march towards Kabul, three more important cities have fallen to the insurgent group amid ongoing intense clashes with the war-torn country's security forces. On Sunday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the militants took control of most parts of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, some 120 km east of Kabul, reports Xinhua news agency. He said the militants were also trying to seize control of the governor's office and the provincial police headquarters in Jalalabad. Jalalabad's collapse came after the fall of Asadabad city, capital of Kunar province, and Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, on Saturday. A witness told Xinhua news agency that the Taliban militants entered Asadabad at around 3 p.m. on Saturday and seized control of the city. All the provincial officials, according locals, have moved to Nangarhar. Meanwhile, the Taliban spokesman also confirmed the fall of Asadabad, saying that the government security forces had surrendered and all parts of the city are now under the militants' control. In a statement to Xinhua news agency, Paktika provincial council chief Bakhtiar Gul Zadran confirmed the fall of Sharan city, adding that the entire province is now under Taliban control. All officials of the province have gone to a military base, Zadran said without providing more details Earlier on Saturday, Taliban declared that they captured Mazar-i-Sharif and Maimana cities in the northern region, Gardez and Mehtarlam cities in the eastern part of the country. Since the escalation of fighting in May, the Taliban has so far captured more than 20 provincial capitals. New Delhi, Aug 15 : Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Sunday on the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the health workers 'deserve to be worshipped'. This was Modi's eighth address to the nation on Independence Day since 2014. "There is no dearth of political will in taking up reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. The world is a witness to how India is writing a new chapter of governance," the Prime Minister said. PM Modi said, "The number of medical seats in the country has been increased. Affordable medicines are being made available to the poor under the Jan Aushadhi Yojana. So far, 75,000 Health & Wellness Centres have been set up. Very soon thousands of hospitals will have their own oxygen plants". Lauding the efforts of the health scientists, doctors and paramedical staff for their role in combating the pandemic, PM Modi said, "During the coronavirus global pandemic, our doctors, our nurses, our paramedical staff, scientists engaged in making vaccines, citizens engaged in the fight, they all deserve to be worshipped." During his Independence Day speech, Modi praised India's mass vaccination drive against Covid-19 and said, "Today we can proudly say that the world's largest vaccination program is going on in our country. More than 54 crore people have been vaccinated, an online system like CoWin, digital certificate giving system is attracting the world." The Prime Minister said, "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and now 'Sabka Prayas' is important in our journey of building the Aatmanirbhar Bharat of our dreams. Our goal is to develop a nation where we not only have world-class infrastructure but also move ahead with the mantra of 'Minimum government, maximum governance." Karachi, Aug 15 : The Pakistan government has displayed intolerance towards criticism and used its powers to punish media organisations and individual journalists who have been critical of its policies, an editorial in a leading newspaper said on Sunday. Titled "Silencing the media", the Dawn newspaper editorial said all major bodies representing the media have rightly rejected the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority and termed the intended law behind it a draconian one. "If the authority is allowed to be formed, it would amount to throttling freedom of expression in Pakistan and inflicting a mortal blow on the media industry. This proposed law is illustrative of the authoritarian streak that is so pronounced in the present government and it will get weaponised through the powers accorded to the PMDA," the editorial said. The last few years have taken a heavy toll on the media industry both in terms of financial and editorial pressures. These have led to painful job cuts and the shrinking of space for quality journalism. In a joint statement, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors, Pakistan Broadcasters Association, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors have criticised the law and termed it a step towards state control of all segments of the media. The media organisations have urged Parliament to reject the proposed body. The government wants this single body to be solely responsible for regulating the print, electronic and digital media. The editorial said these media organisations and associations have done well to raise the red flag over the formation of this media body. The proposed law gives sweeping powers to the body to control independent media organisations through coercive measures. The federal government, through its appointed members, will exercise control over the PMDA and will be able to take punitive measures against media organisations, rendering the independence of the media redundant. It is the responsibility of parliament to see this proposed law for what it is a naked attempt to muzzle the media and reject it. Civil society should also raise its voice against this draconian law and help build pressure to scuttle the move. Pakistan needs more media freedom, not less, so it can help strengthen representative democracy in the country and inject greater transparency into the affairs of the state. The PMDA is a regressive move and should remain stillborn, the editorial said. Karachi, Aug 15 : Twelve members of an extended family, all women and young boys, were killed and several others suffered burn injuries after a grenade was hurled at a mini-truck on the outskirts of Karachi, the media reported on Sunday. A senior police officer told Dawn news that the attack on Saturday night was an act of terrorism. He said personnel from the Bomb Disposal Squad had found the lever of the grenade (at the crime scene) and confirmed that a Russian-made device had been used in the attack. The incident occurred in the Baldia area within the limits of the Madina Colony police station. "We are investigating the incident from different angles to ascertain whether the perpetrators were terrorists from some ethnic group or an extremist group," said the official Karachi police chief Imran Yaqoob Minhas told the media that the aspect of personal enmity was also being probed as all victims came from the same family. The family originally hailed from Swat. Local police and the Counter-Terrorism Department are both investigating the incident. Senior CTD official Raja Umer Khattab, who examined the spot, said initial probe revealed that the attackers were riding a motorcycle and that the grenade had exploded before falling into vehicle. Karachi South Zone DIG Javed Akbar Riaz told Dawn that the truck was carrying 20 to 25 people who were returning from a marriage ceremony. New Delhi, Aug 15 : Indian Army Vice Chief Lieutenant General C.P. Mohanty left for the US on Sunday to enhance military cooperation between the two countries. "The aim of the visit is to enhance bilateral military cooperation and explore future avenues for military-to-military defence partnership," Indian Army said. The Vice Chief will attend the multilateral Chiefs of Defence Conference, being held in Hawaii, which will be marked by discussions on three important topics: how Covid-19 will change national security forever; role of minilateralism in a free and open Indo-Pacific; and challenges and opportunities of technology enabled threats. In the course of the visit, Lt. Gen. C.P. Mohanty will also interact with the senior military leadership of the countries attending the Chiefs of the Defence Conference. Later, the Indian Vice Chief will travel to Washington DC and interact with senior military leaders and civilian officials of the Department of Defense of the US. He will also visit the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier and witness innovations in close combat squads, Soldier Survivability, Soldier Lethality, Soldier Manouever and Precision Targeting and Integrated Visual Augmentation System. "The meetings are aimed at increasing military to military cooperation between the two countries," the force said. India and the US share close defence cooperation with Washington authorising over $20 billion in defence sales to India. Kabul, Aug 15 : As the Taliban took control of the eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, the jittery Afghan capital Kabul is now isolated as the countrys only big urban area in government hands, the Wall Street Journal reported. On Sunday morning, long lines formed outside banks and the few functioning ATMs in Kabul as residents, fearful that the capital may fall to the Taliban, too, rushed to withdraw their cash. "The other provinces have already collapsed, so there is no reason to think it won't happen here soon," said Samsur, a student originally from Jalalabad, as he took his place in a line outside a Kabul mall that contained a working cash machine. He said he hoped to be able to withdraw his savings, a total of 5,000 afghanis, or $58, before the money ran out. "Everyone is in panic," added Aman, a money changer, as he waved a thick wad of the Afghan currency that he traded for dollars. "If the government is afraid, of course the people are even more afraid." The street exchange rate sharply dipped overnight but then recovered somewhat, he said. People rushed to the Kabul airport, preparing to flee the country as the Taliban are advancing on the Afghan capital. The U.S Embassy has urged its citizens to leave the country while scaling back its presence. The US has rushed 5,000 troops to secure the airport and help evacuate American diplomatic personnel as the Taliban closed in on the city. Overnight, the near constant buzz of helicopters hung over central Kabul as the Green Zone that contained much of the foreign presence emptied out. Many embassies have closed or relocated to the military base in the airport. New Delhi, Aug 15 : Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has always showcased his love for the country with his performances in films such as 'Kesari', 'Airlift', 'Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty' and 'Mission Mangal'. The actor has proudly spoken about what makes cinema with a dollop of patriotism loved so much among all. Akshay is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film 'Bell Bottom', which too has a sprinkle of patriotism as he plays a spy who does it all to safeguard his countrymen. So what, according to him, makes films with a sprinkle of patriotism so loved? "It is not only in India everybody loves their country. It's youngsters and everybody, they all love their country wherever they all belong to," Akshay told IANS. The 53-year-old star is currently awaiting the release of 'Bell Bottom', which is slated to release on August 19, and said that he is very excited for the movie to hit the screens. "I am also really excited about 'Bell Bottom' releasing in theatres. People, my fingers crossed with everything. Hope everything works out," he said. Directed by Ranjit M. Tiwari, 'Bell Bottom' also stars Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta Bhupathi and Huma Qureshi. It was shot amid the Covid-19 lockdown last year in Glasgow. Was Akshay, who is fondly called the "Khiladi" of Bollywood, apprehensive about stepping out of the house amid such a torrid time? "No, I didn't think of it that way because I just said to Vashu Bhagnani, who is my producer, to take care of everything and make sure that the protocols are followed and everybody is masked and washes their hands and whatever the protocols are and let's go for it," said the actor. Akshay added: "He took the leap and here we are. We started it last year and we are here. The movie is ready and we are about to release it." Now that only a week is left for the film to hit the screens, the actor labelled August 19 as an important day. "August 19 is a very important day for all of us because we will come to know that even after one and a half year people have not lost that enthusiasm of going to theatres." (Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in) Mumbai, Aug 15 : Actor Vijay Kashyap has been a part of the industry for over three decades. He has played various roles onscreen in both television and films and is known for his roles in movies like 'Gandhi', 'Ardh Satya' and many more. The actor will soon be seen in the upcoming show 'Ziddi Dil Maane Na'. The promo of the show was recently released, and Kashyap is happy with the response it received. Talking about his character, he says: "I play a retired Army Colonel who received top honours in his career. He must have been a visionary and exemplary in his job and that means he has been very sincere and extraordinary in his work. And that's what I do in my real life too, I try to excel at things, even if it is cooking, I try to do it with perfection. You can't be perfect but you can be close to perfect." The veteran actor said that he has been a soldier all his life, and he "ideologically" relates to his character completely. "I was part of NCC for years and then my military background also makes me a soldier. I have tremendous respect for the defence forces," he added. Praising the entire concept of the daily soap, he concluded: "The show is written brilliantly and I am happy to be part of it." Sanaa, Aug 15 : Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down a "US-made spy drone" belonging to the Saudi-led coalition while it was hovering over their positions in the central province of Marib. "Our forces shot down the spy drone over Medghal district," Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted the spokesman Yehya Sarea as saying on Saturday. On August 12, the Yemeni government army backed by the coalition recaptured and secured the highway linking Al-Kasarah area, about 18 km west of Marib central city, with the northwestern district of Medghal after deadly battles with the rebels. The Houthis began in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province. The UN has warned that the offensive on Marib, which hosts nearly 1 million internally displaced people, could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe. Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Dubai, Aug 15 : Starting from August 20, Abu Dhabi will allow only vaccinated citizens, residents and tourists into public places. The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has also updated the travel procedures into the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) capital. The Alhosn app (the Covid-19 app in the UAE), needs to show a green status for entry into public places. All vaccinated persons have the green status. If it is grey, the person will be denied entry. The green status appears after a negative PCR test result and remains for 30 days. Entry is also allowed for those exempted from vaccination with green status on Alhosn app, which appears after a negative PCR test result and remains for seven days. Children under 16 years, whose status will appear as green on Alhosn app without the requirement of a test, will also be allowed entry. Unvaccinated individuals and those with grey status on the app, which reflects an expired PCR test, are prohibited from entering these public places. The process to enter public places also applies to visitors and tourists. People who have received a new residency permit, have a grace period of 60 days to be vaccinated. To maintain the vaccinated status on the Alhosn app, a booster dose must be taken six months after receiving the second dose. A grace period of 30 days is given to all those who have taken their second dose more than six months ago, before their status will turn grey on 20 September. The public places with entry restrictions are shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, and all other retail outlets (including those located outside a shopping centre), as well as gyms, recreational facilities and sporting activities, health clubs, resorts, museums, cultural centres and theme parks. The list also includes universities, institutes public and private schools and children's nurseries. For visitors entering Abu Dhabi, they need to register in the 'Register Arrivals' section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) app, complete the form and upload an international vaccination certificate. They will then receive an SMS including a link to download the Alhosn app. Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, visitors will receive a Unified Identification Number (UID) either at the airport or via ICA app or website. The Alhosn app needs to be downloaded and registration done using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE. The updated travel procedures for citizens, residents and visitors entering Abu Dhabi comes into effect from Sunday. Vaccinated travellers arriving into Abu Dhabi from green list destinations must take a PCR test on arrival without the need to quarantine, and take a PCR test on Day 6. When arriving from other destinations, they must take a PCR test on arrival, quarantine for seven days and take a PCR test on Day 6. The protocol also applies to fully-vaccinated UAE citizens and residents as well as visitors. New Delhi, Aug 15 : Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Sunday pointed at the sharp difference in the quality of the debate which took place in the various Houses (Parliament or other state Assemblies) post-Independence and contemporary debates, which result in legislation having gaps, ambiguity in making laws, and absence of clarity in the laws. He added lack of wise and constructive debates in the Houses burdens the courts with a lot of litigation and it is also difficult to fathom the intent behind the law. Justice Ramana was speaking at the 75th Independence Day celebrations conducted by the Supreme Court Bar Association at the top court. Citing the nature of contemporary Parliament debates, the Chief Justice said: "Now, it is a sorry state of affairs. We see the legislations. Lots of gaps; lots of ambiguity in making laws. There is no clarity in laws. We do not know what is the intent of the legislature, what purpose laws are made, which is creating a lot of litigation, inconvenience and loss to the government as well as inconvenience to the public." He added that this is what happens when intellectuals and professionals like lawyers are not in the Houses; and lawyers should actively participate in public life. Parliament saw several adjournments in the recently concluded Monsoon session, with the Opposition cornering the government over the Pegasus spyware issue, farm laws and fuel hike. The Chief Justice emphasized that "if you see debates, which used to take place in Houses post-Independence, were very, very wise and constructive and they used to debate any legislation, they were making." Citing a debate in connection with the Industrial Disputes Act, he said, "I have seen debates taking place and a CPI-M leader used to discuss elaborately -- what are the consequences of making these amendments in the Act and how will it affect the working class? Same way different laws used to be discussed and deliberated. So, the burden on the courts while interpreting or implementing is less. So, we had a clear picture, what they thought; what they wanted to tell us; why they are making such a legislation," he added. The Chief Justice said the Independence struggle was mostly led by lawyers -- Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, etc. -- who not only sacrificed their profession, but also their properties, family and everything; and got Independence for the country. "If you take into consideration the first members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state Assemblies. They were filled with lawyers. Unfortunately, over a period of time you know what is happening in the Houses, that is legislations, Parliament, Rajya Sabha, or any other Houses," he added. Kabul, Aug 15 : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government seems to be on the brink of losing control of the country. With Kabul the only major city left standing, the President appears to face a stark choice between surrendering to the Taliban or a fight to hold the capital, the BBC reported. Overnight, US President Joe Biden said the Washington was urging him to pursue a political settlement to avoid further bloodshed. It came after President Ghani delivered a sombre, short public address to the Afghan people on Saturday praising the "courageous" security forces and saying his focus was on "preventing further instability, violence and displacement of my people". There had been speculation he would announce his resignation. Afghan media reported that shortly after his pre-recorded message to the nation, President Ghani held a consultative meeting with political and jihadi leaders who supported his notion for preventing further instability in the country, the Presidential Palace said. The participants of the meeting agreed to assign an authoritative team for negotiations to represent the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Palace said. The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the responsibility that will be assigned to the team, but analysts said it might push further plans for overcoming the current situation by pushing plans of ceasefire and an interim setup. Ahead of this meeting, a group of influential Afghan political leaders met behind closed doors for many hours in a meeting led by Chairman Abdullah Abdullah to discuss the country's situation, ceasefire and a possible plan to establish an interim government, sources familiar with the matter said. Abdullah's last week's visit to Doha was also discussed in the meeting, the sources said. The efforts come as the Taliban is rapidly advancing on the battlefields as it captured three provincial capitals and at least 10 districts in the last 24 hours. Chennai, Aug 15 : After they received the posting orders from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin as 'archakars' or priests in temples of the state on Saturday, it was a long decade-old wait getting fulfilled for the 24 'acharkars' who are non-Brahmins. The 24 trained non-Brahmin archakars or temple priests include 5 Dalits. Tamil Nadu state government sources said that it is a revolution being brought into the society by the DMK government. A woman,'Odhuvar' (a scholar who sings Tamil devotional hymns) was also given posting orders. The posting order handed over by Stalin was a poll promise of the DMK government and one of the revolutionary steps being taken by the government in its 100 days of office. Yoganathan, who was appointed as a priest in a temple at Tirupur district, told IANS, "I am thrilled. This is a long wait that has been fulfilled and I don't have words to express to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for having fulfilled the promise he made before the election to us." The 24 archakars are part of the 200 strong non-Brahmins who had taken a one year 'Junior saiva archakar' course which is as per the traditional course in temple priesthood. It may be recalled that in 2007, it was the Karunanidhi government that had launched the course of archakars for all Hindus irrespective of their caste. The course was conducted in 6 temples under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments(HR&CE) Act. However, owing to a legal tangle the then DMK government under Kalaignar Karunanidhi could not appoint the trained non-Brahmin priests in temples. The trained archakars fought the case in courts of law and finally in 2015 , the Supreme Court gave a verdict in favour that they be posted as archarkars in temples of Tamil Nadu. After the landmark move, the government is planning to provide training for women to become archakars in temples and the state HR&CE Minister, P.K. Sekar Babu said that the government has taken steps regarding training for women as archakars. Los Angeles, Aug 15 : Drummer Travis Barker touched a milestone on Saturday, as he set foot on an aircraft for the first time in almost 13 years. Travis was seen holding girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian's hand as he overcame his fear. The 42-year-old musician had not travelled on a flight after his near-death experience in a 2008 plane crash. He was one of only two survivors from the mishap. According to dailymail.co.uk, Travis made this trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico from Camarillo, California. Travis hugged Kourtney and held her hand as they stepped onto the plane. The couple was accompanied by Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Cory Gamble. Travis had hinted at overcoming his fears when he had tweeted in June: "I might fly again." Kabul, Aug 15 : The Taliban on Sunday have reportedly entered the Afghan capital of Kabul after overrunning much of the war-torn country in recent days, according to media reports. The development comes as Taliban have captured Jalalabad, the last major city in the north of the country, without a struggle, the BBC reported. With reports of the Taliban closing in, the tension in Kabul is rising. A BBC producer based there said he was suddenly evacuated from a government office a short time ago. Photographs on social media appear to show some residents gathering outside banks, foreign embassies, and in visa processing offices. Matin Bek, a senior Afghan government aide, has tweeted to try and reassure residents. The BBC said there is a rush on banks in Kabul as Afghans try to gather means to escape The Taliban took the eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, leaving the jittery Afghan capital isolated as the country's only big urban area in government hands, the Wall Street Journal reported. On Sunday morning, long lines formed outside banks and the few functioning ATMs in Kabul as residents, fearful that the capital may fall to the Taliban, too, rushed to withdraw their cash. People also rushed to Kabul's airport, preparing to flee the country amid the unabated Taliban assualt. The US Embassy has urged its citizens to leave the country while scaling back its presence. New Delhi, Aug 15 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday unfurled the Tricolour to mark the nation's 75th Independence Day at the Secretariat here. Addressing a gathering, Kejriwal announced 'Deshbhakti' curriculum to be rolled out in government schools from September 27 as a tribute to Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary. "We kept on teaching Physics, Chemistry, Maths for 70 years, no one thought of teaching children Deshbhakti. I am delighted that the Deshbhakti Curriculum will be launched in schools of Delhi to instil patriotism in young minds," he said. The Chief Minister said that the Deshbhakti Curriculum will help realise the dreams of freedom fighters and the celebration of Independence Day. Kejriwal had announced the vision of the Deshbhakti Curriculum on the 73rd Independence Day celebrations in 2019. The Deshbhakti Curriculum Committee submitted the framework which was approved by the Governing Council of SCERT on August 6. The Curriculum Framework aims to develop a deep sense of respect towards the constitutional values and seeks to bridge the gap between values and action. Kejriwal said, "Delhi has achieved new heights in education where students of private schools are willing to join the govt schools". Calling it a 'Shiksha Kranti", he said, "On this occasion to mark 75th year of Independence, I am pleased to announce that Delhi Boards of School Education has collaborated with International Boards to provide international standards of education in government schools in Delhi". Ramallah, Aug 15 : A senior Palestinian official has condemned Israel's claim that it allowed the construction of houses in Area C in the West Bank as "deceptive and misleading". Ahmed Majdalani, member of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a statement that "the Israeli government is misleading the public opinion of the world", Xinhua news agency reported. "Area C is an occupied territory, where Israel carried out mass demolitions of Palestinian homes, stole Palestinian lands," Majdalani said, adding that it violates international laws. "The Palestinian leadership rejects dividing the West Bank into three, as the West Bank is the territory of the independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said. The Peace Accords, signed between Israel and the PLO in 1993, has divided the West Bank into three areas: Area A under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, Area B under joint Israeli-Palestinian control and Area C under full Israeli control. Israel captured territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since. Israel bans the entry of Palestinians unless they have special permits issued by the military. Last week, the Israeli media reported that Israel will allow the Palestinian Authority to build 1,000 housing units in Area C. The report said that it is the first time in so many years that Israel allows the Palestinians to build in an area under its full control in the West Bank. New York, Aug 15 : A tour bus crash in New York State has left dozens of people injured, the police said. At 12.41 p.m. on Saturday, New York State Police responded to a rollover crash involving a tour bus on a toll road in the town of Brutus in Cayuga County, Xinhua news agency reported. "A preliminary investigation determined the bus was travelling westbound in the area of mile marker 305, just west of exit 40 (Weedsport), when it exited the roadway for an unknown reason and rolled over onto the grassy shoulder," said the State Police. There were a total of 57 people on the bus, including the driver, all of whom were transported for treatment for injuries ranging from minor to serious, said the State Police, adding the cause of the crash is under investigation. It is believed that the bus was heading to Niagara Falls, a popular tourist attraction on the US border with Canada. New Delhi, Aug 15 : India's film industry is fully loaded as it promises to extend the action-packed season with new thrillers that have become a most-favoured genre of movie makers who find in it a shortcut to the box-office. The showbiz industry has ferreted out plots and storylines swinging around acts of valour, mystery, vivid action, legal drama, whodunit crime and white-knuckled suspense -- salted and peppered with cliff-hanging content and frontline technology. Thrillers such as 'Mirzapur', 'Raat Akeli Hai' and British crime drama 'The Serpent' already released during the pandemic have sharpened the hunger for blood and guts streamed online to otherwise bored working-from-home Indians. And now a fresh fusillade is expected with superstar Akshay Kumar's 'Bell Bottom' set to titillate his theatre-going fans with the espionage thriller set in the 1980s. The Bollywood actor, who will be playing the role of a spy in the film, said he believed espionage thrillers were gaining currency only because Hindi language cinema had not done enough with the genre. "It's not just an espionage thriller. Lots of comedy and other things are also very popular but yeah (we) make very little espionage kind of films so that is why people really want to see them," Akshay told IANS. Vaani Kapoor will be seen as Akshay's female opposite and she appeared thrilled with the prospect of the film's imminent release. "A good thriller is everybody's cup of tea," said Vaani who made her Bollywood debut with the romantic movie 'Shuddh Desi Romance'. "Thriller has a little bit of reality, mystery, suspense and drama. These are all the things we humans thrive on. Little bit of everything. Not knowing the unknown and discovering something," the actor said. "I think it has a lot of value in this genre. Everybody tends to connect to it," she added. Actress Huma Qureshi, who will share screen space with Akshay and Vaani, is a veteran of blood-and-gore thrillers such as 'Badlapur', 'Gangs Of Wasseypur' and 'D-Day' to name a few. She too seemed certain 'Bell Bottom' will have universal acceptance once it is released in theatres. "It has a little something for everybody," Huma said. "I think the whole fascination is with the spy genre itself ...that always plays like a big hook with the younger audience. It is the kind of story that will appeal to both the younger demographic in terms of style and also in terms of the older generation," she added. John Abraham's 'Attack' based on a hostage crisis is set for release in theatres and is also expected to grab eyeballs, industry observers say. 'Dhamaka' and 'Major' are works-in-progress and the two action thrillers will top five such films already produced on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead and 300 injured in India's financial capital that horrified the world in 2008. Manoj Bajpayee's 'Dial 100' and 'Silence, Can You Hear It?', Tamannaah Bhatia's 'November story' and British actor Benedict Cumberbatch's 'The Courier' released this year have spurred the appetite. Manoj told IANS: "'Silence...' was a suspense thriller, 'Dial 100', I would call it an emotional thriller more than anything. It has all elements of a thriller but at the same time it has a more social aspect to it and a more emotional aspect to it that makes it far more exciting and interesting," the award-winning actor said. 'Chehre', a crime thriller starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi is also set for release this month in Indian theatres. South actor Tamannaah made her digital debut in April with the Telugu crime web series '11th Hour'. In May, she returned to the OTT space again with 'November Story', a Tamil production revolving around an ailing crime writer who is father to a police hacker. "When you choose a genre like the thriller... if it is done well... it has a high potential of reaching that goal of being a binge-watchable show," Tamannaah said. (Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in) Lucknow, Aug 15 : The third phase of 'Mission Shakti' to be launched by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 21 will focus on safety of women in rural areas. Nodal Head of the mission, Laxmi Singh (IPS), said the aim of the third phase is to provide police service at the doorstep of every woman, including those living in the rural areas. For the first time women cops are being assigned beat duties like their male counterparts, she added. "In the system we will include three or four villages and make it a beat for women constables/head constables. They will have to visit the area twice a week and note the problems being faced by women and then resolve them with the help of senior officials. The women cops will also spread awareness about the government schemes which benefit women," Singh said. "Now with responsibility of beat, women constables will feel empowered like their male counterparts," she added. Laxmi Singh said Mission Shakti 'kakshas' (rooms) are being opened in Panchayat Bhawans where women cops will meet survivors of heinous crimes of the past three years and find out whether they have got justice. If the accused are absconding the women cops will inform senior officials to ensure the arrest of the accused at the earliest. Another step taken under 'Mission Shakti' is weekly care of single mothers and elderly by women-help desks at police stations, both in urban and rural pockets. She said on the instructions of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, women cops will also coordinate with other government agencies to rehabilitate women/men who are mentally deranged and roam around at bus, railway stations, and markets. Mumbai, Aug 15 : As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, Shweta Tripathi of 'Masaan' fame, who attained instant stardom as 'Golu Gupta' in the Amazon Prime series 'Mirzapur', believes, like her hero Spiderman, that great power comes with great responsibility. "Freedom has given us power," Tripathi said as she spoke about what Indians needed to do as we contemplate life after 75 years of Independence. "It is time for us now to opt for responsible living and change a few habits so that we can build a better tomorrow." The key to bring about change, according to Tripathi, is to be respectful -- "respectful to every human being who are doing their work quietly without getting any spotlight and despite knowing that their contribution to society, or even to a film, doesn't get acknowledged enough". On a film set, Tripathi pointed out, we only talk about the actors, directors, writers and people who are in front of the camera. "What we do not acknowledge is the army of people who are creating that world. If I play a character, the way she looks on screen has everything to do with the lights, costume, makeup, camera and editing. "I think we should acknowledge the efforts of these people because that is the way to show them the respect they deserve. In our society, there are so many such unnoticed people in their professions, silently contributing to let the system run smoothly. We must salute them," Tripathi said. She can feel for these unseen faces behind the camera, for she herself started out as a production assistant and associate director but went on to attain fame for her roles in films such as 'Haraamkhor' (opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and 'Gone Kesh', which is about a young woman confronting a medical the condition known as alopecia (loss of hair from the scalp) and how society sets its beauty standards. More recently, she was seen in the web series 'Laakhon Mein Ek', which centres around her character's fight against corruption in the public health system. Having been a part of films or web series that come with a message, Tripathi says she wishes to bring a change in our lifestyle choices so that we respect mother nature and practise sustainable living because climate change is a big concern for the world today. "It could sound like a big change in our lifestyle, but it is actually not, "Tripathi said. "Something as small as not wasting electricity, switching off lights when we do not require them, because we feel for those households that are without electricity; not wasting water because we realise that having clean drinking water is a luxury in our remote villages; not throwing away food because thousands sleep hungry every day. "Such little gestures are all a part of a more responsible and sustainable lifestyle that will help us be more respectful to our scarce resources. I know very well that for many of us who live in privileged circumstances, throwing away extra food or keeping taps running unnecessarily have become such habits that these are not even considered wasteful. But these are. It is time we realise it so that we can become responsible citizens and contribute to the task of nation-building." Kabul, Aug 15 : The Taliban said on Sunday that negotiations were underway with the Afghan government for the peaceful surrender of Kabul, adding that there was no plan whatsoever to topple the capital city militarily In a statement, the insurgent group acknowledged that the fighters have no intention to enter the Afghan capital Kabul and will enter the city peacefully. The statement reads that Kabul is the most populated city of Afghanistan and the fighters are not allowed to enter the city and are directed to stay out of Kabul's doors. The statement was published hours after fear and panic spread in the city and people are roaming on the streets. People seemed to be closing shops and markets and there is no city transportation available in the city, Afghan media reported. The Afghan Presidential Palace also said in Facebook posts that the situation of Kabul is under control and the Afghan forces are working along with international allies to secure the Afghan capital. "We reiterate that Afghanistan Islamic Emirate has nothing to do with the civil and military officials in Kabul. We are not seeking revenge and there is general pardon for government officials," said the statement. The statement further reads that the upcoming Islamic system will comprise all classes and groups in Afghanistan. Kabul, Aug 15 : The seemingly unstoppable advance of the Taliban has once again seen the burqa being pulled out of dusty storerooms and cupboards by women in Afghanistan who remember life under the militants rule. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, even though many continued to choose to wear the burqa in adherence to religious and traditional beliefs, its rejection by millions of others across the country became a symbol of a new dawn for the Afghan women, who were able to dictate what they wore for themselves again, Zainab Pirzad and Atefa Alizada from Rukhshana Media wrote for the Guardian. Today, there are burqas in the streets of downtown Kabul but women are also dressed in an array of different styles, many mixing traditional materials with colourful modern patterns and fashion inspiration from across the region. "Afghan women are some of the most naturally stylish women in the world," says Fatimah, an artist and fashion photographer. "When you go on to the streets of Kabul today you see this amazing mix of different fabrics and nods to centuries-old traditions mixed with very modern styles and inspirations. It's this beautiful, creative spirit that was just full of hope for the future." For decades, the traditional Afghan burqa, mostly sold in shades of blue, was synonymous with Afghan women's identity around the world. Usually made of heavy cloth, it is specifically designed to cover the wearer from head to toe. A netted fabric is placed near the eyes so that the woman inside can peer out through the meshing but nobody can see inside. It was enforced strictly during the Taliban regime in the late 1990s, and failure to wear one while in public could earn women severe punishments and public lashings from the Taliban's "moral police". As city after city falls to the Taliban, women fear that the freedoms won since 2001 will be crushed, the report said. Last week in Herat, as Taliban forces massed around the city, older women such as 60-year-old Fawzia were out stockpiling for the younger women in her family. "All of us older women have been talking about how hard it was as a woman in the old days," she said. "I used to live in Kabul then and I remember how they beat the women and girls who left their homes without their burqas." Days later, these women are already under Taliban control after Herat city fell to militant forces on August 13. Shortly after the city fell, a Taliban declaration was circulated online and among Herat citizens informing women that wearing the burqa was now mandatory in all public spaces. In Kabul, a sense of grief and panic has overwhelmed women in the Afghan capital. With two-thirds of the population under the age of 30, most women here have never lived under Taliban control. In some households, the burqa has sparked divisive inter-generational conflicts. The parents of 26-year-old Habiba are begging her and her sisters to get a burqa before the Taliban enter the city, but she is resisting. "My mother says we should buy a burqa. My parents are afraid of the Taliban. My mother thinks that one of the ways she can protect her daughters is to make them wear the burqa," she says. "But we have no burqa in our home, and I have no intention of getting one. I don't want to hide behind a curtain-like cloth. If I wear the burqa, it means that I have accepted the Taliban's government. I have given them the right to control me. Wearing a chador is the beginning of my sentence as a prisoner in my house. I'm afraid of losing the accomplishments I fought for so hard." Habiba says that she, like many women in Kabul, is sick with worry over what is coming. "I stay up late at night, sometimes till one or two in the morning, worrying about what will happen. I am afraid that because I am rejecting the burqa, soon I will have to stay at home and I will lose my independence and freedom. "But if I accept the burqa, it will exercise power over me. I am not ready to let that happen." In a market in Kabul, Aref is doing a booming trade. At first glance, the walls of his shop seem to be curtained in folds of blue fabric. On closer inspection, dozens and dozens of blue burqas hang like spectres from hooks on the wall. As the Taliban close in on Kabul, women inside the city are getting ready for what may be coming. "Before, most of our customers were from the provinces," says Aref. "Now it is city women who are buying them." The report said one of these women is Aaila, who is haggling with another shopkeeper over rapidly inflating burqa prices. "Last year these burqas cost AFS 200. Now they're trying to sell them to us for AFS 2,000 to 3,000," she says. As the fear among women in Kabul has grown, the prices have risen. Canberra, Aug 15 : Australia has acquired extra 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines amid the country's major cities currently subject to lockdowns to battle recent outbreaks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. He said that 1 million additional Pfizer doses will begin arriving in Australia from Sunday night after an agreement was reached with Poland, reports Xinhua news agency. "Earlier today, a plane left Dubai, having left Warsaw last night," he said in a press conference here. The 1 million doses will be targeted to Australians aged 20 to 39 years. Following advice from the Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, 530,010 doses will be prioritised for express delivery to the 12 Greater Sydney local government areas where the Covid-19 outbreak continues to grow. "These young Australians are often the backbone of our essential workforce and these doses will not only protect them, but their loved ones, their state and our nation," Morrison said. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded two new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, the third day of its seven-day lockdown, taking the number of active cases in Canberra to nine. The ACT on August 12 imposed strict restrictions after reporting its first coronavirus case in the community in over 12 months. It makes Canberra another major Australian city currently subject to a lockdown with strict restrictions also in place in Sydney and Melbourne. As of Sunday, there has been 38,657 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Australia, with 953 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guwahati, Aug 15 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday appealed to the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) and other militant outfits to initiate talks with the government, to come to the mainstream and contribute to further develop the state. After hoisting the National flag at the Independence Day's main function at Khanapara Veterinary Playground, the Chief Minister while addressing the gathering said: "I appeal to ULFA-I's Paresh Baruah and other militant groups of Assam to come to the mainstream, join our dialogue process, and contribute constructively for the welfare of Assam's 3.30 crore people." The Chief Minister said that Assam is celebrating the 75th Independence Day without any bandh and protests called by militant groups, including ULFA-I, for the first time in many decades. Various extremist groups including the ULFA-I of the northeastern states had been calling for shutdown and Independence Day and Republic Day boycotts in Assam and other northeastern states for several decades, abstaining from the protests against the national day for the first time this year. The ULFA-I has also declared a unilateral ceasefire since May this year in view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation. Referring to the recent Assam-Mizoram July 26 fierce broder clash and firing, Sarma said: "My reverence to the six Assam police personnel who laid down their lives while protecting the inter-state boundary. While duty bound to protect our boundaries, Assam is committed to maintain friendly relations with all neighbouring states." The Chief Minister said that besides the population control, his government has already announced to provide government jobs to one lakh unemployed youths and to waive loans of those people, mostly women, who have taken loan under the micro finance schemes. "Our government would provide income generation scope to all the 3.30 crore people in Assam. We will make Assam an "Atmanirbhar" state, will make Assam as one of the five best states, will eradicate crime against women and girls, curb the drug menace. During the past three months, the security forces have seized drugs worth Rs 200 crore. Now you can think every year how much the economy is destroyed by this menace." He said the government is committed to curb human trafficking and other social menaces and call centers would be set up 24-hours to deal with these evil activities. Sarma expressed his appreciation to Covid warriors for their unrelenting war against dreaded disease. Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister announced that Covid vaccination would be done to all eligible people and 1.5 crore doses would be administered in the next one week. Congratulating Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, he said that her success is an inspiration for all Assamese specially the youths and budding sportspersons. Referring to the recent approval to the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 by the state assembly, he said that this shows the state government's resolve to protect the cultural ethos of Assam. The Chief Minister announced that freedom fighters' pension provided by the state government would be increased from Rs 23,000 to Rs 36,000 at par with the central pension and state would accord highest honour to all these former revolutionaries during their last rites. Appealing to people to do at least ten good works on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, the Chief Minister said: "For each one of us, Independence would become more meaningful if we resolved to plant 75 saplings by every one in all the offices, schools, colleges and other premises around us. Let's nurture and do our bit to enrich mother nature." Agartala, Aug 15 : Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Sunday said that the Centre, following the persuasions of the state government, has been developing rail, road and waterway connectivities with the neighbouring Bangladesh to boost the economy of the Northeastern state. After hoisting the National flag, the Chief Minister while addressing the gathering at the Assam Rifles ground here said that with the constructions of the "Maitri Setu" (friendship bridge) over river Feni between southern Tripura's border town Sabroom and Bangladesh's Ramgarh, Tripura and other Northeastern states would get access the facilities of Chittagong International sea port (in southeast Bangladesh) to ferry essentials, numerous goods and heavy machineries. He said that a Special Economic Zone is being set up in Sabroom along Bangladesh border and that would provide favourable infrastructure to the investors to further boost the trade with the neighbouring country. "The Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link is under construction to facilitate transportation of goods between the two countries and the rail project is expected to be completed by next year. Waterway connectivity is being developed between Tripura and Bangladesh" the Chief Minister said. He said that Rs 11,000 crore is being spent to develop the existing six National Highways and three proposed National Highways in Tripura. It is expected that by 2025, Tripura would do business of Rs 2,000 crore from the 'Agar wood' industry and it was planned to plant 50 lakh Agar tree saplings in the next five years, Deb said.. The Chief Minister said that the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry in association with the state government has identified 375 tribal dominated villages to make them as 'model villages' providing all basic facilities and services and also to improve the livelihood of the tribal villagers. He announced that with the investment of over Rs 916 crore, natural rubber cultivation would be expanded in 30,000 hectare new areas by 2025-26. With the value addition of the 30,000 matured rubber trees per year, Rs 400 crore would be earned annually. "In a historic step, after the tripartite agreement over 37,136 Reang tribal migrants (from Mizoram) would be rehabilitated in 12 locations in Tripura and for this purpose the Central government had announced a Rs 600 crore package," the Chief Minister said. Hyderabad, Aug 15 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said the 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme launched by his government to financially empower Dalits and thereby free them from social discrimination will bring a new light in their lives. The ambitious scheme under which every Dalit beneficiary family will be provided Rs 10 lakh, would be rolled out on Monday on pilot basis in Huzurabad constituency. Rao spoke in detail about the scheme during his Independence Day speech at the Golconda Fort in state capital Hyderabad. Calling 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme a movement, the Chief Minister announced that the scheme will be implemented partially in other constituencies of the state. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government has already earmarked funds for the welfare scheme in the state Budget. He said since Dalits were not satisfied with limited support such as small loans and subsidies provided to them by previous state governments, his government has decided to give Rs 10 lakh of financial support to each Dalit family to set up a unit under 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said it was a naked truth that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Dalits were living under abject poverty but Telangana was an exception to this. "Entire Dalit community is suffering not only from poverty but also from social discrimination from generations together. Even after 75 years of Independence, we should all accept the harsh truth that darkness looms large over lives of Dalits," Rao added. The government will deposit Rs 10 lakh directly into the bank account of the beneficiary without any linkage with the banks and any burden of repayment. "This will ensure that the beneficiary does not have to worry about how to pay the instalments. Beneficiary will be able to continue his livelihood with peace of mind," he said. KCR said the beneficiary will have full freedom to choose the employment and business with the investment money provided by the ruling TRS government. If any of the beneficiaries is in dilemma in choosing employment himself and requests the government for suggestions, then they will guide them accordingly. The government is also giving the opportunity to beneficiaries to form a group and set up a big unit. The Telangana government will also implement special reservations for Dalits to promote them in various business sectors like setting up of fertilisers, medical shops, hospitals, hostels, contracts of supplying commodities, other government contracts and for license to set up wine and bar shops. If the family which benefited from 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme faces any hardship over time, the government has contemplated Dalit Protection Fund to shield them. Of the Rs 10 lakh given by the state government to every beneficiary, Rs 10,000 will be deposited under the share of beneficiary and another Rs 10,000 will be added by the government and will be preserved under the Dalit Protection Fund. KCR said a special comprehensive policy has been introduced for monitoring the results received by the farmers through Dalit Bandhu scheme. The beneficiaries will be provided identity cards, which will have special chip installed to monitor the results. The Chief Minister exuded confidence that Dalit Bandhu will show a way to the country and hence will create history as a brilliant scheme to change the lives of Dalits. He said the scheme will enable the Dalits who have been discriminated to become businessmen and industrialists and live with self-respect in society. He claimed that the TRS government is creating new standards with Dalit Bandhu scheme in the pursuit of values of equality enshrined in the Constitution. Hyderabad, Aug 15 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said his government transformed the newly carved state into an ideal one for the entire country in a short span of time. He claimed that many states are approaching Telangana government to follow and implement its policies. "They are studying our schemes and our programmes," he said while speaking after unfurling the national flag to mark 75th Independence Day at historic Golconda Fort here. He said the government striving forward is focusing on solving the problems of the people and with an aim of developing the state comprehensively and in planned manner. It evolved plans and is implementing them for the development of all sectors and for the welfare of all communities. "In the way of leading the state progressively, many hurdles, problems, challenges, and many adverse situations were encountered, but with the blessings of people of the state we overcame all these difficulties and are marching forward," he said adding that there is no comparison between the situations prior to and after the formation of Telangana State in all the sectors. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said the government was able to unleash development qualitatively and quantitatively in all the sectors. "People are enjoying the fruits of progress. We resolved permanently the power crisis, drinking water problem and irrigation problems and today Telangana State stands proudly as an ideal to the country in these sectors." He claimed that with the foresight planning and due to stringent financial discipline in administration, within the short span of seven years Telangana carved into a wealthy state with sustainable financial development. He pointed out that when Telangana was formed in 2013-2014, the State Gross Domestic Product was Rs 4,51,580 crore. Even though the Covid pandemic created severe hurdles for financial growth, in 2020-2021 the State Gross Domestic Product was Rs 9,80,407 crore. When the state was formed, Telangana's Per Capita Income in 2013-2014 was Rs 1,12,216 but it now has reached Rs 2,37,632. This is higher than the country's Per Capita Income of Rs 1,28,829. "As per the statistics revealed by the Central Government, I am feeling proud to say that our state is at first place in Per Capita Income when we compare our state with the big states having more than 10 Parliamentary seats." KCR said Telangana, which once was synonymous for drought and distress, has witnessed unprecedented development. In 2020-21 agricultural year, it achieved agriculture yield of 3,40,00,000 tonnes, which stood at the pinnacle of the entire country. "Agriculture sector contributes about 20 per cent to State GDP. This is an ample proof that Government transformed Agriculture which was earlier considered a waste. Telangana carved itself as crops growing state and achieved agricultural prosperity," he said. He recalled that in combined state, rice was imported from Punjab and other states. They were not useful even to eat. However, today farmers of Telangana are feeding not only Telangana but also the people of entire country. He said Telangana has emerged as 'rice bowl of India'. The chief minister announced that from August 16, crop loans up to Rs 50,000 will be waived for six lakh farmers in the state. With this, total of 9 lakh farmers will be relieved from loan burden. The government has already waived the crop loan up to Rs 25,000 of three lakh farmers. The government is also implementing this loanwaiver scheme in a phased manner for the remaining farmers. Claiming that the state is creating a golden era in welfare, he said there was no exaggeration to say that not a single home was left out of the government scheme. He listed out schemes like Asara under which social security pension is being paid to various sections of the society and Kalyan Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak for providing financial assistance for the marriage of poor girls. He announced that an insurance scheme for handloom weavers will be implemented shortly. This will be on par with the Rythu Bhima under which Rs 5 lakh is being paid to the family of a farmer in the event of his death. He also spoke about the measures being taken to improve health infrastructure in the state. Stating that Covid-19 is now under control, KCR said the government was fully prepared to deal with the situation in the wake of medical experts warning about the third wave. He urged the people to be extra cautious and to be more vigilant and strictly abide by the Covid rules. Amritsar, Aug 15 : To mark the 75th Independence Day of the country, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced development projects worth Rs 1,200 crore for linking roads, along with a slew of welfare programmes for the Scheduled Castes. The Chief Minister further announced that an Act would soon be notified which would mandate budgetary spending on the Dalit welfare equal to the percentage of SC population in the state, and the 85th Constitutional Amendment would be implemented in line with judgments of the Supreme Court. Further, in order to facilitate ease-of-doing business, the Chief Minister announced a new set of a whopping 1,150 reforms for medium and small enterprises (MSMEs). The details of these would be separately shared by the Department of Investment Promotion, he said. He also announced that certain expensive medical procedures and tests like dialysis, X-rays, etc, would be made free at government hospitals. He said a universal health insurance would be launched shortly. Regularisation of all safai karamcharis working for the past 10 years and increase in the monthly honorarium of anganwadi workers, mini anganwadi worker and helpers by Rs 600, Rs 500 and Rs 300, respectively, were among other key announcements made by the Chief Minister. A sum of Rs 1,170 crore would be spent under the Punjab Nirman Programme for infrastructure development according to the needs of the people residing in the rural and urban areas, said the Chief Minister. Referring to the welfare of landless farmers, the Chief Minister said the state government would make payment of Rs 520 crore to 2.85 lakh landless farmers under the debt relief scheme on August 20, the birth anniversary of the late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Further, the debt relief up to Rs 50,000 would be shortly given to about 16,000 beneficiaries of the SC and BC Corporation at a cost of Rs 62 crore, he added. The Chief Minister said Rs 5 crore would be earmarked for the development of area in and around Guru ki Wadali, the birthplace of Guru Hargobind Sahib in the vicinity of holy city of Amritsar. Paying glowing tributes to the legendary martyr Madan Lal Dhingra, the Chief Minister announced that a memorial would be established in Amritsar city as a mark of homage to him. Since the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan commenced, every day we woke up to news that the Taliban had taken over yet another district, provincial capital, and swaths of territory in Afghanistan. In the process, the fundamentalist Taliban destroyed homes, displaced thousands of people and have reintroduced draconian laws synonymous with their previous rule. As the Taliban took control, women could not so much as leave their homes without a veil. Now the takeover is complete. Plumes of smoke rise into the sky after fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel in Kandahar, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. Credit:AP The response from the West, including in Australia, has been little more than to call out breaches of humanitarian law or encourage the Taliban to take steps toward peace. All while the West attempts to absolve itself of responsibility by repeatedly stating it is up to the Afghan people and its leaders to end the conflict in Afghanistan. But it cannot absolve itself following almost two decades of intervention and promises to the Afghan people that included protection for persecuted groups, women, democratic freedoms and rule of law. Despite the inherent limitations of a middle power, and the Australian governments insistence that we have done all we can, it still could do more to contribute to alleviating the suffering, and take small steps toward protecting minorities and women most at risk of the Taliban. Right now, our government could announce and implement a one-off humanitarian intake of most vulnerable Afghans, especially minority groups such as the Hazaras and women and children who have been displaced by the war and are seeking refuge on the streets of Kabul and in neighbouring countries such as Iran and Pakistan. Recent lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney have driven a surge in calls by distressed children to the Kids Helpline, taking demand to the highest level recorded in the pandemic. Calls to the helpline had already risen 30 per cent in Victoria in the first six months of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020, and by 14 per cent in NSW, before the latest lockdowns. The surge comes as education and child mental health experts warn repeated periods of remote learning are doing cumulative harm to children. Melbournes fifth lockdown, which started in mid-July and ran for two weeks, coincided with the highest number of calls to the 24-hour phone hotline, hitting an average of more than 500 a day. Sydneys current lockdown, which started in late June, has triggered a jump of more than 50 per cent in calls to the Kids Helpline in NSW, peaking at a pandemic high of 4143 calls in the week beginning on July 19. Victorian children made 3632 calls in the same seven-day period. The people in this network know that a series of events counter-terror operations in Australia, the Christchurch terror attack in 2019 and the Capitol riots in Washington DC in January have increased the media, police and spy agency scrutiny on suspected white supremacist terrorists. The National Socialist Network has countered by embracing encrypted communications online and strict security protocols in person. He is the networks chief propagandist but his role also includes op-sec or operational security. Its a job he takes seriously. Hersant posts the message on an encrypted chatroom occupied by vetted members of Australias largest white supremacist group, the National Socialist Network. Pretty much all the boys in South Australia were raided. I want everyone in Melbourne to completely square their shit away, writes Jacob Hersant, a tall, lean unemployed 22-year-old. Get rid of anything that would not reflect well on our organisation should the police find it. On an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon in Melbourne, a leader of Australias neo-Nazi movement prepares an urgent encrypted message he believes cant be intercepted by ASIO or police. The hours of undercover video and audio recordings show why Burgess is so worried. They reveal a cult-like breeding ground for extremists who are training in hope of bringing about societal collapse or a white revolution. The information he is gathering will reshape Australias understanding of a national security threat that ASIO chief Mike Burgess has told The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes is now preoccupying half the attention of his most important domestic counter-terror probes. What some neo-Nazis are prepared to do to realise their political ambitions should be of grave concern to all Australians, he says. This insider has already managed something Hersant and the network have long feared: he has smuggled covert cameras and audio recording equipment into their headquarters and is weeks into an unprecedented information-gathering exercise to expose Australias secretive and violent white supremacist movement. Hidden inside the National Socialist Network is a mole, a pretend neo-Nazi who has become so trusted that hes among those on the receiving end of Hersants encrypted plea. What Hersant doesnt know is that his efforts at op-sec are for nought. They could also put in danger the government-approved gun and security licences that some members hold. Hersant has already been doxed or exposed online by anti-fascist groups. But he fears anything that compromises the anonymity of other recruits or exposes their activities could prompt more police raids and imperil their jobs and social standing, eroding their commitment to the groups cause. Its cold and past midnight when we pull into a motel in Halls Gap, a small town at the base of the mountains. It feels even darker and colder when we wake a few hours later and drive towards the walking circuit where the men were last seen. A light rain falls in the dawn light. Its late afternoon when the phone rings and a confidential source passes on word of a sighting of a group of men, maybe two dozen or more, dressed in black T-shirts adorned with neo-Nazi logos. The black-clad group is trudging through the Grampians, the source says, a rugged mountainous national park three hours west of Melbourne. The evidence painstakingly gathered shows many of these men believe their most important duty is to prepare for a looming race war. As one says on hidden camera: Its coming dude. Its not a matter of if, its when. Despite the networks public claims to disavow violence, behind the scenes some in the group laud terrorist mass murderer Brenton Tarrant as an inspiration whose unjust jailing has put the group on a timeline to revolution. Some of this growing group of white men are still in their teens or are linked to outlaw bikie groups or skinhead jail gangs, while others are ex-military or work for governments or major companies. One is a childrens piano teacher. Neo-Nazi leaders are taped advising members to hang onto their guns and raise funds to buy up rural property to form the genesis of a new, racist state. Theyre also involved in prolific networking with other violent cells across Australia and overseas. But it becomes clear we are hours behind the quarry. Instead of neo-Nazis, we find hikers who describe encounters with the group, ranging from the unsettling to the terrifying. One of few prepared to go on the record is Nathan Hart, who heard the group before he saw them. They were singing Waltzing Matilda in a cave known as the cool chamber. But this groups real activities, aims and membership lists, like those of most neo-Nazi groups in Australia, are cloaked in secrecy. The trip to the Grampians is a strand of an investigation aimed at finding out what this group is doing, who is attracted to its aims and whether it poses a serious threat. It portrays itself as a group of outdoorsmen reviving the imagined traditions of a white Australia that have been economically and politically marginalised by immigration and multiculturalism. Its self-appointed leader Tom Sewell initially the only member of the group whose identity was known occasionally does media interviews claiming to oppose violence and terrorism. With the help of sources in law enforcement and anti-fascist groups including the White Rose Society, we have been tracking the growth of the National Socialist Network , which launched in February 2020 with a social media campaign and an initial cohort of members drawn from a loose coalition of defunct extremist groups, including predecessors The Lads Society and the United Patriots Front . Our rough aim is to catch up with the men, observe them, take some photos and, if it feels safe, introduce ourselves as reporters. The chance of finding them and observing a potential training exercise is a long shot worth taking. There is no suggestion Sewell ever knew of Tarrants murderous plans. But the report into his mosque attacks highlights how neo-Nazi groups can help provide the ideological inspiration for lone-wolf attackers with access to weapons and knowledge of how to use them. He is also mentioned in the royal commission report into the Christchurch terror attacks, with investigators concluding that Australian terrorist mass murderer Brenton Tarrant was an online follower and contributor to the United Patriots and that Sewell had later contacted Tarrant and invited him to join The Lads Society. Tarrant, an online member, declined Sewells offer so he could pursue his New Zealand plot. He publicly disavows violence but was charged after allegedly being captured on film punching to the ground a security guard at the Channel Nine building in Melbourne before it aired an A Current Affair program about neo-Nazis. He denies the assault and the case is before the courts. Sewell is a short, fit, army dropout whose receding hairline makes him look older than his 28 years. Hes spent the past five years moving up the ranks of neo-Nazi groups, starting as an underling in the United Patriots Front to leader Blair Cottrell and helping to found The Lads Society in 2017. Two days later, the network and Sewell take to encrypted messaging app Telegram and release their propaganda of the Grampians event: pictures of masked men singing, saluting and posing on a mountain ridge in front of a burning cross. Photos taken surreptitiously by Halls Gap locals capture National Socialist Network members in army-issued clothes, suggesting previous military training. Police sources also reveal that some of the number plates of network hikers link to Victorians with active gun licences. Locals describe multiple members who look no older than 18. Later, ASIO chief Mike Burgess says in an interview that his agency is seeing neo-Nazis as young as 16 and 17 and that the number of Australians involved in these groups is growing, as is the number engaging in activities that raise terrorism red flags. They look like everyday Australians and theyre not openly showing their true ideology and not openly showing their violent beliefs or their use of violence, which they believe is justified, says Burgess. It is a big deal if you truly understand [what] some of them are prepared to do. Not so, says Sewell. In his online account, the Grampians trip is simply us marching around the bush, having a nice little camping trip. A bunch of white guys out in the bush spending time under the stars. The neo-Nazis described the Grampians trip as an innocent camping expedition. Credit: The lead: Late January 2021 A story in The Age about the Grampians camping trip generates a critical lead. A wary neo-Nazi insider gets in contact, claiming the networks leaders across Australia are far more dangerous than they appear. He offers intelligence on its internal activities on condition his identity is protected so that I am not targeted. What hes worried about is peoples access to weapons and the networks plans for a white ethno-state. Multiple sources, including officials in law enforcement agencies and researchers, raise similar concerns. They suspect the network secretly endorses the ideology of international neo-Nazi terror groups, including Combat 18, which has been banned as a terror group overseas and which instructs members to prepare for a coming race war. Members of Combat 18 have been arrested for violent hate crimes, including the murder of a German politician in 2019 and, nine years earlier, shooting up a Perth mosque. A few days later, the neo-Nazi insider tells us Sewell is off to NSW and then Queensland to hold in-person meetings in pubs with other leaders and new recruits. And so, as Sewell travels up Australias east coast in February, meeting dozens of people in NSW and Queensland, we arrange for several sets of eyes to observe him and take photos. The men he meets range from budding neo-Nazis to veteran white supremacists. Some have gun licences or are ex-military. Others are known or suspected members of Combat18. The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes are not the only ones interested in these east coast meetings, though. Counter-terror police later contact our team, having spotted them secretly taking photos. They, too, have been watching. In-person recruiting sessions might take place one-on-one in pubs, but online, the National Socialist Network uses the protection of encrypted anonymity to let it all hang out. Their chat rooms are a living, growing example of what Burgess describes as an online force multiplier for extremism. A digital sea of hate: February 2021 There is currently a nationwide recruiting effort going on, the neo-Nazi insider explains during a brief tour of the groups online presence, so there are two vetting servers up and running ... This chatroom consists of major white nationalist groups in Australia. It has 12,000 followers. A different room on the encrypted messenger app Telegram is available in each Australian state for recruits who have only been partially vetted. Fully vetted members communicate on a different encrypted app called Element which is considered even more secure. Gaining access to the Telegram rooms requires answering a brief Q and A: Are you a national socialist? Do you believe Australias political system is collapsing? Can you fight? Use weapons? Have you read Hitlers Mein Kampf? Do you have any traces of Jewish or Muslim heritage? Once in, members post streams of memes, messages and videos glorifying extreme racism and violence into a digital sea of anonymous hate. They use online aliases such as klansman-fetch-the-rope and truth-viking. A leaked copy of the networks internal manual includes a chapter about methods to maintain the anonymity of activists which instructs members to live a double life online. It directs them to set up fake identities on encrypted platforms and warns against leaving any little bits of information for journalist detectives. Basically everyones partner thinks that their husband comes to a Nazi meeting where we just straight up preach race war, which we do. National Socialist Network leader Tom Sewell Discerning the difference between serious calls to violence and mere violent rhetoric and hate speech is almost impossible in this environment. When one member messages on Telegram about regional towns attracting migrants, another responds: Wheres Tarrant when you need him? In another Telegram chat, a network member appears to encourage violence, as we all know talk only gets ya so far. ASIO director general Burgess warns that while some online neo-Nazis are just talking a good game, it could unfortunately spur someone on whos on the fringe of that group. To get clarity, we will need to move offline and into the real world. Enter Insider No.2, whose identity must be protected for his own safety. He is considering a dangerous assignment: to infiltrate the National Socialist Network. As he is assessing the prospect he is contacted by an anonymous network figure with the Telegram handle Race War Pete and invited to undergo an interview. After obtaining comprehensive legal and security advice and reviewing the journalistic ethics of receiving information from an undercover agent, The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes approve the mission. Insider No.2 is aware that the vetting process will be designed to sniff out any potential law enforcement or media informers, but he says hes confident. He has a cover story whose virtue is its simplicity. He will pose not as a well-read neo-Nazi, but as a simple, politically incorrect racist eager to learn and to meet other anti-woke men. There is less for me to remember, he says. A few days later, he is contacted again by Race War Pete, this time via an encrypted call. Pete first questions the moles knowledge of Nazism. Our insider professes ignorance and the vetter changes tack. What are your views on the Jews? What are your views on homosexuals? What do you want Australia to be like in the future? So youd describe yourself first and foremost as a racist? You sound like you would be well suited to our organisation, Race War Pete finally tells Insider No.2. You dont have any views that turn us off. A quick check links Race War Petes handle to an online alias leaked in a massive hack of an online neo-Nazi forum in the US. Race War Pete is the National Socialist Networks propaganda man: Jacob Hersant. Jacob Hersant Credit: Inside Racism HQ: March 2021 Insider No.2 sits in his car, psyching himself up to walk into the ordinary suburban home the National Socialist Network calls Racism HQ. Dressed, as ordered, for a training exercise, he is carrying no recording equipment for fear of being searched. Then he calls his safety contact, turns off his phone and walks alone into the brown brick duplex opposite a sporting oval in the outer Melbourne suburb of Rowville. Sewell and Hersant are already there, boxing with a dozen or so young men at the end of the cement driveway. Behind a white roller door, theres a basic gym set up with weights, boxing gloves and pads. In the centre of the wall is a framed portrait of Adolf Hitler with printed quotes hung beside it. Insider No.2 scans them quickly: those who dont want to fight do not deserve to live; carry on the racial struggle without mercy. A portrait of Adolf Hitler at the breakfast table inside Racism HQ. He shakes a few hands, trades wary introductions. He says later he is struck by the eclectic mix; hardened criminal types next to chubby, nervous teens. All are wary of the newcomer. Today, he will box, stay quiet, and watch. In addition to Hersant and Sewell, there are two or three fit men who act like leaders. They live in a four-bedroom unit at the back of the property, with the living spaces open for any members to use. The only place thats off limits is Sewells bedroom and office on the ground floor. The fridge is packed with meat and beer: Sewell has a strict rule that no bread is allowed in the house. The backyard is for bonfires and BBQs, where network members celebrate key events on the neo-Nazi calendar. Hersants girlfriend, Samantha, offers further details: this room is being converted into a full-time propaganda hub; fighting training is twice weekly, led by Sewell. Insider No.2 decides he will use training to become a regular presence at Racism HQ. Hidden camera, private admissions When video starts to arrive from the insider a few weeks later, shot on hidden cameras, we start piecing together first names, snippets of biography. We search for them and share with others for confirmation. If Insider No.2 can collect a phone number or job description, it takes us a step closer to identifying a member of the network. Fighting training is the main group event, but there are also ideology workshops. On weekends, most of the young members huddle in the Racism HQ lounge room, scanning their encrypted chat rooms and watching racist videos on a laptop hooked up to the TV. Its also where they gather to watch the Senate inquiry into far-right extremism. The recordings make clear almost immediately that the National Socialists public repudiation of violence is itself propaganda. When Insider No.2 discloses to a committed neo-Nazi in his early 50s, Brendan, that he is struggling to make sense of talk about the coming race war, Brendan explains that all he needs to know is that Jews are a parasite. I f---ing hate them with a passion mate and I think ... its got to the point, theres two options, one is sterilising and the other one is not so kind, he says. Pity we havent got guns. Would be a lot easier. In training, neo-Nazis as young as 16 are exhorted to attack non-whites. Sewell laments that some of the groups younger members are too soft. In the 80s and 90s maybe you had young white guys going out and beating up people, beating up faggots, beating up Viets, whatever it was, skinheads or not skinheads, he says. But these days there is no fight in them. But there are harder types in the mix as well. One is Danny, a man we later identify as Daniel Newman. Hes a senior Australian member of the ultra-violent and secretive international neo-Nazi terror group Combat 18, which has been banned in both Canada and the UK. Sewell tells Insider No.2 that Newman is the National Socialists link to skinhead gangs in Victorian jails. Any network member who found themselves inside had been promised protection. Danny said dont stress, we have got Excalibur, Sewell says, referring to a shank [makeshift knife] apparently, like, this long. They called Danny recently and I am the most loved and hated man in Barwon prison, a grinning Sewell boasts on another covert recording. Danny said they have got the coconuts [dark-skinned people] under control. The National Socialists also use Newman to recruit those fresh out of jail, including a fresh-faced young man who confides to Insider No.2 that hes spent years in youth detention. Ive done burgs [burglaries], dumb childish shit, then armed robs, like dealers, kidnappings and that, he says after one training session. Two regulars at Racism HQ are affiliated with outlaw bikie gangs. One says his name is Paul, but his arm tattoo allows us to confirm he is Ryan Ulf Lindfors-Beswick, a veteran neo-Nazi and bikie associated with the violent gang the Finks. Victoria Police records also reveal that, inexplicably, he holds a police approved and vetted security licence. A second bikie, who we identify via his LinkedIn profile as a federal government agency employee, discloses he is drawn to the National Socialist Network because outlaw bikie gangs have begun to allow any colour to join their branch. The Hells Angels used to be white only, he explains. Around the neo-Nazis Rowville house, which they dubbed Racism HQ. The video shows tattooed skinheads and bikies mixing with two young men who have barely started shaving and who work in disability care. In the confines of Racism HQ, they too boast about inflicting violence, including on the vulnerable in their care. You do get to kick a bit of arse, jokes one. As the weeks pass, more neo-Nazis come into our frame. One is a security manager for Crown Casino, Daniel Todisco, a former special forces soldier who also has a Victoria Police vetted security licence and says he carries a baton in his boot. He boasts of bossing around the f---g n----rs who are his subordinates at Crown. I just get them to do the shit jobs to be honest with you. Michael Edwards, an older member, travels to HQ from regional Victoria where he is trying to set up a neo-Nazi cell in Bendigo. He is a full-time carer for his elderly father but, in a taped conversation, he proposes videoing the network bashing a black person. I mean the publicity would be through the roof. The coming race war The secret recordings from Racism HQ reveal a deep sense of anger. David Hiscox is a 50-something who despises his casual work as a piano teacher; Vinnie ONeill cant afford a house; even Tom Sewell cant find regular work. Among them are men, young and old, angry at being left behind by economic and social forces beyond their control. The National Socialist Network urges them to channel their anger against Jews, liberal multicultural democracy, black people, migrants, Muslims. And it offers the promise of a coming race war to restore their lost status and superiority. Sewell presides over it all, delivering rhetoric about the coming clash of systems in the tone of an angry suburban footy coach. We have a different vision of the future ... And for that we are called extreme There is nothing, nothing, that our enemies can truly do to stop us, Sewell says at one monthly meeting. We do not kneel and die. We stand and fight and live. One of the groups plans is to buy a country property to begin a kind of neo-Nazi alternative lifestyle. One night in a Shepparton pub, the Peppermill Inn, Insider No.2 meets three followers including Ty, an overweight, bearded information technology consultant for federal government agencies who has brought along his wife and child. Ty confides that the three of them are scouting for a rural property to help realise Sewells plan to become a white ethnostate, a Balkanised parallel nation. Another, Steve, talks of owning several guns and reveals he has scoped out a place just out of Benalla, not bad, 60 acres where they would run some goats, run some sheep, run some chooks, run some cattle and put some greenhouses up. These rural havens will also host overseas neo-Nazis. The National Socialist Network has links with international terror groups because, according to Sewell, this struggle is global. So when we fight for a free white Australia we are joining our brothers in the struggle for a free white world. A global white revolution is the only solution to our troubles. Among this global brotherhood is Australias most notorious white supremacist, Brenton Tarrant, who in August 2020 was jailed for life without parole. To the world, Tarrant is a multiple murderer who killed 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand. To Sewell, he is a hero. He will be in there [in prison] until we win the revolution, says Sewell in a discussion in which he compares Tarrant to Nelson Mandela. He doesnt come out unless we win Hes putting us on a timeline. Camping group or cult? April 2021 US psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who gained acclaim for his academic work studying terrorism and violence, has noted how violent cults commonly share three characteristics: a charismatic but unaccountable leader, a system of brainwashing, and the exploitation of cult members who end up acting against their own interests. The National Socialist Network displays aspects of all three. Sewell appears on the secret recordings both controlling and charming, encouraging and vicious. Those who pass his vetting requirements, scramble to meet his calls to compulsory meetings and pledge allegiance to the group are rewarded with a white wristband in front of the group in a secret ceremony. From then on, they greet each other with Roman handshakes, clasping each others forearms. In one such ceremony in a suburban Melbourne pub, Matty receives his white band as Tom guides him through the oath. It is my duty to be a warrior, to be strong and defend my people. It is my duty to speak the truth no matter the consequences. I may die, but my blood lives forever, until my end, this is my oath. Blood and honour. The watching members perform a Nazi salute and break into applause. At another late-night meetup, Insider No.2 secretly records members trudging through a suburban cemetery. After lighting candles, they perform a ceremony inspired by Norse mythology, instructed by a tattooed Odinist at the grave of one of Australias first well-known neo-Nazis, Alexander Rud Mills. On another night, at a backyard bonfire, Sewell gathers the men to celebrate the birthday of Adolf Hitler. I was going to read out some quotes from Mein Kampf or just from his life and I decided that there was really no point because every time I try and find a quote, I find another one that I want to read out, and then another and I decided we would be sitting here reading Mein Kampf all the way through, Sewell intones. At the end of his speech, the men cover their faces with black masks and pose for a photo. Sewell, at the centre, holds a portrait of Hitler. Sewell wants network members to indoctrinate their wives, girlfriends and children, but even he recognises that this will require keeping secrets from them. Basically everyones partner thinks that their husband comes to a Nazi meeting where we basically just straight up preach race war, which we do, Sewell says, to chuckling. Families, he says, are one of the biggest taxes on individual members. The wife is at home going, This is risky, you are putting everything at risk, you are jeopardising our future, you are jeopardising the career, the job, the house, the kids and they never f---ing stop. It never f---ing stops. His advice is to expose them only to nice guy Nazism. Insider No.2s recordings reveal varying levels of commitment in the group. Daniel Todiscos LinkedIn profile describes him as an experienced and optimistic Security Services Manager at Crown casino. He says hes giving Sewell a small cut of his $100,000-plus salary part of the requirement of membership. But he will let others engage in more overt extremism. As Tom said, we are not all expected to be activists, he says. As long as we all have a single beating heart, as long as we understand about natural order and blood and honour, then thats all we need. Neo-Nazi and Crown security guard Daniel Todisco. But senior cell members such as Jacob Hersant and Danny Newman appear to have resigned themselves to revolution or jail. Newman brings his girlfriend to Racism HQ; Hersants girlfriend, Samantha, lives in one of the HQs bedrooms. Asked if Hersant works, Samantha replies, matter-of-factly, Hes a full-time racist. In return for loyalty, Sewell promises protection. Sewell discusses raising funds to help pay the bail for an alleged neo-Nazi and network affiliate in NSW facing a terrorism charge for allegedly plotting a mass casualty event. I dont know the f---ing kid from a bar of soap. But what I do know is that he is one of our boys ...We spread and share the risk. Thats how it works. And the more of us there are and the stronger we are, the less risk we individually face. Sewell acknowledges members with children are worried if there are going to be cops pointing guns at me and my family at five oclock in the morning. But those who falter in the face of this anticipated police attention are derided as cowards emitting the smell of fear and fleeing like rats on a ship because there is a little bit of persecution. Those who do not toe the groups line are shamed. One piece of covert camera vision shows a meeting in which Sewell describes expelling three of their brethren. One of the men is either gay or a Jew, he says, the second a sex pest who failed in his job of liaising with other neo-Nazi cells. The third, Ulf Lindfors-Beswick was engaging in outright illegal activity, Sewell says, prioritising his outlaw bikie gang activities over his duties as a neo-Nazi. He brought illegal ammunition and shit into our f---ing headquarters, Sewell fumes. In the past, we tolerated people associating with whoever the f--- they want but people are stressed and worried about their doors being knocked down. Not all criminality is derided, however. Hersant is recorded on camera boasting that he spent much of the previous night painting a massive HITLER mural at Brunswick train station in inner-city Melbourne. Graffiti in suburban Melbourne painted by members of the National Socialist Network. Credit: Cops and complaints: April-May 2021 Attention from the police is intensifying. On April 7, network members in Adelaide and Queensland are raided and two charged with terrorism offences after being found with components to make an improvised explosive device. You know it was just like sparklers? They are kicking up a stink about nothing, Sewell says dismissively. Hersant, though, appears on the video recordings to be anxious. As well as sending out encrypted instructions to members in Melbourne to square their shit away, he moves his computers to his fathers house in North Melbourne. Go through everything and clear it all out and just dont be retarded, Hersant demands of the networks members. Rookie Brendan confides to Insider No.2 that I didnt realise these guys were getting so much heat from the cops ... its f---en bad. Others start to wonder if Sewells desire for publicity is putting them at risk. And even Sewells bravado starts sounding hollower. In one meeting he joins Hersant in ordering his followers to clean up shop: And what I mean by that is, get rid of your sparklers. Youve got Mein Kampf in your room, youve got anarchist cookbook on your computer and ... a Facebook comment from 2013 saying I f---ing hate n----s, I hope they all hang. And those three things together is now a f---ing evidence brief for you to go to jail for a year or two or five. Sewell also offers up his own experience of being raided, revealing how investigators discovered a meme celebrating terrorist Brenton Tarrant as a saint. I deleted five or six thousand before they raided ... I burned three phones, a laptop ... but yeah they still got it. But his caution has its limits. One man confides to Sewell that hes nervous because he has a firearm licence and several guns and that if police knew he was a network member they might be thinking I am a mass shooter or something. Sewell says hes advising everyone to hold on to their weapons. I am not going to tell you to get rid of your gun. We are not at that point yet. In early May, the mood strained, Hersant and Sewell announce its time for the group to head back to the bush. On May 14, Insider 2 gets an encrypted message to travel as part of a convoy to the Cathedral Range State Park, 100 kilometres north-east of Melbourne for a camping and hiking trip. After setting up camp, one of the older members, Michael, unfurls a large swastika flag. But within hours, a wave of confusion sweeps through the group. The networks leadership cell, assembled at a different car park, has unexpectedly returned to Melbourne. Word spreads that the trip has been cancelled. Three days later, Hersant messages the Victorian members on Element. Do not talk to the police, exercise severe caution over the next month ... Hail [sic] Hitler. Nothing will stop us. Three days after that, at 5am, counter-terror police swoop on Racism HQ. They use loudspeakers to demand Hersant, Samantha, Sewell and other occupants come out with nothing in their hands. That afternoon, Sewell is charged and remanded in custody over allegations that someone in the network was involved in a violent incident involving hikers. The allegations are denied and are yet to be tested in court. The king is dead, long live the king: June 2021 When Insider 2 returns to Racism HQ, the door is broken from the police raid and members appear dejected. Hersant tries to be upbeat. The numbers have been a little less but you have got to give people time to digest everything that has happened and realise that the sky hasnt fallen down and everything. Not everyone is buying it. Member Bradley Ingram, a white band member and construction worker, says quietly that he feels lost. Yeah its different mate. Huge like, um, you can just sense the presence is gone. Something is missing, you know. Loading Hersant tells members to return to fighting training and promises a bigger, better headquarters than those Sewell provided. This place ... a lot of it is shit. I think we could definitely get a better set up. Now that we know what we are doing, he tells Insider 2, still covertly recording. Ingram calls it their Ritz Race War HQ. For Insider No.2, its time to call it quits. He rings to discuss his extraction plan. By the time his recordings are published he wants to be overseas or at least interstate. But before he withdraws he has one more lead to follow a one-time Australian leader of the Proud Boys, the group whose American arm gained infamy by storming the US Capitol in January, has made contact. This man is derisive of Hersants ability to lead the nations neo-Nazi movement and believes that with his Proud Boys networks and time spent in jail, he is a natural fit to become Australias next Tom Sewell. The next time we obtain surveillance vision from inside Race War HQ, it is this man leading the fighting. Next week: The new leader Contrast this with the recent performances of our Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Gladys Berejiklian, which could be best described as unadulterated gobbledygook. - Paul Ettema, Riverview Constant criticism of the Premier and Health Minister is akin to bullying behaviour. The Premier can talk till she is blue in the face but if we do not respond like responsible citizens, we will be stuck in this time warp. - Kath Maher, Lidcombe Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce are nothing but naysayers. Well-paid show ponies in positions of power. Mandatory vaccination and climate change policy are in their too-hard basket. Someone, anyone, needs to tell them we live in a country that embraces public health measures over individualism. We wear seatbelts, you need to have a helmet on your head to ride a pushbike, you cannot drink and drive, there are speed limits. We swim between the flags, and preschools have a no jab, no pay policy as well as no hat, no play. Public health wins out every time. And the majority of Australians unflinchingly accept this. Our two supposed leaders apparently dont on the two things that matter most in 2021. Mandated vaccination and carbon emissions. Time for both to go. - Wendy Atkins, Cooks Hill I am hopeful, perhaps naively, that the federal government has already ordered our vaccine booster shots for next year. - Joanna van Kool, Crows Nest Regional rage: Selfishness, inaction locks down bush My mother drilled into me as a child that pride always comes before fall. We are now witnessing a spectacular example of that. Gladys Berejiklians pride prevented her from locking down early and hard. No, she decided, she knew best, she would show them, she would manage the economy and the spread of the Delta variant simultaneously. Unfortunately, all citizens of NSW are paying the price of her stubbornness. - Gareth Turner, Louth Park The NSW city-centric government strips rural and regional areas of vaccines, allows Sydney escapees to infect these communities, and then places us all into lockdown. We will remember. - Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst Insufficient vaccines were ordered. Masks were not mandated for ages. And now, despite persistent imploring by epidemiologists, the state Coalition resisted the notion of a ring of steel around Sydney, while we in regional NSW held our breath waiting for another recalcitrant Sydneysider to escape and import COVID-19 to regional towns. So now we all suffer. - Tom Meakin, Port Macquarie Once again, the country areas suffer at the hands of the city-dwellers. Why? First and foremost because of those self-centred, ignorant morons who can only think of themselves. Those who cannot comply with simple rules because they think they are above them. But also because the Premier is too terrified to impose an iron curtain around Sydney to prevent the escape of the virus into the rest of the state or interstate. Had the morons thought of others and the Premier imposed an iron curtain around Sydney, the virus more than likely would have been contained to the Greater Sydney area. The infections that affected Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide would most probably not have occurred and those areas of NSW who have not had a sniff of COVID-19 at any time during the past 20 months would be pursuing normal lives and daily activities. - Dallas Franklin, Kyogle The South Coast has been kicked again due to the incompetence of NSW government and officials. So now we have Operation Stay At Home seven weeks after the first day this was required! What do you want, a medal? - Nicholas Pile, Long Beach To all those self-engrossed yuppies in the Eastern Suburbs who were too entitled to stay home weeks ago and went spreading your germs everywhere: thanks heaps. And to all the lovelies who had to party around the state: thanks for spreading your germs too. Now we in the regions, who have tried to do the right thing, have to endure this statewide lockdown. People whose businesses have struggled with bushfires and then the effects of the pandemic are now closing. Theyve been able to cope with it all but your selfishness and stupidity will kill them off. - Jon Sloan, North Narooma Afghanistan: Our folly, their catastrophe What was the point of the ill-advised war in Afghanistan (New plans to rescue nations Afghan allies, August 14-15)? Our involvement was protested by hundreds of thousands of Australians and still we sent troops. Now with 41 Australian deaths, many more injured and countless civilian lives also lost, the Taliban are about to take control. I dont know the answer; perhaps John Howard could explain? - David Sargeant, Jannali It comes as little surprise to witness the unfolding humanitarian chaos in Afghanistan. After 20 years of stamping our large military jack-booted footprint all over that forsaken third-world backwater, the ancient Biblical prophets warning of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind starts to ring true. - John Boutagy, Mosman What a disaster and a catastrophe for Afghanistan and its citizens as the US and other allies scramble to depart ahead of the Taliban overrunning the whole country and taking it back to the Middle Ages. It will be women and girls who pay the biggest price. This is President Bidens first international blunder. - Con Vaitsas, Ashbury With the impending fall of Kabul, what should be the response of the Commonwealth government to the resulting refugee crisis? Should we assist and take in refugees, especially groups we know will face persecution under the Taliban? Should we do this in an orderly way or just push back the boats and leave the problem to others? - Dr Bruce McGarity, Bathurst As Afghanistan falls apart after 20 years of Australian and allied involvement, we need to make it apparent to every single person who served or supported there: you did your jobs to the very best of your ability. You were sent into a war we never had a chance of winning by politicians who used you as political pawns, then abandoned you. Lest we forget. - Doug Steley, Heyfield Peanut gallery The United Nations has classified its climate change assessment as Code Red. Here in Australia, we have a bipartisan policy regarding climate change that can be classified as Code Yellow (Carbon dreaming, August 14-15). - E. Mark Latham, Croydon Park Some countries have a deputy prime minister who works with government colleagues on solving pressing and important problems. We have a deputy PM who heckles his government from the cheap seats (Cunning in Joyces climate shuffle, August 14-15). - David Mansford, Concord West No more freewheeling We are all feeling the containment and boredom of lockdown (Beating lockdown blues, August 14-15). But it is not OK to sacrifice our endangered wildlife and plants and trash our national parks and bushland reserves. Illegal mountain bike tracks are currently creating a maze of environmental destruction. Not satisfied with fire trails and bitumen roads, mountain bikers create their own trails, building obstacles, cutting down vegetation and nailing illegal signs to native trees. In Royal National Park, even nocturnal wildlife isnt safe with an endangered broad-headed snake and unique leaf-tailed Gecko killed by mountain bikes on illegal tracks and dedicated walking trails at night. If mountain biking is so popular, then local and state governments should provide purpose-built mountain bike tracks outside our precious national parks and bushland reserves. - Debbie Andrew, Oatley Pay attention Its admirable that Alan Tudge is in favour of uni salaries being benchmarked (Tudge backs benchmarking of uni salaries, August 14-15). However, his ministerial salary of approximately $364,000 is over $60,000 more than the UK Prime Ministers and Scott Morrison gets about $250,000 more than Boris Johnson. Perhaps all our politicians salaries should be based on our population, 25 million v the UKs 68 million. I do not think we are getting value for money. - Lindsay Somerville, Lindfield Rational thinking I know how much Malcolm Knox supports womens sports and their right to be free from male-born interlopers (Women sent into battle of one-upmanship for feuding footy codes August 14-15). So, can I ask him to no longer use the term gender when he means the biological fact of our anatomical sex? Women have already enough problems to claim our place in sports and elsewhere, which we claim on our sex, our unique female body, which is not a gender nor a sexual orientation, but half of the human species, defined by reproductive anatomy. If more rational thinking men like Malcolm, who do not have to claim their sex because it is always already the unspoken norm of being human, please extend that privilege to insist on the primacy of women as the one and only female sex, that would help our visibility and might one day render us human rights on that unique anatomy. - Mia Campioni, Annandale Slippery slope Having recently read Richard Flanagans book Toxic and decided never to eat unsustainably sourced salmon again, I can only applaud Andrew Forrest for putting his money where his mouth is and trying to rectify a terrible situation and potentially save the Tasmanian salmon industry reputation (Fish out of water, August 14-15). His approach might not be perfect, but he is one person who might be able to make a difference and walk the fine line between environment and jobs. - Debbie Ditchfield, Vaucluse Hey, neigh-bour Fines of $275 can be issued under the NSW Companion Animals Act, 1998, for not immediately removing dog faeces from public places. So, whats the score for all those police horses currently clip-clopping and dropping through certain Sydney suburbs in the name of public health law enforcement? Shouldnt police riders be held accountable to the same laws as the rest of us? Asking for a friend. - Ian Brookes, Mosman Full steam ahead The New York Yacht Clubs defence of the Americas Cup lasted 132 years, the longest winning streak in sporting competition history. After only 19 years, New Zealands hold on rugbys Bledisloe Cup still has a way to go, but the sailing record might justifiably be in their sights (Bled-bath: All Blacks seal series win after late blitz, August 15). - Rob Phillips, North Epping Thought I would give the Wallabies one more chance. What an embarrassment. The rugby community is fed up with excuses. Time for radical surgery. - Denis Suttling, Newport Beach Dead bored After exhausting all my reading material, watching just about every program on Netflix, ABC iview and SBS On Demand, Im now tuning in to livestreamed funerals of complete strangers. Im having a strong word with myself. - Llieda Wild, Eastwood Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Australias wildlife was so weird to the 19th-century scientists of the northern hemisphere that it caused one of them, a devout Christian by the name of Charles Darwin, to question his Gods creation. A disbeliever in everything beyond his own reason might exclaim, Surely two distinct Creators must have been [at] work; their object, however, has been the same, Darwin wrote in 1836, after visiting Coxs River at Wallerawang in NSW. A days kangaroo hunting, during which he had stumbled on a potoroo, parrots and a platypus, had blown Darwins mind. He hadnt known it then but most of the plants and animals he had encountered had spent 40 million years evolving their own unique solutions to a common conundrum: how to survive and prosper. The longer Australias plants and animals spent on an island in glorious isolation and 40 million years is a decent whack of time even in the slow game of evolution the further its species reproduced along their own evolutionary branch, so that their solutions to these issues were, compared with the rest of the world, odd. British naturalist Charles Darwin in 1878. Decades earlier, he had visited Australia during a round-the-world trip on the naval ship the HMS Beagle. Credit:Getty Images More than 80 per cent of Australias nearly 400 mammal species, from flying marsupial sugar gliders to truffle-eating miniature kangaroos, are found nowhere else in the world. The same goes for about 95 per cent of nearly 1000 reptile species, from blue-tongued lizards to thorny devils, and for more than 90 per cent of the nearly 300,000 species of invertebrates, of which fewer than 15 per cent have been formally described. Its not just the sheer numbers of species that matter in Australia, says the Wilderness Societys Tim Beshara, its how totally unrelated these species are to everything else on the planet. Australias flora and fauna species dont just represent a few leaves on the tree of life, they represent entire branches and some of the trunk. This means that when just one species becomes extinct in Australia, a significant part of Earths evolutionary history is lost there is no near cousin, nothing quite like it, to fill its niche. Our plants and animals are, Beshara says, disproportionately special. So how did our flora and fauna get to be so unique? Whats so unusual about creatures such as kookaburras, lyrebirds and thorny devils? And what are the consequences if they become extinct? Advertisement Antarctic beech (Nothofagus moorei), a link to the ancient forests of Gondwana, in Springbrook National Park in Queensland. Credit:Getty Images How did our plants and animals end up on their own? The Gondwana supercontinent, comprising Africa, South America, India, Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand, began to slowly break apart 165 million years ago. Australia and South America remained linked to Antarctica by land bridges covered in beech forest over which marsupials roamed. Australia drifted away from Antarctica about 40 million years ago, which severed the link to South America as well. Further north, Australia and New Guinea, which sit on the same tectonic plate, were drifting northwards as they still do today: the Australia-New Guinea continental plate is colliding with Eurasia, forcing up the New Guinea Highlands and buckling downwards into a now-submerged land bridge across the Torres Strait. That land bridge sank just 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, when melting glaciers filled in the trough which is why there are common species among Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian provinces to its near west, notably the cassowary as well as many birds, echidnas and tree kangaroos. Fossil records reveal Australias ancient ecological isolation. All of the other continents, says eminent Australian paleontologist Michael Archer, had physical connections between each of them, meaning that they have been exchanging biota [animals and plants] back and forth. We have, for example, camels in South America and camels in Asia. The camels in South America are the llamas and alpacas. South America has had elephants and lions, all the same things that were spread all the way across the other continents. Advertisement Essentially, the other continents have had a shared genome for much of the last 65 million years, since that meteor hit the Earth and obliterated the non-flying dinosaurs, when there was a massive explosion in the northern hemisphere of placental mammals. A short-beaked echidna. Credit:Getty Images What kinds of animals are unique in Australia? In 1859, British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace drew a line on a map through the Indonesian archipelago representing his realisation of a geographic split in mammal evolution. In the west were placental mammals, nourished by their mothers uterus, and in the east were marsupials, which suckle their young in the pouch, and monotremes, which lay eggs. The great gulf in evolution is cut sharply on the map. On the ground, from the northern tip of Lombok, on the marsupial side of the Wallace Line, the lands of placental mammals can be glimpsed across a narrow strait just 35 kilometres away in Bali. Wallaces contemporary, Thomas Huxley, altered the northern tip of the line to incorporate the Philippines, which also has a lot of endemic wildlife. Where deer evolved in the northern hemisphere, kangaroos cropped up in Australia. Primates evolved in Africa and migrated into South and Central America as well as Asia, many growing limbs to exploit fruiting trees. But in Australia marsupials fill that role, with tree kangaroos and cuscuses that swing from limb to limb. Even more ancient animal lineages remain within the echidnas and platypuses, monotremes that uniquely among land animals use electro-location to sense prey and even retain the reptilian traits of egg-laying and legs on the sides of their bodies rather than underneath, as with mammals. Pioneering ecologist Professor Christopher Dickman says marsupials arrived in Australia via the land bridge from South America about 40 million years ago and there was a spectacular radiation, meaning the animals got busy evolving into a wide array of species. Because of the integrity of the radiation, weve got all of these forms that really dont occur anywhere else. Certainly, there are marsupials in South America, but theyre all little guys. Theyre all five kilograms at the very maximum, Dickman says. The vast majority of them are smaller, mostly omnivorous and theyre pretty similar to each other in many respects, whereas in Australia theyve been able to radiate into the countrys many environments. Advertisement A marsupial lion weighing about 130 kilograms roamed Australias forests, the largest ever carnivorous marsupial before it died out 30,000 years ago about 20,000 years after the arrival of Aboriginal Australians. The next biggest Australian meat-eater that cohabited with humans was the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, its males weighing in at 20 kilograms; and the next biggest after that is the Tasmanian devil. Scientists think the thylacine and devil were both extinct on the mainland by 3000 years ago, possibly due to competition with dingoes, introduced between 5000 and 10,000 years ago. But thousands of years before that about 12,000 years ago rising sea levels had inundated the land bridge between the mainland and Tasmania, making the latter an island refuge for devils and the thylacine. But Tasmania was no haven once European settlers arrived; by 1936 they had hunted the thylacine to extinction, although the devils survive. The last Tasmanian tiger, Benjamin, died in a Hobart zoo in 1936 from exposure. Credit:AP And it wasnt just the carnivorous marsupials that proliferated. Weve got specialist insect-eating marsupials, specialist termite-eaters which is primarily the numbat and weve got the worlds only specialist fungivore marsupials in the potoroos and bettongs. West of the Wallace Line, the aardvark evolved as the mammalian solution to exploiting protein-rich termites but in Australia, in a process known as convergent evolution, the marsupial to fill this niche was the numbat. Numbats are the only marsupials active in the day. They once lived across vast tracts of Australia but have been hunted down by foxes to a small corner of Western Australia. With no monkeys or lemurs as competition, the tree kangaroo evolved. Credit:Getty Images Another case of convergent evolution is the tree kangaroo. In the absence of competition from arboreal primates such as monkeys, lemurs and gibbons, kangaroos adapted to climb trees and eat the fruits and leaves on offer. Advertisement Potoroos, which so amazed Darwin, as did their relatives the bettongs, are unusual not just because theyre the only marsupials that dine on fungi native truffles buried in the soil, to be precise but also for their role as ecosystem engineers. In the forest environment, potoroos eat fungi and they move the spores around in the forest, Dickman says. Theyre the vectors for the spores. Fungi have a symbiotic relationship with some plants, where they source necessary carbohydrates from plant roots and in return harvest scarce nutrients from the soil such as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, which dramatically improve plant growth. You lose the potoroos and you lose the ability for the fungi to move around in the forest, says Dickman. So in the wake of a disturbance, like a fire or a flood or somebody going through with a bulldozer, if the fungi are not there and the potoroos have gone, plant growth will be much, much slower. The low-key male eclectus parrot. Several will feed a (bright-red) female as she sits in a nest. Credit:Getty Images Did the worlds songbirds really come from Australia? When Darwin sat down to write after his trip to Coxs River, it was little wonder he questioned how one god could create both those European animals he was familiar with and those creatures hed witnessed on the western side of the Blue Mountains. Would any two workmen ever hit on so beautiful, so simple and yet so artificial a contrivance? I cannot think so, Darwin wrote. Many scientists and historians argue this moment was the genesis of Darwins revolutionary theory of evolution, eventually published in On The Origin of Species in 1859. Even the most mobile of animals, the birds, boast species in the hundreds that are endemic that is, unique to Australia. Of the 830 types of bird in Australia, 45 per cent are found only here. Whats more, as biologist Tim Low points out in his outstanding 2017 book Where Song Began, all the worlds songbirds and the most visually appealing birds have Australian roots. An Australian origin is implied for every songster in an English country garden, for all the chickadees, cardinals and jays in America, for bulbuls, babblers and sunbirds in Asia, and weavers, whydahs and bush-shrikes in Africa, Low says. One of Australias most spectacular songbirds, the superb lyrebird, also has the deepest evolutionary lineage and retains physical features of the earliest songbirds. The lyrebirds mimicry is not limited to just about every other bird in the forest but extends to human voices, camera shutters, mobile phones, car horns and even chainsaws. It is also one of the worlds largest songbirds, with a dramatic fantail used in courtship displays. So well adapted are the largely solitary lyrebirds to their forest environments, they have been known to anticipate incoming bushfires by congregating in sheltered gullies and watercourses to survive the flames. Advertisement Video and audio records also capture National Socialist Network leaders instructing their followers to destroy evidence to thwart ASIO and counter-terrorism investigations, as well as their networking with outlaw bikie gang associates, a prison skinhead gang and members of international neo-Nazi terror groups, including Combat 18. Mr Burgess said ASIO had assessed that a lone wolf or small cell would be the most likely culprit behind a terror attack, but warned these actors could be inspired by a neo-Nazi or similar group and their violent race war rhetoric. Whilst we might conclude these groups in these online forums are just talking a good game, it could unfortunately spur someone on who is on the fringe of that group, he said. Graffiti in suburban Melbourne painted by members of the National Socialist Network. Credit: Mr Burgess comments highlight how the face of domestic extremism has shifted since the September 11 attacks in 2001, when Islamic extremism became ASIOs primary focus. While stressing neo-Nazi groups were not as dangerous as groups such as Islamic State, Mr Burgess said nonetheless, their views and where it goes to promoting acts of violence are of grave concern. The concern is growing: in 2016, neo-Nazi and like groups accounted for only 10 to 15 per cent of ASIOs counter-terror caseload. Mr Burgess said Australian neo-Nazis no longer simply fitted the skinhead cliche. Were seeing people as young as 16 and 17 in these groups, he said. That concerns us. Theyre middle-class, well educated, they understand the ideology. They look like everyday Australians, and theyre not openly showing their true ideology and not openly showing their violent beliefs or their use of violence, which they believe is justified. The ASIO chief urged greater public awareness and understanding of the threat, labelling neo-Nazi groups a whole-of-society problem. It is a big deal if you truly understand their ideology and what they believe, and actually what theyre inspired by, of past events in history, and how they would like to see the world corrected and what theyre prepared to do, or some of them are prepared to do to make that happen, he said. The internet and encrypted applications, along with a range of issues from COVID-19 lockdowns and conspiracies to a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement, were supercharging domestic and international white supremacist networking, rhetoric and recruiting. Theres no doubt the impact of COVID reinforces their beliefs that theres a collapse of society, there will be a race war. All of that just feeds it, Mr Burgess said. Loading People dont like the lockdowns. They will protest against that, they can use that to fuel economic problems, or that brings hardship on people. It can make them susceptible to these ideologies, and people can be drawn in, and they know that, and they will use that to their advantage. Protesters on surfboards have confronted a seismic testing ship in port in Geelong as it prepares to sail to waters near King Island to search for new oil and gas deposits. Last week the federal governments offshore oil and gas regulator finally approved the controversial King Island seismic testing project, which will take place about 23 kilometres west of the island, including in part of the Zeehan Marine Park. The environmental activists in Corio Bay on Sunday. The area to be surveyed is 4090 square kilometres and lies about 28 kilometres south of Cape Otway. Surrounding shires including the Colac Otway Shire, Surf Coast and King Island Council have officially opposed the testing. The councils hold concerns about potential effects on marine life including whales and rock lobster fisheries and opposition to further gas and oil exploration in an era of rapid climate change. NSW has reported 415 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths on Sunday, taking the states death toll from the pandemic past 100. Three women; one in her 50s, another in her 70s, one in her 80s, and a man in his 80s died in the reporting period. Premier Gladys Berejiklian providing an update on COVID-19. Credit:Photo: Edwina Pickles The number of cases linked to the outbreak which began on June 16 is 7745 and the number of deaths in that time is 48. Since the pandemic began last year, 104 lives have been lost in the state. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said among the new cases at least 35 were infectious in the community but the number would grow as investigations continued into 273 cases whose isolation status is unknown. There were 126,790 tests in the latest reporting period. There are 381 cases in hospital, with 62 people in intensive care, 24 of whom require ventilation. Kabul: As a Taliban offensive encircles the Afghan capital, theres increasingly only one way out for those fleeing the war and only one way in for US and allied troops sent to protect diplomats still on the ground: Kabuls international airport. A steady stream of people makes its way first to ticket sale counters set up on the parking lot outside the terminal. They push their luggage, load carts with carpets, television sets and mementos, stuff clothes inside purses to make their weight limit as they slowly inch forward. Passengers enter the departures terminal of Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, August 14, 2021. Credit:AP The lucky ones, those who managed to get a ticket for a flight out to anywhere, then wait more than three hours to make it inside the terminal, bidding tearful goodbyes to loved ones they are leaving behind. As the Taliban draw closer, the lines and the panic only grow. STAMFORD Members of Troop 15 Stamford traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for a 61-mile backpacking trek that turned into a 75-mile hike instead. The boys and adult leaders on the trip were faced with side hikes and detours because of flooded trails and washed-out bridges, according to Lee Bowbeer, who was one of those on the adventure. Every hiker carried everything he needed for two weeks, including food, water, clothing and shelter, Bowbeer wrote in his report. According to Bowbeer, Philmont is one of four High Adventure bases owned and operated by Scouts BSA. It is often considered the pinnacle of a scouts experience in the youth-led program, as it tests the boys scout skills of orienteering, camping, first aid, and much more. Each day, crews are tasked with hiking 5-12 miles to the next days camp, where they participate in various activities, including rifle and shotgun shooting, panning for gold, spar pole climbing, burro packing and challenge course initiatives. Many camps feature staff members portraying characters from the Old West, and each night there are campfire programs with songs from yesteryear. Along the way, crews must navigate their route using a map and compass and traverse everything from steep rocky climbs to knee deep stream crossings, Bowbeer wrote. The crews hit the summit of Mount Baldy, which stands at 12,441 feet, during the trip. According to Bowbeer, Troop 15 planned the trip to Philmont for more than three years. The original date summer 2020 was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That the trip occurred in 2021 is a testament to the troops perseverance and PSRs commitment to keeping scouts safe. All COVID procedures were followed while the groups were in basecamp and whenever they came into contact with other units along the trail, Bowbeer wrote. Bowbeer said Troop 15 Stamford is looking for interested new members, boys ages 11-17. The troop meets every week on Wednesday evenings at Temple Sinai, with a camping trip every month. This years outdoor activities are planned to include white water rafting, winter camping and rock climbing, among other activities. For more information, contact info@troop15stamford.com. DELAND, Fla. (AP) Visit the exhibit by the Story Quilters of Hannibal Square at the African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand, and youll come away enriched and even in awe. These arent just quilts. Theyre works of art. Guided by quilter Lauren Austin, the nine Hannibal Square quilters are displaying their very personal creations to the public. We call ourselves story quilters because our quilts all tell stories, each and every piece, Austin said recently. I think that story quilters is the right name. The idea of story quilts can be traced back to Harriet Powers, who was born into slavery in the mid-19th century in Georgia and freed after the Civil War. Powers designed and made the Bible Quilt, which depicts biblical scenes and is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Pictorial Quilt, which is now at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Her story is incredibly inspiring and it has had an influence on my work, said Austin, who is herself an accomplished quilter who dyes, prints, silkscreens and makes her own fabrics. The exhibit at the AAMA has been extremely popular, she said: The opening was a total blowout. It was amazing how many people came. The exhibit opened in July, said Mary Allen, AAMA director. This was our first opening for the new year since COVID, said Allen. The African American Museum of the Arts was founded in 1994 by the Rev. Maxwell Johnson and Irene Dixon Johnson, and opened its doors in 1995. Allen said the mission statement is to collect, preserve and exhibit African American and Caribbean American art, history and culture. Austin led a workshop for the Hannibal Square community in Winter Park in 2010, she said, and after, the women in the group started meeting on their own. Allen said once the AAMA decided to exhibit the quilts, the women worked day and night on getting their quilts ready for exhibit. Austin has helped them come up with creative fabrics to use in quilting. With the group, weve done some dyeing in kind of an organic way, she said, and they want to do more. Austin said she made her first quilt at age 7 and made a quilt every year after that. The way I learned to quilt was being in a room with a group of women who were quilters, sewers, who made things. I would sit underneath a quilting frame to hear the gossip. And even though I was small and didnt really understand, I liked that, she said. One week a quilter looked under the frame at me and said, If youre here, you have to work and put a needle and thread in my hand. She supports the idea of learning a craft in a group: When youre doing a particular style or technique, there are people there who can give you help. And she emphasized the benefits of praise, support and kindness in teaching a craft as opposed to critique. Austin now lives and works in Altamonte Springs, but she has also lived in China, Mexico, Uruguay, Kenya and Spain. And she said she learned something from each place she lived. The exhibit at AAMA is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. The museum is located at 325 S. Clara Ave., DeLand. For information, visit africanmuseumdeland.org. Every day, when Mandy Malambo goes to work at the hospital where she is a nurse in Zambia, she runs through the same worst case scenario in her mind. You think, what if today is the day I contract Covid? Malambo is lucky, she has had one dose of the vaccine, but most of her colleagues are unvaccinated. In Zambia just 1.1 per cent of the population have had both jabs, and Covid cases are rising. It is a stark contrast to the UK, where more than half of the population have had two doses of the vaccine and we are tentatively starting to think about a post-pandemic future. Focusing on the positive is tempting but look beyond the UK and the pandemic is still raging. Last week, there were four million new cases of Covid across the world, and many of them in are countries where people have not been vaccinated. Nearly 70 per cent of people worldwide are yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine and only 1.2 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. Bill Gates, who is working through the foundation he co-chairs to address this vaccine apartheid, says urgent action is needed. As long as there are large pockets of unvaccinated people either at home or abroad we risk continued surges and additional variants that could put us all at risk. The only way to get out of the cycle of recovery and relapse is to make vaccines available to everyone as quickly as possible. In other words, if we dont look at Covid globally, it is more likely to mutate and be less responsive to vaccines so we face a battle of variants versus vaccines. Meanwhile, the IMF and the World Bank have warned that if the vaccine is not shared out more equally, international trade and travel will not get back to normal and the global economy will continue to suffer. The WHO is aiming for 10 per cent of every countrys population to be vaccinated by the end of September and estimates at least 60 to 70 per cent of the world needs to be inoculated to reach global immunity but how realistic is this? It is not that there is a shortage of vaccines in the UK, for example, we have more than our population needs several times over. It is more that they are not being shared equally or fast enough, compounded by the fact that there were early problems with supply which affected Africa leading to calls to share patents and enable Africa to manufacture the vaccine. We need more high-income countries to share vaccine doses faster, says Gates. And more funding to buy doses for lower-income countries for 2022 and beyond. As the volume of doses increases toward the end of the year, we need to support countries so they are ready to receive and administer them as quickly as possible. The race to provide booster shots in the West, with Germany and France already planning them, isnt helping, putting pressure on supplies the developing world. The WHO is calling for a global moratorium on boosters until enough people across the world have had two doses of the vaccine. As long as there are large pockets of unvaccinated people either at home or abroad we risk continued surges and additional variants that could put us all at risk. The only way to get out of the cycle of recovery and relapse is to make vaccines available to everyone as quickly as possible Covax, a UN-backed alliance of international health bodies and non-profits, was set up last year to try to prevent the problem we now face and ensure that poor countries received vaccines as quickly as rich ones. However it has struggled, with one of the problems being that richer countries are paying premiums to get vaccines. In January, Covax promised to deliver 100 million doses by the end of March but that figure currently stands at less than 50 million. Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union Special Envoy to the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, has criticised Covax and says the solution is to let African countries manufacture the vaccine themselves, licensing production in Africa and supporting areas to get the right equipment to make and distribute the vaccine rather than doing piecemeal contract deals. The fact is, its not about sharing. Its about allowing us access to production. Loosen contracts so that the supply capacity can be released to other nations; that is all we ask. There was a promise made at the G7 to share 870 million additional doses but this is a token trickle, says Robert Yates, Head of the Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House. The performance of the G7 has been pathetic, Yates continues. There was nothing about funding or the tech transfers we need around the world to make it easier to roll-out the vaccine. This is realpolitik politicians are putting the lives of their own populations first, which is justified for high risk groups, but now we risk vaccine apartheid. It is to the WHOs credit that they have called the UK and the US out on this, as we give them funding. But it is inefficient and immoral that we are thinking about vaccinating 16 and 17-year-olds before health workers in other countries. Yates adds: There is not sufficient public outrage, people are not demanding leaders roll-out the vaccine around the world. There are fears that we will see a repeat of what happened with HIV and Aids, where it took a decade to make drugs to combat the disease widely available all over the world, or swine flu, where rich nations bought the vaccine leaving poorer ones suffering. This rampant nationalism doesnt augur well for other existential threats to humanity, says Yates. Where does it lead us on issues like climate change where we need to collaborate on a global scale? This rampant nationalism doesnt augur well for other existential threats to humanity. Where does it lead us on issues like climate change where we need to collaborate on a global scale Will Hall, Global Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Wellcome Trust breaks down what is needed into three areas: Bold leadership, dose sharing to go much faster and to Covax while trying to build supplies, and funding. A partnership has been set up to get the vaccine to those who need it, called the Access to Covid Tools Accelerator, but it has a funding gap of $16.6 billion this year. Leadership too has been lacking, says Tony Blair , who has set out how we could vaccinate the most vulnerable strategically, through his Institute and the Global Health Security Consortium. The scientific and medical progress which weve seen in response to the pandemic has not, sadly, been matched by a similar degree of leadership in the international community, though that may be changing, he says. But dispatching vaccines is not enough. We need to maximise the supply; co-ordinate supply to countries which have the ability to use them; and strategically vaccinate key populations to minimise mortality and transmission and maintain vital services. Countries need our support to grow their capacity to deliver vaccines, so they are able to get to them into arms as efficiently as possible. Getting the vaccine to the people it needs to go to is a huge challenge. Pfizer, for example, must be kept at low temperatures and some African officials worry that their electrical grids could be overwhelmed by having that many freezers. In Chad, there is only the capacity to distribute Pfizer in major cities. Labour MPs including Emily Thornberry sent our Government a 10-point plan to increase production and distribution in May but it has yet to see action. Its a catastrophic failure of global leadership, says Thornberry. Were trapped in a cycle. There are billions of unvaccinated people, so new variants spread throughout the world, all the attention switches back to America and Europe, nothing gets done about the poorer countries, and the cycle begins again. The only way to break it is a massive increase in production and distribution. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) is requesting the governing coalition withdraw political support from Florin Citu and come to Parliament with a new Prime Minister, reasoning that there is a moral incompatibility "of the current Prime Minister with the position he holds." "The Alliacne for the Union of Romanians is asking the PNL-USRPLUS-UDMR [National Liberal Party - Save Romania Union Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity - Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania] coalition to withdraw political support from Florin Citu and to present itself to Parliament with a new Prime Minister's proposal. There is a clear moral incompatibility of Florin Citu with the position of Prime Minister of Romania. Florin Citu hid the fact that he committed a criminal act and was sentenced to prison both from the leadership of the PNL, from the other leaders of the governing coalition, as well as from Romanians. Beyond the legislative artifices that allow him to occupy the position of head of the Government, Florin Citu's gesture invokes, firstly, a big morality problem," stated, on Sunday, AUR in a press release. According to senator Claudiu Tarziu, co-chair of AUR, Florin Citu should be dismissed, as he "has lost credibility" in front of Romanians, Agerpres informs. "Florin Citu should be dismissed, as he has lost credibility in front of Romanians. If not, it's clear that the representatives of the governing coalition deceived the trust of an entire country with a false and hypocritical message. How does USRPLUS want to change the way politics has been done in Romania in the past 30 years? How can the PNL imagine they can go forwards with a political corpse? Mr. Iohannis promised a normal Romania, of things done right. Promoting criminals, just like the PSD? [Social Democrat Party]" said the AUR co-chair. Minister of Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, sent a message to the Romanian Naval Forces, on Navy Day, emphasizing that they have a particularly important role in ensuring the security of the Black Sea region. "At this anniversary hour, I send my appreciation to all those who tied their careers and destiny to this profession, bearing the flag and renown of Romania on the seas and oceans of the world. At the same time, my thoughts of appreciation go towards the Romanian military or civilian seamen fallen in the line of duty. The Romanian Naval Forces have a particularly important role in ensuring security in the Black Sea Region," stated the Minister in a video message posted on his Facebook page. He emphasized that, for this reason, it is necessary to develop and modernize national capabilities, but it is essential to maintain a high level of professional training, Agerpres informs. "Our most prized resource remains the person, and you've proven your professionalism through the participation in NATO standing groups and numerous multinational NATO exercises. I am convinced that the Naval forces will be capable to have each time a response as opportune as possible to all that means fulfilling combat missions. I congratulate you, as well, for your involvement in social responsibility projects. The march of the school-ship Mircea around the world will bring to the attention of global public opinion the negative effects produced by warming and pollution of the waters of the seas and oceans. Dear navy seamen, active, in reserve, or in retirement, I send you my appreciation and that of the Ministry of National Defence for the dedication and professionalism with which you serve your country. Many happy returns and may the wind be in your sails!," said Nicolae Ciuca. Prime Minister Florin Citu stated on Saturday that he does not intend to resign from his position over the fact that 21 years ago he was penalized in the United States of America for driving under the influence of alcohol. "No, not a moment. We still have governing that we must complete. We have reforms that we've started and that we need to complete. An event that happened 21 years ago, that I regret, in the United States has no kind of implications for what we do today," said the Prime Minister, in a press conference at the Victoria Government Palace. On the other hand, the Prime Minister said he was unpleasantly surprised by the appreciations made by coalition partners, according to which the USA episode represents a morality issue, Agerpres informs. "I saw the statements myself and I was unpleasantly surprised, because I heard no statements when a director at CFR [Romanian Railways - e.n.] left people around eight hours without helping and I saw no kind of discussions when the coalitions partners were shaking hands with [Liviu] Dragnea on the steps of the PSD [Social Democrat Party] or had near them PSD members at the rostrum in the Government. So this, these discussions I would like to have in the coalition, I agree to discuss there, but not in public space, about morality and ethics," he said. Romania has an active role in improving the security of the Euro-Atlantic space, a modern army means an army with well-trained naval forces, equipped with the latest generation tech and capable of responding successfully to any challenge, said, on Sunday, President Klaus Iohannis at the festivities for the Day of the Romanian Navy, event organized in the Constanta Military Harbour. "Romania has an active role in improving the security of the Euro-Atlantic space, a recent example of contribution being the establishment, in Bucharest, of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience, a national initiative that enjoys appreciation at the level of NATO and the European Union. National security and the safety of Romanian citizens are the priority vectors that guide our strategic positioning, as well as the effort of the Romanian Army. Without a powerful army, Romania cannot maintain its status as an important NATO member state and relevant actor in the realm of regional security. A modern army means an army with well-trained Naval Forces, equipped with the latest generation tech and capable of responding successfully to any challenge," Iohannis emphasized in his statement. He underlined the importance of the Black Sea region, which is playing a more and more significant role in the past years, as an external border of the EU and NATO, warning of the security challenges in this area, Agerpres informs. "The Black Sea region has gained, in past year, a more and more significant role, to the scale of its geostrategic relevance as an external border of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance. We acted decisively, politically, diplomatically and ecoomically for the recognition of the Black Sea area as one of major interest, not only for Romania as a Euro-Atlantic community, and we've succeeded thus to consolidate regional security. The strategic relevance of the Black Sea area for Euro-Atlantic security is today a certainty, it's proven by the regional projects, as well as the Bucharest format, also known as the B9 format and the Three Seas Initiative, which matured and is evolving successfully to the benefit of Romania's security and prosperity. There are still security challenges, military and non-military, conventional but also hybrid and cybernetic, reason for which an increased commitment is called for, in order to fortify security and increase national resilience. We assumed this task, together with the other allies within NATO, through the decisions to continue to consolidate the discouragement and defence posture, to consolidate the Allied political role and to increase national resilience towards any challenge and threat," the head of state emphasized. Iohannis also sent a message of appreciation to all seamen, which prove devotion, courage and sacrifice in the missions that they have to fulfill, those who fell in the line of duty, but also their families. "I warmly greet all our seamen, military or civilian, which, with devotion and courage, wear or have worn the tricolour flag on the world's seas and oceans. Far from home and those dear to them, most often in difficult situations that also challenge your tenacity, you always come out as victors and you do your duty of guaranteeing the safety of our citizens. Defending and protecting Romanians, self-sacrifice, devotion, professionalism, those are the most important qualities of our seamen. Many happy returns to all and a thought of gratitude to the heroes who are not among us anymore. I appreciate particularly the way in which you adapted the specific activities to the new security context, so that you fulfill with dedication the missions fulfilled, as well as the commitments assumed towards international organizations and foreign partners. I congratulate you for the professionalism you demonstrated throughout numerous multinational exercises and large scale operations taking place in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, in which the Naval Forces were involved this year. I salute on this occasion the contribution of the Romanian Naval Forces to the development of the regional security climate on the southern and eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance and the particular results obtained during the leadership by a Romanian ship, for the first time in the national military history, of a NATO naval group, which conducted missions in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea," Iohannis also mentioned. The event was also attended by Senate Chair, Anca Dragu, Prime Minister Florin Citu, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna, and the Minister of National Defence Nicolae Ciuca. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sorinel Penes, editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Razvan-Adrian Pandea) ID: 6851263 | Thousands of people participated on Saturday evening in the Bucharest Pride 2021, marching through central Bucharest from Victoria Square to the University Square. The event was attended by numerous youths, holding balloons and flags emblazoned with the rainbow flag. The participants were urged by the organizers to wear protective masks, also announcing that they are available for free. The ACCEPT association, organizer of the event, had previously announced on Facebook that they assume the consequences of exceeding the maximum number of 500 participants allowed by law, in the context of the pandemic, informeaza Agerpres. "The Bucharest City Hall, through the Public Order Commission, signed with the ACCEPT Association a protocol to organize Bucharest Pride on the basis of the law, for a participation of 500 persons. We still oppose the restrictions on this march, as we consider the restrictions applied to the freedom of gathering and expression by the central authorities are disproportionate, especially in the conditions of the COVID incidence rate in Bucharest today, under 0.3 per thousand people. We assume, as organizers of Bucharest Pride all the consequences of infringing the restriction on 500 persons participating and we invite the authorities to punish ACCEPT and not the participants," said Teodora Ion-Rotaru, executive director of ACCEPT. Following the march, the Bucharest Gendarmerie announced that the organizer was fined for infringing the restrictions, with gendarmes issuing a 7,000 RON fine. In reply, the executive director of ACCEPT, Teodora Ion-Rotaru announced that they will contest the fine, saying also that "freedom of gathering is not inferior to the freedom of conscience of religious organizations, nor to the right of citizens to enjoy cultural activities.". The executive director also said that "the Gendarmerie did its duty, protecting the participants to the march and it was normal for them to fine us. In court we will criticize the measures adopted by the Government, not only the fine applied with justification by the Gendarmerie." On the other hand, during the Bucharest Pride march, several hundred persons gathered in the December 21, 1989 Square [e.n. - colloquially, the entire area is known as University Square, the two squares being on opposite sides of the University of Bucharest building]. They listened to prayers, songs, but also a series of speeches critiquing the Pride march, its organization before the Feast of the Dormition, as well as stating their opposition to mandatory vaccination. Around 19:00, following the Pride March, the participants gathered in University Square where they listened to music and speeches emphasizing the importance of the freedom of expression, of respecting sexual minority rights, but also of visibility. The Gendarmerie ensured that participants in the two events maintained their distance. Previously on Saturday, several hundred people participated in a "March for Normality", organized by the far-right New Right Party also in central Bucharest. The participants bore religious icons and wooden crosses, chanting their support for the "values of the traditional family." The U.S. Marines are evaluating the new Drone40 UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) after noting its successful use by British troops in Mali, where foreign troops serve as part of a peacekeeping and counterterrorism effort. The British found the Drone40 very useful and word got around. Drone40 looks like a 40mm tube-launched grenade. Grenade40 can be launched from the standard 40mm grenade launcher carried by infantry units. Once launched, or thrown, like a grenade, Drone40 stays in the air by extending four quad-copter type propellers. Using a form of UAV flight most preferred by the infantry, Drone40 can pause and hover to scrutinize areas or objects as well as enter structures, including caves. The hover ability is much more useful in built-up areas where you have to look into windows or alleys. If a Done40 finds a target the troops can either call in an air or artillery strike or, if the enemy is close enough, use their grenade launcher to fire 40mm high-explosive grenades. If the enemy is really close and comes into view, you can open fire using your rifles. The standard Drone40 weighs 190 grams (6.7 ounces) while the heaviest version weighs 300 grams (10.6 ounces). The heavier versions carry larger and heavier payloads like high-explosive or armor-piercing warheads. Heavier payload versions also carry a laser designator, electronic jammer or a smoke/flash grenade. The heavier models have less endurance but all can remain in action for at least 30 minutes. The non-explosive Drone40s can be recovered and reused after a battery recharge and resetting the quad-copter propellers inside the 40mm shell. Some repairs may be needed depending on where and how the Drone40 came down. Drone40 was developed by an Australian firm that took note of several earlier 40mm UAVs and concentrated on characteristics that were most popular with the troops. Drone40 built on two decades of earlier efforts to produce a portable recon device for infantry and was facing troops in many countries who liked what they had seen so far, but were ready for something that was better. Drone40 was put on sale in 2019, and by late 2020 British troops in Mali had received several hundred Done40s and soon reported that they wanted more. The basic Drone40 is the same size as the standard 40mm grenade and thus usable in all infantry 40mm grenade launchers. This Drone40 is equipped to take video or pictures and transmit them back to the operator. A small tablet-like controller is used by the operator who must remain in sight of the Drone40 to control it and receive images at max range (20 kilometers). The image surveillance Drone40 can operate for up to 60 minutes if cruise speed is used. That speed can be nearly doubled to 1.2 kilometers a minute but that uses up more battery life. Drone40s are also capable of operating as a swarm in mass operations with explosive payloads. The success of Drone40 in Mali has generated interest in other countries looking for a portable, relatively inexpensive and reusable 40mm UAV. The development of systems like Drone40 began shortly after 2001 as American operations in Afghanistan generated demand for improved surveillance tools for the infantry. That led to the 2009 arrival of the Switchblade UAV. Switchblade weighed one kilogram (2.2 pounds) and was a small UAV launched from its tube-shaped shipping container. Switchblade was sent to Afghanistan for secret field testing. This was very successful and the troops demanded more, and more, and more. Switchblade completed development by late 2009 and was initially thought useful only for special operations troops. In 2011, after a year of successful field testing with production models, the army ordered over a hundred Switchblades for troop use and since then has ordered a lot more. While Switchblade was developed for the army, the marines apparently noted the success that soldiers and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) had with this system and ordered them as well. Switchblade was very popular with troops in Afghanistan and with SOCOM in all sorts of places they wont discuss in detail. Switchblade is still used and thousands have been ordered and many of them used. There have been several upgrades Switchblade was a lightweight and expendable (used only once) UAV that could also be equipped with explosives. When Switchblade is launched from its shipping/storage tube, wings flip out, a battery-powered propeller starts spinning and a vidcam begins broadcasting images to the operator. The Switchblade is operated using the same controller as the larger (two kg) Raven UAV. A complete Switchblade system (missile, container, and controller) weighs 5.5 kg (12.1 pounds). Moving at up to a kilometer a minute, the Switchblade can stay in the air for 20-40 minutes, depending on whether or not it is armed with explosives. Switchblade can operate up to ten kilometers from the operator. The armed version can be flown to a target and detonated, having about the same explosive effect as a hand grenade. Switchblade enables ground troops to get at an enemy taking cover in a hard-to-see location. Technically a guided missile, the use of Switchblade as a reconnaissance tool encouraged developers to refer to it as a UAV. But because of the warhead option, and its slow speed, Switchblade also functions like a rather small cruise missile. The troops were particularly enthusiastic about the armed version because it allowed them to more quickly take out snipers or a few bad guys in a compound full of civilians. In 2013 the U.S. Navy requested a version of Switchblade, just for reconnaissance, that could be launched from ships or submerged (at periscope depth) submarines. In this case the sub would have a communications mast on the surface to receive data from what was called the Blackwing. This version is a little heavier, at 1.8 kg (four pounds). The size of the Blackwing is designed to fit into existing navy countermeasure launchers. Blackwing has no warhead option so endurance is about 60 minutes. Blackwing uses encrypted digital communications compatible with current navy systems. When released from a submarine countermeasures launcher, the Blackwing container pops to the surface and the Blackwing is ejected into flight like the other Switchblades. In 2016 the navy ordered over a hundred Blackwings for widespread testing from deployed ships. Based on this, armed versions of Blackwing were developed, even though they had less endurance. Blackwing was declared operational in late 2020 and the navy ordered more, including 120 recon versions for use on submarines. Tests with Blackwing launched from subs proved very useful when the sub had used its passive (silent) sonar to detect a possible target but needed a visual of the ship to determine what kind of target it was. Using Blackwing subs can confirm distant targets and use their Mk 48 torpedoes at max range (about 40-100 kilometers depending on speed). Subs found other uses for Blackwing that were not made public. Switchblade is not a unique concept, as these loitering munitions have been around for decades. What Switchblade provided was a design that met the needs of combat forces, especially special operations personnel. Since Switchblade entered service and its popularity became widely known, similar systems have appeared, trying to provide features that Switchblade lacked but the troops would appreciate. An earlier example of this was GLAUS (Grenade Launched Unmanned Aerial System). It looks like a 40mm grenade but is longer and heavier than the standard 40mm high-explosive shell and comes in two versions. One version launches a UAV with pop-out plastic wings, propeller and control surfaces. This version contains a video camera and communications link to the handheld controller used by the soldier who fired it. The comm-link is good for 2,000 meters and the UAV can stay in the air for 90 minutes. Each infantry fire team (4-5 troops) has one man designated a grenadier, with an M320 40mm grenade launcher attached under his assault rifle barrel. With the GLAUS UAV in the air, the team or squad (a larger unit with two fire teams) leader can scout the surrounding area from altitudes as high as 600 meters (2,000 feet). GLAUS is still considered in development by the U.S. Army, which has not found a manufacturer for it or interest in buying a lot of them. In part that is because there is a lot of competition. The army did submit a patent application for GLAUS in 2020 but the success of Drone40 may render GLAUS obsolete. Most small infantry UAVs, like the current 2 kg (5 pound) Raven, which also operates close to the ground, usually at 100- or 200-meters altitude. Ravens are assigned to larger units like platoons (three squads) or companies (3-4 platoons). GLAUS was meant to be small enough for a patrol or small Special Forces team to carry with them and use far from friendly troops. There was a second version of GLAUS that was a small helicopter, with shorter endurance (about 30 minutes), and the same capabilities as Drone40. GLAUS was not the first guided system built for the 40mm grenade launcher. In 2015 the Pike 40mm grenade was introduced by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon. By 2019 Pike was in production and had its first customer. There was no rush to buy Pike because of the cost. Drone40 costs a few thousand dollars each and is apparently cheaper than Pike plus being reusable. The existing 40mm high explosive grenade cartridge is about 100mm (4 inches) long and weighs about 545 grams (19 ounces). The 40mm shell which leaves the launcher tube is about 43mm (1.9 inches) long, weighs about 250 grams (nine ounces) and can be fired out to about 400 meters. An experienced grenadier can only fire these grenades accurately at targets as far as 200 meters distant. The Pike is a longer and heavier 40mm shell. Pike is 430mm (16.8 inches) long and weighs 770 grams (25.6 ounces). While the Pike warhead is about twice as powerful as the unguided 40mm grenade, most of the additional bulk and weight of the Pike is taken up by the laser detector in the nose, a microcomputer, four pop-out fins and electronic and mechanical components to operate the fins to guide the Pike to a target up to 2,000 meters away. The Pike homes in on laser light reflected from the target, which is painted by a laser designator that looks like a pistol. Normally Pike is operated by a two-man team. One man is the grenadier, firing the Pike from a common one round 40mm grenade launcher. The second man, the spotter, points the laser designator and holds it on the target until the Pike reaches it (after about 20 seconds). Actually, one person could operate the Pike because at max range Pike will be in flight for about 15 seconds before it can detect the laser light reflected off the target by the handheld laser designator. One person could fire the Pike, then pick up the laser designator, turn it on and designate the target. Pike will land within five meters of the laser light reflected off the target. The warhead is more powerful than hand grenades so Pike will kill or injure anyone within ten meters (32 feet) of the aim point. Pike obtains its long range by using a small explosive charge to propel Pike about three meters into the air before a smokeless rocket motor takes over giving it the momentum needed to carry it at least 2,000 meters. As of 2019, only one customer has been found for Pike. The Canadian Army bought some for its special operations troops. The major problem with Pike is the cost of each round. The standard 40mm grenade fired by infantry costs about $30 each. The Pike manufacturer (Raytheon) has not made public the cost of each round but, given the cost of other small laser-guided missiles (like the 70mm APKWS), each Pike probably costs at least $3,000 and probably two or three times that. It could be useful for special operations troops, but for most infantry there are plenty of other guided munitions available, many of them cheaper and more destructive than Pike. Meanwhile, American troops already have a very lightweight UAV with Switchblade, but not as light and portable as Drone40, GLAUS or Pike. The appearance of Drone40 was not surprising because the user demand was there, especially for a reusable version. Israeli firms also responded to demands for reusability. In 2019 an Israeli firm introduced the Firefly, a loitering UAV, which is portable enough for infantry to carry and continually reuse. There is also the option to replace one of the two batteries with an explosive warhead and turn Firefly into a guided weapon. Another major advantage of Firefly is that it operates like a helicopter, not a fixed-wing aircraft. Being able to hover is a major advantage for loitering munitions used by infantry. What Firefly seems to have done is address all (or most) of the user criticisms of earlier lightweight loitering munition systems. Firefly was developed by Rafael, the same firm that developed and builds the Spike family of ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles). Much of the tech in Firefly was based on what is already used in Spike systems. In particular, Firefly has a guidance system that can track and attack a moving target. This can be critical for infantry using such a weapon because these targets are elusive in the first place and, without a UAV, the infantry would not have spotted dangers like snipers or moving troops at all. Firefly is a dual rotor miniature helicopter and those dual (on top of each other) rotors make it stable in winds that would make a similar-sized fixed-wing or quad-copter UAV unusable. The .4 kg (one pound) warhead replaces the second battery to halve the normal 30 minutes of flight time. The operator uses a small tablet device that is mostly a touch screen and a Firefly controller. Firefly can be controlled up to 500 meters in a built-up (or forested) area or up to 1,500 meters in line-of-sight (nothing between Firefly and operator) mode. Firefly returns to the operator if the control signal is lost. The operator can press an icon on the screen to get Firefly to return immediately, abort an attack or carry out a high speed (19 meters/62 feet a second) attack on a target. The target can be moving, as in a sniper changing firing positions out of sight of the operator. This is accomplished using the ability of the Firefly guidance system to remember the shape of a target and follow it. The Firefly warhead would be most often used against troublesome targets like snipers or hidden machine-guns. Even without the warhead Firefly would be able to locate such lethal adversaries and enable the infantry to avoid them. Firefly can also be launched and operated from a moving vehicle. The big advantage Firefly had over PIKE, GLAUS and Switchblade is reusability. Carry one Firefly and just use it as a UAV for a dozen or more times. Because of the relative simplicity of the Firefly compared to GLAUS, Pike or Switchblade, it was cheaper. Add in the reusability and Firefly is definitely cheaper. Drone40 and Firefly appear to be dominating the market for small UAVs for infantry use. A U.S. soldier takes a firing position during the 2021 Best Sniper Team Competition at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Aug. 12, 2021. (Randis Monroe/U.S. Army) GRAFENWOEHR, Germany Three U.S. military sniper teams joined soldiers from 13 other countries in Germany this month to show off their shooting skills, learn new techniques and vie for the title of best sniper team. The European Best Sniper Team Competition, hosted by U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the 7th Army Training Command, challenges snipers mental and physical abilities. It is not just a shooting competition; snipers have to demonstrate other critical battlefield skills, including stealth, reconnaissance, fitness and the ability to adjust under pressure. The amount of skillsets we learn experiencing these events are quite useful for how we shape training in the future, said Spc. Matthew Meckley, from 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, a Washington National Guard unit that traveled to Hohenfels, Germany, for the 10-day event. Twenty-seven teams from 14 countries participated in the 10-day competition, which kicked off Aug. 5, said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Sanchez, the match president of the competition. The two U.S. Army teams that competed alongside the Washington National Guard unit were from the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Vilseck, Germany-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Sanchez said planning for the event started in October 2020 and continued until three weeks before it began. The 2020 competition was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cpl. Chris Hawley, another competitor with Washington-based 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, said he has always wanted to test his shooting skills in a Best Sniper Competition. The most challenging part has been the level of difficulty in applying [sniper] skills, Hawley said. Sniper skills on a flat, static range becomes harder when you are doing it in less-than-ideal conditions, different positions, things like that. U.S. soldiers run to the next checkpoint during the 2021 Best Sniper Team Competition at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Aug. 12, 2021. (Randis Monroe/U.S. Army) The winners of the competition Slovenia, Team Lynx 01 in first place with 2237 out of 5044 total points Turkey took second place Latvia came in third Other countries that competed were Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Canada, Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey. Immanuel Johnson Sailors attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, drive a pilon into the sea bed as part of a Pier Damage Repair scenario onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia, during Large Scale Exercise 2021. LSE 2021 demonstrates the Navy's ability to employ precise, lethal, and overwhelming force globally across three naval component commands, five numbered fleets and 17 time zones. (Marlon Goodchild/U.S. Navy) (Tribune News Service) As tensions rose and the enemy in the Navys global Large-Scale Exercise 2021 scenario kept poking at American forces, word came down from the fleet maybe even the secretary of defense that hostile forces had abandoned a port. It was up to sailors from Little Creeks Navy Expeditionary Combat Command in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to secure it and make it safe whether for landing supplies or humanitarian relief or as a base for the fleet. The Large-Scale Exercise is meant to test the Navys ability to respond to a fast-moving, worldwide threat from a hostile power. It involves everyone from the newest seamen out of boot-camp on more than two dozen ships to the three- and four-star admirals and generals who command the five fleets and three Marine Expeditionary Forces participating. Much of what theyre doing, like the repairs that divers were completing on a pier at Little Creek, a day and a half after the call came from fleet to secure the scenarios simulated port, was familiar, said Chief Petty Officer Carlos Hernandez of Underwater Construction Team One. What was a bit less so and what made the exercise such an important one, in his view was arriving nearby with all the teams gear on a Landing Craft Utility. Thats the updated version of the vessels that delivered tanks to the beaches of Normandy and countless Pacific islands in World War II, and for Hernandez and his team, it was a chance to work with the combat experts from a Navy Beachmasters unit as it drilled on securing a beach landing site on a hostile shore. Hernandez and his divers tested some new techniques for repairing piers. One involved a Kevlar sleeve and mortar to bolster failing pilings. The other, a two-legged metal support to carry some of the weight that aging pilings could no longer support. On the pier, Petty Officer 3rd Class Palacio Jauregui took the weight of the feed line for a hydraulic drill, and stood ready to haul that heavy drill to a new position. The divers knew what needed work because soon after arriving on the shore the Beachmasters had secured, sailors from a different Little Creek group, Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit Two, had run their underwater drone all around the piers. Just a few hours into the mission to secure the port, MDSU 2 sailors running that drone spotted something just beyond one of the piers that they didnt like. So, for Lt. Jason Burke of UCT 1, assigned to coordinate the work of all the different expeditionary sailors at the simulated port, that meant an early fast decision: to call in yet another team of specialist divers, the team from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2. They had played a major role disarming IEDs in Afghanistan, but just as the Large-Scale Exercise itself reflects a shift in strategic focus to threats from major military powers, EOD 2s mission now is shifting to more traditional, maritime work, neutralizing mines and other underwater and shoreline explosives. MDSU 2s drone drivers, meanwhile, had found another challenge: a training aid designed to resemble a roughly 40-foot sunken boat that was blocking access to one of the piers. They had to remove it, one way or another. The whole idea is to synchronize our work, said Cmdr. Steven Cabos, of MDSU 2, who had taken an early role planning an initial, but pandemic-postponed version of the Large-Scale Exercise. So while drilling on removing underwater hazards is old hat to MDSU divers, working side-by-side with other specialist expeditionary sailors is less so. It means working out who does what when, and whether one groups task could get in the way of anothers, for instance. Pier side, at Little Creek, the Large-Scale Exercise is a chance to better understand what other sailors can do, and so to coordinate efforts with them to accomplish the larger mission of securing a port, said Rear Adm. Christopher Asselta, the expeditionary combat commands deputy for Naval Construction Force. Away from the piers, though, Asselta and other senior commanders need to keep on top of other expeditionary sailors, some of whom are repairing an airfield, others setting up a refueling depot on a North Carolina beach, and still others dredging a channel in another part of the Little Creek base. Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6, also based at Little Creek, meanwhile, are at sea with the USS Arlington, focusing on mine-clearing. For Asselta and the admirals still further up the chain of command, Large-Scale Exercise is a way to drill on understanding and responding to the ever-shifting challenges sailors face, as well as the stop-and-go progress that often is a central feature of naval conflict. It also means drilling on something that may or may not be called for by the Large-Scale Exercise: the sudden shift of focus in a global contest that calls for completely new tasks and deployments of force. Its called being agile, he said. 2021 Daily Press. Visit dailypress.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Buy Photo Staff evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Kabul shortly after midnight on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Hundreds of people traveled by helicopter from the embassy to the citys airport overnight. The insurgents entered Kabuls outer suburbs later Sunday. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Editors note: Here's the latest on the rapidly unfolding situation in Afghanistan. KABUL, Afghanistan Diplomats waiting to fly out of Kabul on Sunday morning spent their last hours at work burning anything of strategic or propaganda value including classified documents and U.S. flags as Taliban forces closed in on the capital. Several U.S. Embassy employees said they had little notice they were leaving. They left personal effects they didnt need at their desks before boarding military helicopters and arriving at a section of Hamid Karzai International Airport reserved for official flights. Hundreds arrived in the early morning darkness, with little to do but follow the increasingly dire news on their phones. Sometime before sunrise, the Taliban took Jalalabad, the countrys fifth-largest city, cutting off Kabul from the east and leaving the capital airport as the only exit route under government control. By midday, news came of Taliban forces entering Kabuls outskirts. The crowd awaiting U.S. government flights didnt include Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas, which are issued to save those who worked with U.S. military forces and government agencies from Taliban retribution. Thousands who have applied for the visa have been able to leave, but far more remain. Many havent received word on whether theyll ever be accepted. Others who did get accepted werent able to get to Kabul for processing before their home cities were conquered by the Taliban. Buy Photo A helicopter carrying U.S. Embassy staff takes off from the embassy compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Later that day, reports came in of the Taliban advancing on Kabul. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Several embassy workers at the airport on Sunday, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the fate of Afghan colleagues consumed their thoughts. They also struggled to come to grips with leaving their compound, a 36-acre walled city of its own within the capital. I walked around the embassy for years, one U.S. employee said. We look at this fortress and you think, This will never go away. Impossible. And now its gone. Buy Photo A U.S. Embassy employee awaiting a flight out of Afghanistan on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, shows an American flag he saved while leaving the compound in Kabul the previous day. Staff were instructed to burn flags and other items that could be used for propaganda value prior to leaving. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes) While talking, the embassy employee pulled out an American flag from a backpack. The directive had already come down to destroy U.S. flags, but the employee said they just wanted to save something. The considerable distress inside the airport as people waited anxiously for outbound flights still paled in comparison to scenes a few miles away in the city. Buy Photo Americans burn sensitive material at a military base at Kabuls airport on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Later that day, reports came of the Talibans advance into Kabuls outer areas. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Cars clogged the streets, stuffed and topped with beds, bicycles and household goods. Cars showed license plates from faraway provinces, reflecting the influx of people displaced by Taliban gains elsewhere. Hundreds jostled to withdraw money from banks; several ATMs in town had run out of money. The armed private security guards and local police, normally a fixture on Kabuls streets, werent there Sunday. Buy Photo Employees at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, prepare to board a helicopter just after midnight on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. They would await flights out of the city's airport while reports came in of the Taliban advancing on the capital. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Several times, residents had little more to say to a Stars and Stripes reporter other than this: They are coming. J.P. Lawrence and Zubair Babakarkhail reported from Kabul; Erik Slavin reported from Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. Buy Photo Body armor and helmets belonging to U.S. Embassy staff lay discarded at Kabuls military airport, as the staff evacuate Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) J.P. Lawrence J.p. Lawrence reports on the U.S. military in Afghanistan and the Middle East. He served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2017. He graduated from Columbia Journalism School and Bard College and is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines. Erik Slavin Sacred Heart church is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (Delot Jean/AP) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. The epicenter of the quake was about 78 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere's poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down. Haiti's civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country's south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals. Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response. "The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," said Henry. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people." He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity. "The needs are enormous. We must take care of the injured and fractured, but also provide food, aid, temporary shelter and psychological support," he said. Later, as he boarded a plane bound for Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted "structured solidarity" to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after as many as 300,000 were killed. U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the U.S effort to help Haiti. USAID will help to assess damage and assist in rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a "close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti." A growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. "Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity," Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said. Among those killed in the earthquake was Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes. He died along with several others when his hotel, Le Manguier, collapsed, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. Philippe Boutin, 37, who lives in Puerto Rico but visits his family annually in Les Cayes, said his mother was saying morning prayers when the shaking began, but was able to leave the house. The earthquake, he said, coincided with the festivities to celebrate the town's patron saint, adding that the hotel likely was full and the small town had more people than usual. "We still don't know how many people are under the rubble," he said. On the tiny island of Ile-a-Vache, about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) from Les Cayes, the quake damaged a seaside resort popular with Haitian officials, business leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. Fernand Sajous, owner of the Abaka Bay Resort, said by telephone that nine of the hotel's 30 rooms collapsed, but he said they were vacant at the time and no one was injured. "They disappeared just like that," Sajous said. People in Les Cayes tried to pull guests from the rubble of a collapsed hotel, but as the sun set, they had only been able to recover the body of a 7-year-old girl whose home was behind the facility. "I have eight kids, and I was looking for the last one," Jean-Claude Daniel said through tears. "I will never see her again alive. The earthquake destroyed my life. It took a child away from me." The reports of overwhelmed hospitals come as Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a lack of resources to deal with it. Just last month, the country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Richard Herve Fourcand, a former Haitian senator, rented a private plane to move injured people from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince for medical assistance. He told The Associated Press that Les Cayes' hospital was at capacity. The earthquake also struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was killed, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: "Let's put our shoulders together to bring solidarity." Rescue efforts were hampered by a landslide triggered by the quake that blocked a major road connecting the hard-hit towns of Jeremie and Les Cayes, according to Haiti's civil protection agency. Agency director Jerry Chandler told reporters that a partial count of structural damage included at least 860 destroyed homes and more than 700 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also affected. The National Hurricane Center has forecast that Tropical Storm Grace will reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday. "This is likely to make matters worse since the country is on the verge of suffering the effects of two disasters in quick succession, a magnitude 7 earthquake and a looming storm," Chandler said. Humanitarian workers said gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital, also was complicating relief efforts. "Nobody can travel through the area," Ndiaga Seck, a UNICEF spokesman in Port-au-Prince, said by phone. "We can only fly over or take another route." Seck said information about deaths and damage was slow coming to Port-au-Prince because of spotty internet service, but UNICEF planned to send medical supplies to two hospitals in the south, in Les Cayes and Jeremie. People in Port-au-Prince felt the tremor and many rushed into the streets in fear, although there did not appear to be damage there. Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. "I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street," Verneus said. Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS, said aftershocks likely would continue for weeks or months, with the largest so far registering magnitude 5.2. The impoverished country, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 that killed more than a dozen people, and a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake that damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. By Saturday night, the island had experienced four aftershocks stronger than 5.0 and nine above 4.0. Claude Prepetit, a Haitian civil engineer and geologist, warned of the danger from cracked structures. "More or less intensive aftershocks are to be expected for a month," he said, cautioning that some buildings, "badly damaged during the earthquake, can collapse during aftershocks.." Associated Press writer Tammy Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. AP writers Josh Boak in Washington, Trenton Daniel in New York and Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report. People gather outside the Petit Pas Hotel, destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (Joseph Odelyn/AP) LES CAYES, Haiti The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off franctic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm. Saturdays earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas were forced to wait out in the open amid oppressive heat for help from overloaded hospitals. The devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, which is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that although Grace had weakened from tropical storm strength Sunday, it still posed a threat to bring heavy rain, flooding and landslides. The earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemispheres poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence. The epicenter was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday. In the badly damaged coastal town of Les Cayes, Jennie Auguste lay on a flimsy foam mattress on the tarmac of the communitys tiny airport waiting for anything space at a hospital or a small plane like the ones ferrying the wounded to the capital. She suffered injuries in the chest, abdomen and arm when the roof collapsed at the store where she worked. There has been nothing. No help, nothing from the government, Augustes sister, Bertrande, said. In scenes widespread across the region hit by the quake, families salvaged their few belongings and spent the night at an open-air football pitch. On Sunday, people lined up to buy what little was available: bananas, avocados and water at a local street market. Some in the town praised God for surviving the earthquake, and many went to the cathedral, which appeared outwardly undamaged even if the priests residence was destroyed. We only have Jesus now, said Johanne Dorcely, whose house was destroyed. If it wasnt for Jesus, I wouldnt be able to be here today. Workers tore through rubble of collapsed buildings with heavy machinery, shovels and picks. After sundown, Les Cayes was darkened by intermittent blackouts, and many slept people outside again, clutching small transistor radios tuned to news, terrified of a possible repetition of Saturdays strong aftershocks. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals were overwhelmed. The first convoys started following the coordination efforts of several ministers mobilized at the level of the National Emergency Center, Henry told reporters Sunday. We salute the dignity, the resilience effort of the victims and their ability to start over. From my observations, I deduce that Haitians want to live and progress. Let us unite to offer these people a living environment conducive to development. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said Sunday that humanitarian needs are acute, with many Haitians urgently needing health care, clean water and shelter. Children who have been separated from parents need protection, she said. Little more than a decade on, Haiti is reeling once again, Fore said in a statement. And this disaster coincides with political instability, rising gang violence, alarmingly high rates of malnutrition among children, and the COVID-19 pandemic for which Haiti has received just 500,000 vaccine doses, despite requiring far more. The country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines only last month via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Haitis Office of Civil Protection said more than 7,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 5,000 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also affected. Medical workers from across the region were scrambling to help as hospitals in Les Cayes started running out of space to perform surgeries. Basically, they need everything, said Dr. Inobert Pierre, a pediatrician with the nonprofit Health Equity International, which oversees St. Boniface Hospital, about two hours from Les Cayes. Many of the patients have open wounds and they have been exposed to not-so-clean elements, added Pierre, who visited two hospitals in Les Cayes one with some 200 patients, the other with around 90. We anticipate a lot of infections. Pierres medical team was taking some patients to St. Boniface to undergo surgery, but with just two ambulances, they could transport only four at a time. Small planes from a private firm and the Florida-based missionary service Agape Flights landed at the Port-Au-Prince airport Sunday carrying about a half dozen injured from the Les Cayes area. Young men with bandages and a woman were hoisted on stretchers to waiting Haitian Red Cross ambulances. Silvestre Plaza Rico, who was supervising one of the volunteer flights, said rescue planes had made several airlifts of about a half dozen injured victims each on Saturday. There were many, many, many, from different towns, Plaza Rico said. The earthquake struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was shot to death in his home, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, who was seriously wounded in the attack, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: Lets put our shoulders together to bring solidarity. Shortly after the earthquake, Henry said he wanted structured solidarity to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after. U.S. President Joe Biden named USAID Administrator Samantha Power to oversee the U.S effort to help Haiti. She announced Sunday that USAID was sending a search and rescue team from Virginia at the request of Haitis government. The 65-person team will bring specialized tools and medical supplies, she said on Twitter. Working with USAID, the U.S. Coast Guard said a helicopter was transporting medical personnel from the Haitian capital to the quake zone and evacuating the injured back to Port-au-Prince. Lt. Commander Jason Nieman, a spokesman, said another helicopter was being sent from the Bahamas, along with other aircraft and ships. Already on the scene were several members of Cubas 253-member health care mission to Haiti, and the socialist nations state media showed photos of them giving first aid to victims injured by the quake. The North Carolina-based aid group Samaritans Purse announced it would fly 13 disaster response specialists and 31 tons of emergency supplies to Haiti. Those include shelter materials and water filtration units. Humanitarian workers said gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital, was complicating relief efforts. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Haitis southern peninsula is a hotspot for gang-related violence, where humanitarian workers have been repeatedly attacked. The agency said the area has been virtually unreachable over the past two months because of road blocks and security concerns. But it said late Sunday that local officials negotiated with gangs in the seaside district of Martissant to allow two humanitarian convoys a day to pass through the area. Anna Jefferys, spokeswoman for the U.N. agency, said the first convoy passed through Sunday with government and U.N. personnel. The U.N.s World Food Program plans to send food supplies via trucks to southern Haiti on Tuesday, she added. Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 killed more than a dozen people. The magnitude 7.0 quake of 2010 hit closer to densely populated Port-au-Prince and caused widespread destruction. Haitis government put the death toll at more than 300,000, while a report commissioned by the U.S. government placed it between 46,000 and 85,000. ___ Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Boston; Trenton Daniel in New York; Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, wearing a protective mask, delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II at Budokan hall in Tokyo Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Toru Hanai, pool/AP) TOKYO Japan marked the 76th anniversary of its World War II surrender on Sunday with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided apologizing for his country's aggression. Suga said Japan never forgets that the peace the country enjoys today is built on the sacrifices of those who died in the war. "We will commit to our pledge to never repeat the tragedy of the war," he said in his first speech at the event since becoming prime minister. Suga did not offer an apology to the Asian victims of Japanese aggression across the region in the first half of the 20th century a precedent set by the country's previous leader, Shinzo Abe, who was frequently accused of trying to whitewash Japan's brutal past. In a largely domestic-focused speech, Suga listed damage inflicted on Japan and its people, including the U.S. atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the firebombing of Tokyo and other cities and the fierce battle of Okinawa, and mourned for them. Emperor Naruhito, in contrast, expressed "deep remorse" over his country's wartime actions in a carefully nuanced speech that followed the footsteps of his father, who devoted his 30-year career to making amends for a war fought in the name of Hirohito, the current emperor's grandfather. Naruhito also said he hoped that people can put their hearts together to overcome the difficulty of the pandemic while seeking happiness and peace for all. Amid Tokyo's surging coronavirus infections, about 200 participants, reduced from about 6,000 before the pandemic, mourned for the dead with a minute of silence. Masks were required, and there was no singing of the national anthem. Suga vowed to cooperate with the international community in tackling global issues under "proactive pacifism," a vision that Abe promoted to allow Japan to play a greater military role in international conflicts. Beginning in 2013, Abe stopped acknowledging Japan's wartime hostilities or apologizing in his Aug. 15 speeches, scrapping a nearly 20-year tradition that began with the 1995 apology of Socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama. On Sunday, before attending the ceremony at Tokyo's Budokan hall, Suga laid flowers at a nearby national cemetery for unknown soldiers. While Suga stayed away from the controversial Yasukuni shrine, he did send a religious offering to the shrine, Japanese media reported. Victims of Japanese actions during the first half of the 20th century, especially the Koreas and China, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism because it honors convicted war criminals among about 2.5 million war dead. Abe, who stepped down as prime minister last year, prayed at the shrine Sunday, as did three other members of Suga's Cabinet. Two other ministers visited the shrine Friday. The visits sparked criticism from China and South Korea. On Sunday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry in a statement urged Japanese officials to show "sincere remorse through action" so that the countries could develop "future-oriented ties." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said they had lodged "stern representations" with the Japanese side in Tokyo and in Beijing over the visits to the Yasukuni shrine, noting Suga's religious offering. Spokeswoman Hua Chunying called on Japan to take actions that would "win the trust" of its neighbors. Also Sunday, the official China Association of Performing Arts ordered the country's entertainment industry to boycott actor Zhang Zhehan after a photo of him visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in 2018 was circulated online. The association said the act by the 30-year-old actor, who stars in the popular TV series "Word of Honor," was a "bad influence" on young viewers. "History must not be forgotten or the bottom line relaxed. Violators must be punished," the association said in a statement. The popular microblog service Sina Weibo said it deleted Zhang's account. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report. An anti-government protester shoots fireworks at riot police during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Anuthep Cheysakron/AP) BANGKOK, Thailand Thai riot police fired tear gas and sprayed water cannons Sunday as more than 100 anti-government protesters marched on an army base in the capital Bangkok where Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence. The group of mainly young demonstrators pelted the police lines that blocked their way, hurling rocks, fireworks and small explosives known as "ping-pong bombs." Images on Thai television showed a police traffic control booth in flames. Sunday marked the fourth time in the past seven days that protestors and police have fought in the Din Daeng area of the city. Demonstrators are calling for Prayuth's resignation over his perceived bungling of the government's coronavirus vaccination program. Thailand has seen infection rates surge in the past few weeks while vaccination rates remain low. But the protests are also part of a wider push for sweeping political change that includes the resignation of the government, a new constitution and most contentious of all fundamental reform of the powerful but opaque monarchy Elsewhere, thousands of protestors in vehicles and riding motorbikes gathered for a mobile anti-government rally. They met in three locations to hear speeches before slowly driving around the city. By staying in vehicles they hoped to minimize participants' potential exposure to COVID-19. One of the main organizers, Nattawut Saikua, a veteran activist and former deputy minister, appealed to those taking part to keep it peaceful, saying violence would alienate many potential supporters. As police and protesters clashed in the Din Daeng area, Nattawut went to the scene to ask the protestors to disperse. "We are not here for violence. We're not here to beat the officers or riot police. We're here to beat Prayuth Chan-ocha," he said. President Biden leaves the East Room after delivering remarks on the Afghanistan drawdown on July 8. 2021. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post) LONDON The Taliban's stunningly swift advances across Afghanistan have sparked global alarm, reviving doubts about the credibility of U.S. foreign policy promises and drawing harsh criticisms even from some of the United States' closest allies. As Taliban fighters entered Kabul and the United States scrambled to evacuate its citizens, concerns grew that the unfolding chaos could create a haven for terrorists, unleash a major humanitarian disaster and trigger a new refugee exodus. U.S. allies complain that they were not fully consulted on a policy decision that potentially puts their own national security interests at risk in contravention of President Joe Biden's promises to recommit to global engagement. And many around the world are wondering whether they could rely on the United States to fulfill long-standing security commitments stretching from Europe to East Asia. "Whatever happened to 'America is back'?" said Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defense Committee in the British Parliament, citing Biden's foreign policy promise to rebuild alliances and restore U.S. prestige damaged during the Trump administration. "People are bewildered that after two decades of this big, high-tech power intervening, they are withdrawing and effectively handing the country back to the people we went in to defeat," he said. "This is the irony. How can you say America is back when we're being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than (rocket-propelled grenades), land mines and AK-47s?" As much as its military capabilities, the United States' decades-old role as a defender of democracies and freedoms is again in jeopardy, said Rory Stewart, who was a British minister for international development in the Conservative government of Theresa May. "The Western democracy that seemed to be the inspiration for the world, the beacon for the world, is turning its back," Stewart said. Britain has voiced some of the bluntest criticisms of the pullout, unusually for a country that regards itself as the United States' closest ally. Britain made the biggest contribution to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and suffered the highest number of casualties after the United States. In comments Friday, Britain's defense secretary, Ben Wallace, predicted civil war and the return of al-Qaida, the terrorist organization whose attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, prompted the U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan. "I feel this was not the right time or decision to make," he told Sky News. "Of course al-Qaida will probably come back, and certainly it would like that kind of breeding ground." "Strategically, it causes a lot of problems, and as an international community, it's very difficult ... what we're seeing today," he added. Rivals of the United States also have expressed dismay. Among them is China, which fears that the ascent of an extremist Islamist government on its western border will foster unrest in the adjoining province of Xinjiang, where Beijing has waged sweeping crackdowns on the Uyghur population that have been denounced by the West. Washington "bears an unavoidable responsibility for the current situation in Afghanistan," Colonel Wu Qian, the spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, said earlier this month. "It cannot leave and shed the burden on regional countries." Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected criticisms that the withdrawal damages U.S. credibility. He said staying mired in a conflict that is not in the "national interest" would do far more damage. "Most of our strategic competitors around the world would like nothing better than for us to remain in Afghanistan for another year, five years, 10 years, and have those resources dedicated to being in the midst of a civil war," Blinken told CNN. "It's simply not in our interest." On Saturday, Biden defended his decision to withdraw, saying he had no choice given the peace deal with the Taliban signed last year by President Donald Trump. "One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country. And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me," he said in a statement. But the manner and implementation of the withdrawal has left allies feeling betrayed, said Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook, director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. Germany's government, which withdrew its troops in June and is evacuating its embassy, has refrained from overt criticism of the U.S. withdrawal. Nonetheless, some German officials and lawmakers are seething at Washington's failure to consult coalition partners such as Berlin, Cluver Ashbrook said. Germany is particularly concerned about the potential for an exodus of Afghan refugees similar to the influx of 2015, when more than 1 million migrants, spurred largely by the war in Syria, surged into Europe, with many headed for Germany. "The Biden administration came to office promising an open exchange, a transparent exchange with its allies. They said the transatlantic relationship would be pivotal," she said. "As it is, they're playing lip service to the transatlantic relationship and still believe European allies should fall into line with U.S. priorities." "We're back to the transatlantic relationship of old, where the Americans dictate everything. ... 'Yes we want to partner with you, but in reality, we want to be able to tell you what to do and when,' " she added. The United States' Arab allies, who have long counted on the U.S. military to come to their aid in the event of an attack by Iran, also have faced questions over whether they will be able to rely on the United States. "What's happening in Afghanistan is raising alarm bells everywhere," said Riad Kahwaji, who heads the Inegma security consultancy in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts one of the biggest American military contingents in the Middle East. "The U.S.'s credibility as an ally has been in question for a while," he said. "We see Russia fighting all the way to protect the Assad regime (in Syria), and now the Americans are pulling out and leaving a big chaos in Afghanistan." Cluver Ashbrook said Biden's plan to build an alliance of democracies to counter the influence of China and Russia is also in doubt, now that the West will no longer maintain a significant presence in Central Asia. For China and Russia, there is opportunity as well as concern in the departure of U.S. troops. Both Moscow and Beijing have hosted Taliban delegations in recent weeks in an attempt to pave the way for a post-American future in the region. The humiliating conclusion of the two-decade U.S. venture into Afghanistan will aid their efforts to persuade many governments to seek out relationships elsewhere, analysts say. In a commentary directed at Hong Kong, China's state-run Global Times cited Afghanistan in a signal to democracy activists not to heed repeated American promises to "stand by" Hong Kong. "It has been proven repeatedly that whomever U.S. politicians claim to stand with will face bad luck, plunge into social unrest and suffer severe consequences," the commentary said. Russia has been struck by the speed of the unraveling of the U.S.-installed government in Kabul, said Fyodor Lukyanov, the chairman of Russia's Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and editor in chief of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs. The decade-long Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which ended in 1989, is widely remembered as a failure, one that leaves Russia in no mood to re-engage too closely with Afghanistan, he said. But at least, he noted, the government left behind by the Soviets survived for three years after the withdrawal of Red Army forces. "We believe our failure was big, but it seems the Americans achieved an even bigger failure," he said. Sadiq Sadeed shows some of the awards he received from USAID, the development agency, at his home in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. He was translator at USAID in the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Monica Herndon, The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) PHILADELPHIA (Tribune News Service) Mohammad Azimi knew it was risky to take a job at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, helping to translate contracts, payrolls and vouchers for the Americans. Even the local shopkeepers and taxi drivers knew who he was and where he worked, and could easily pass that information to the Taliban. One interpreter recently was dragged from his car and beheaded. This spring, after six years, Azimi knew something else: It was time to leave Afghanistan. He arrived in Philadelphia just ahead of what has become a rattling, deadline effort to evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters who could face deadly retaliation as Americas longest war races toward an end. People are trying to get out, but they are in trouble, said Azimi, 37, who lives in the citys Mayfair neighborhood with his wife and three children. The Taliban now are crushing Afghan security forces, seizing control of major cities including the capital, as the Biden administration dispatched 3,000 troops to help evacuate Americans. In recent years at least 300 interpreters and family members have been killed because of their ties to the United States, according to No One Left Behind, a nonprofit that seeks to speed the resettlement of Afghans who assisted the Americans. About 200 translators landed in this country last month as Taliban forces advanced ahead of the scheduled Sept. 11 U.S. withdrawal, and more are coming now. Under Special Immigrant Visas, or more simply SIVs, translators are being moved to three destinations: the United States, American facilities in other countries, or homes in countries where they can more safely finish their applications. The vetting process is extensive. So are the complications, with visa applications derailed over what can seem like technicalities. For instance, Afghans who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government must submit a letter of recommendation from their supervisor who has to be a U.S. citizen. No matter how closely the persons work or company was allied with the American war effort, if their direct boss or the person running the firm was not a citizen, then theyre ineligible for an SIV. We have these narrow gates, said Linda Robinson, director of the RAND Corp.s Center for Middle East Public Policy and the author of "Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq." They expanded the gates last week, but its not enough if the goal is to protect all those who are presumably at risk. She referred to the Aug. 2 State Department announcement that thousands of Afghans who worked for the United States, for a government-funded project, or a U.S.-based media company or NGO would be eligible for resettlement as refugees in this country. The program applies to those who dont qualify for SIVs. But the government has no plans to support their evacuation, which means newly eligible Afghans must find their own way out of the country to safety, even as the Taliban seizes border posts and crossings. Much of the U.S. focus has been on interpreters whose work made them publicly known targets, and to whom the U.S. owes a clear moral responsibility, Robinson said. But theyre not the only ones in danger of reprisals. People may imagine the interpreters as fatigue-clad soldiers, set beside American troops to translate orders, communications and conversations on the battlefield. And many do exactly that. But they also work in scores of jobs spread throughout the in-country arms of federal agencies and contractors. In those positions they handle everything from servicing cars, to booking plane tickets, to translating complex financial documents and even assisting at Army PXs, the post exchanges that serve as supermarkets and retail stores. Interpreter Fahim Sekandari worked years often under fire for the Army Corps of Engineers. It was dangerous, but it was a reliable job with good pay in a country where employment prospects are bleak. I liked the U.S. Army, said Sekandari, who came to Philadelphia on an SIV in 2018. Good discipline, and very respectful. Today Sadiq Sadeed is office manager at Philadelphia-based HIAS Pennsylvania, where he helps immigrants start new lives in the United States. Before settling with his family in Mayfair in 2019, he worked in the U.S. embassy in Kabul as an interpreter for USAID, the development agency. Hes worried about his brother who is still in Afghanistan, working for a worldwide food-and-services supplier that provides 150,000 meals a month to NATO forces. His brothers supervisor is not a U.S. citizen, blocking the path to a Special Immigrant Visa. A friend faces the same bar. Their lives are threatened, said Sadeed, 40, but theres no way they can qualify for a visa. Two decades ago, Sadeed was finishing high school as American troops arrived, sent by President George W. Bush to topple the Taliban after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The insurgents were ousted but never eliminated. Sadeed studied English, which had to be kept secret, then ran a small education center. He got a job at a company that serviced vehicles for the Afghan National Police, moved to a construction position at another firm, and eventually to an office managers post at the Netherlands embassy. As the Dutch wound down their forces, he found a job with the Americans. In the embassy he worked as a travel supervisor, scheduling passages on flights, handling visas, and providing orientations for staff coming from Washington. The only certainty was uncertainty. During the hiring process, U.S. government agents routinely interviewed prospects friends and neighbors, and even local government officials and police, effectively spreading word of their applications. Then, once hired, new employees were told to keep quiet about their work. Even approaching the embassy gate could be dangerous, Sadeed said, because of the uncertain allegiance of the police who worked there. People who one day are providing you the security to work with the U.S. agency, he said, the next day they may work for the anti-government militia. Azimis title with USAID was financial management specialist, a position in which he handled complicated monetary matters. In this country, his masters degree and nearly 20 years of accounting experience have brought only a food-service job. Still, he said, leaving was the only safe choice. People at the embassy were telling me, Dont wait, he said. Dont wait for any organization to take you. Take your tickets and go. 2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Cutting corners: On Friday, Samsung Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee was released on parole, and after issuing a statement to waiting reporters, he made his way to Samsungs headquarters. South Korean President Moon Jae-ins office has claimed that his early parole is in the national interest. "We are well aware that there are supporting and opposing views on Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lees parole," Moons office said in a statement. "The views of the people who are opposed are also right." "On the other hand, there have been many people who called for his parole in this severe crisis, hoping that he will help the country with respect to semiconductors and vaccines." Lees grandfather founded Samsung in 1938. He's been in charge of Samsung Group since 2014. Although his absence has not affected Samsungs regular operations, Lee is responsible for long-term strategic decision making, and his prolonged absence has delayed Samsungs investment plans. In any given year, Samsung Group is responsible for 10-20% of South Koreas GDP. In 2017, Lee was charged with "bribery, embezzlement and perjury" and sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted for a portion of the charges. After a year of incarceration, the appeals court suspended his sentence and freed him temporarily. In January, Lee was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment by a high court, with the previous time hed served counting towards the new sentence. He was expected to remain in prison until sometime next year, but last month the Justice Ministry eased their guidelines to enable earlier paroles, allowing Lee to walk free after serving only 18 months. Via Reuters. Lees parole is contentious because Moons administration ran on a platform of political reform. Lee was convicted of bribing Choi Soon-Sil, a close friend of former President Park Geun-hye. Both Choi and Park are now imprisoned for severe instances of political misconduct, mostly centered around inappropriate ties between the government and South Koreas large conglomerates. By releasing Lee early, Moon is reneging on a campaign promise to sever those ties in favor of the economic growth Lees leadership could induce. In any given year, Samsung Group is responsible for 10-20% of South Koreas GDP. One of Lees next decisions will involve the location of a $17 billion chip fab in the US. Because of the chip shortage, both American lobbyists and Samsungs investors have pressured Samsungs leadership to finalize plans to build the fab. Emerging from the Seoul Detention Center, Lee vowed to be better than before. "Ive caused much concern for the people," he said. "I deeply apologize. I am listening to the concerns, criticisms, worries and high expectations for me. I will work hard." Despite his forward-looking attitude, Lees future is uncertain. He faces complex charges of accounting fraud and stock price manipulation in connection to a 2015 merger that involved the cooperation of Park. He is separately accused of unlawful use of a medicinal sedative. Lee has denied both charges and will stand trial for them later this year. Image credit: Valik Chernetskyi Lauren Broussard walked into the only empty room in Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Centers intensive care unit Wednesday afternoon. OK, so whens the next COVID one coming? Broussard asked. She paused, a thoughtful expression visible on her masked face. That might have been my first COVID patient that Ive never had one get downgraded. Broussards patient, whod just been wheeled off to a regular room, was admitted to the hospital for a reason unrelated to COVID-19 but tested positive for the virus upon arrival. Even though the circumstances were different than usual, this was a small victory for Broussard, who said she cant remember another one of her recent coronavirus patients leaving the ICU alive. I didnt really have time to even process it. Ill think about it later, Broussard said. Im just trying to get the room ready for the next one. A lullaby played a few minutes later over the hospitals intercom, indicating someone on another floor had just delivered a baby. The same sound echoed in the halls four times over a four-hour period Wednesday an audible reminder that coronavirus patients werent the only ones demanding care at the regions largest hospital. Ochsner Lafayette General administrators allowed an Acadiana Advocate reporter and a photographer inside the main hospital Wednesday, Aug. 11, to document what health care workers are facing during the fourth and worst wave of the pandemic. When journalists arrived at Ochsner Lafayette Generals flagship hospital at 10 a.m. Wednesday, there were 75 coronavirus patients on the campus. The hospital was treating 77 patients by the time the journalists left at 2 p.m. Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the hospitals COVID-19 census had reached 86. Everything is moving faster, Broussard said. Patients are coding and dying faster. What were doing now just isnt working. The hospital is one of hundreds across Louisiana overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom are unvaccinated, as the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus spreads unabated throughout the state. The Louisiana Department of Health has announced record-breaking hospitalizations nearly every day for the past two weeks. The Acadiana region broke its own record for the seventh day in a row Thursday with 380 coronavirus hospitalizations. Prior to this month, the regions record had been 304 hospitalizations on July 22, 2020. Like a person who holds it together on the brink of a breakdown, a hospital can continue providing care when teetering on the edge of a crisis. All 35 acute-care beds in the hospitals emergency department were occupied Wednesday morning. Twenty-five of those patients were not actively being treated but instead were waiting for an available inpatient or ICU bed to open up. Six patients in the emergency department were being treated in reclining chairs behind curtained walls. About a dozen people sat in the emergency waiting room. Others left phone numbers and waited in their vehicles until care was available to prevent overcrowding. This wave is definitely hitting the predominantly younger, non-vaccinated population, said Dr. Foster Kordisch, medical director of the hospitals emergency department. Our average age for admissions of COVID patients has gone from the 70s and 80s to the average age of 53. Its not uncommon for us to have 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds admitted with COVID which, in the first wave or two, that was almost unheard of unless there were significant, significant health issues. Because of that, its been difficult for emergency department staff to determine who to prioritize for immediate care during this wave of the pandemic. Whats been our biggest transition this go-round is that young ones that we used to be able to keep in the lobby and keep an eye on are now showing up with critical labs and were bedding them immediately, said Candice Guidry-Card, a registered nurse in the emergency department. Kadie Castro, a nurse who manages the emergency department, said her team is not only having to provide emergency care for patients but is also having to provide critical and longer-term care to patients who are waiting for rooms to open up in other parts of the hospital. There is typically one nurse for every three patients in the emergency room, but that ratio is closer to one nurse for every four patients these days. In the ICU, there is typically one nurse for every two patients so those waiting for an ICU bed in the emergency department are receiving less specialized care. Were trained as emergency room nurses, not as floor nurses, Castro said. So weve gone from dealing with patients for 30 minutes and moving them through to holding ICU patients for a day or maybe two. Coronavirus patients who require ventilation or breathing treatments that aerosolize the virus are housed in negative-pressure rooms. +3 Here's the 'oppressive reality' Acadiana's emergency network faces amid worst COVID wave Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center is expecting to reach the final and most critical phase of its seven-phase surge plan by the end o More rooms were actively being constructed in the hospital as the volume of critically ill COVID-19 patients continued to climb last week. What were having to do is create spaces that dont exist to handle the treatments that these patients need as their condition worsens from the impact of COVID, said Jonathan Koob, a registered nurse and the hospitals director of critical care. Were having to board those patients in the emergency room in negative-pressure spaces that weve created while we create inpatient spaces while we create ICU spaces to be able to move people through that continuum of care. Still, space hasnt been as big of an issue as staffing. The hospital was in the fifth stage of its pandemic surge plan last week without the ability to expand crisis care because of a shortage of nurses. Right now, we cannot move forward to the next phase of the plan because of staffing, said Patricia Thompson, the hospitals director of communications. We have the infrastructure for it. We have created more negative-pressure rooms for full COVID units, but we dont have the people to staff the beds. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up On Wednesday, 119 people across Ochsner Lafayette General systems 4,700 employees were out with the coronavirus. About 75% of those were employees who care for patients at hospital beds. The Ochsner Lafayette General system includes the main campus on Coolidge Boulevard, University Hospital on Congress Street, an orthopedic hospital on Ambassador Caffery Parkway and a surgical hospital on Pinhook Road along with Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital, Acadia General Hospital and St. Martin Hospital in neighboring parishes. Most of the sick employees are nurses at the flagship hospital, according to Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Centers CEO. Today, we have six beds that we cannot put patients in because of staffing shortages, Al Patin said. And over the last three weeks, at any point in time, zero to 20 beds have been closed due to staffing. Help is on the way. The federal government is sending a team of about 20 medical professionals to the hospital to assist with the recent surge in COVID-19 patients. The nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists are expected to arrive mid-week and stay for three weeks. The team will be able to staff a COVID unit of 16 to 18 beds, which would allow the hospital to operate at its maximum capacity. The help wont last forever. Hospitals in other states with low vaccination rates are also reaching their limits. On any given day in the past three weeks, were getting over 50 calls to transfer patients from outside of our region, Patin said. Were getting it from Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama. Those are transfers that we immediately deny. Theres no beds. +4 'COVID is here': Louisiana mom pleads with community as daughter, 20, is put on ventilator Josepha Morgan doesn't want another parent to go through what she's experiencing as her 20-year-old daughter is fighting for her life in a hos Even patients within Ochsner Lafayette Generals system of hospitals are waiting to transfer into ICU beds at the main campus. That means rural emergency rooms grow even more overwhelmed with patients. Meanwhile, medics who bring in patients by ambulance have to wait for beds to open up at hospitals, and those who call 911 have to wait longer for an ambulance to arrive. Others are waiting for vital surgeries that have been postponed in recent weeks to free up beds and reallocate staff for the growing number of coronavirus patients at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. More than 100 non-emergency surgeries including those for cancer, aneurysms and heart disease have been canceled per week since July under the existing surge plan. Some doctors offices in the Ochsner Lafayette General system switched to online visits to protect the health of staff last week, and more are expected to do so in the coming days and weeks. Some of those doctors and nurses may be asked to assist in the hospital. Its the final step in the hospitals existing surge plan. After that, its uncharted territory, said Dr. Amanda Logue, chief medical officer, during a Friday press conference. We are thinking through all the levers we could pull but were getting close to being there already. Broussard, the critical care nurse, said shes seeing more people die per day from coronavirus complications in the ICU during this surge than shes seen during any previous surge. Theyre getting admitted quicker and sent to the morgue faster, Broussard said. In ICU, you see death all the time, but you never feel this helpless. Death is natural but not at this high of a rate. The nurse said she walks, reads devotionals and goes to church to care for her mental health. She tries not to think about work during her downtime, but the patients sometimes haunt her dreams. "You clock out and you sit in your car and you just cry," Broussard said through tears. "You go through nursing school, and you learn what to do with these kinds of patients in general. But with COVID, we don't know fully everything yet, so it's just a giant educated guessing game. You're throwing all your resources into it, using everything you've learned about similar respiratory illnesses, but it's just not working." Critical care nurses arent just dealing with the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that comes with caring for patients who are younger and sicker during this wave of the pandemic. Theyre also experiencing far less support from the community than they once did. In the spring of 2020, people donated catered meals to hospital workers and showed appreciation by displaying healthcare hero signs. They made masks to ensure frontline workers had enough protection at a time when supplies were limited. They largely listened to their recommendations to protect their health and those around them. Now, when the situation is far more dire, many people are willfully ignoring the cries for help coming from public health officials and hospital leaders alike. There was a camaraderie then thats been lost, Broussard said. But Id much rather you get vaccinated than bring us a pizza. The nurse said her own parents didnt get vaccinated against COVID-19 until their friends were hospitalized with the virus last month. Broussard said she no longer spends time trying to convince people to take precautions or get vaccinated. Shes become angry and numb, deciding that most people wont believe the reality she experiences on a daily basis until it hits close to home. Theyre going to start losing their parents, their siblings, their best friends, Broussard said. Its going to take a lot of people losing someone close to them to get the shot. Its so sad that people literally have to drop dead for somebody else to get the vaccine. COVID-19 tests and vaccinations remain free to anyone, with or without medical insurance. Find testing sites and vaccination clinics near you by visiting ldh.la.gov. The threat of terrorism has understandably receded in our minds while COVID-19 challenges our way of life. But as The Ages investigation with 60 Minutes today shows, the threat of violence emerging from within should not be forgotten. Extremist groups who identify as neo-Nazis are using the uncertainty and fear generated by the pandemic, among other global issues, to drum up recruits here in Australia, and counter-terrorism agencies are rightly concerned. The risk from these fringe white supremacist groups has moved to the fore as the danger of Islamist terrorist groups such as Islamic State has receded, although the Talibans resurgence in Afghanistan suggests the ideology of these groups is far from dead, even though IS itself has been driven out of its territory. Members of the Australian neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network. Credit: But lone-wolf attacks or more organised violence driven by the loathsome ideology of the National Socialist Network and its ilk should not be underestimated. Dont underestimate Melburnians thirst for coffee, says the managing director of a charity when asked how its new cafe will survive alongside the citys gazillion other caffeine purveyors. This venue has a few quirky selling points. It will be based in the Middle Park light rail station building, which has been vacant for three years after a fire. And apart from a caffeine buzz, customers will get the satisfaction of supporting disadvantaged young people. Tenille Gilbert from For Change Co. at Middle Park station, where the cafe will open. Credit:Wayne Taylor The charity For Change Co. will use the cafe, due to open in December, to employ and train people aged between 16 and 24 who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. For Change Co. managing director Tenille Gilbert said Yarra Trams offered the use of the weatherboard building on a prime spot between Albert Park Lake and Middle Park shops for a peppercorn rent. People in Melbournes inner south-eastern suburbs are on high alert after a guest at a crowded engagement party last week attended by dozens of people tested positive for coronavirus. The video, seen by The Age, shows a gathering of people listening to a man giving an engagement speech to a crowded room of well-dressed guests at what appears to be a private residence. Clearly this is legal, the man says to the room, because this is a group therapy session. The crowd, made up of men and women from young children to middle age, laughed at the joke. Thank you so much to everyone who came here tonight, he says. The Talibans ideology was similar to that of its counterpart al-Qaeda, though its interests were limited to ruling Afghanistan. In exchange for help in fighting groups aligned with the nations government, Taliban leaders harboured Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A US-led coalition ousted the regime later that year and spent the next 20 years fighting the Taliban and training Afghan forces to eventually keep control of the country along with the Western-backed democratic government. How did the Taliban regain strength? After being ousted, the Taliban scattered. Some leaders found sanctuary in Pakistan, where they began to fortify themselves with help from the Pakistani security establishment. In Afghanistan, the presence of US forces helped provide the Taliban with an anti-colonialist rallying cry for recruits. So did corruption in the Afghan government. For two decades now, the Taliban movement has been slowly chipping away, village by village, said Robert Crews, an expert on Afghanistan at Stanford University. Its a very sophisticated kind of ground game of grass-roots mobilisation. Militants also replenished their ranks through a campaign of fear and violence. People who enlisted in police forces or the national army were assassinated. Public intellectuals, journalists, media figures and others who represent the young face of Afghanistans civil society were also targeted. Loading Afghan troops, their ranks dogged by incompetence and corruption, have withered in the face of the Taliban incursion. People are asking, Do I want to die for an administration that has not sent my unit ammunition? Weve not been paid in months, were out of food. Now the Americans are gone, Crews said. It seems kind of hopeless. How is the Taliban funded and armed? The Taliban get funding from a variety of sources. Some money comes from the opium trade and drug dealing, or other crime such as smuggling. The group taxes and extorts farms and other businesses. Militants are sometimes involved in kidnapping for ransom. The group also gets donations from a wide array of benefactors who support its cause or view it as a useful asset, experts said. Passengers make their way to the Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul on Saturday as Taliban forces advance towards the capital. Credit:AP Its not really the case that they need a whole lot of money to operate, Bokhari said. They dont live in big houses. They dont wear fancy clothes. The biggest expense is salary and weapons and training. Arms are easy to come by in a region awash in them. Some are donated, others purchased. Many are stolen. Loading As the Afghanistan national army has folded, Crews said, one of the first moves the Taliban has made in moving into new territory is to go to a government headquarters, arrest or kill those figures, open the prisons, and then go to the government bases and seize the weapons. In some tribal areas, including in Pakistan, a cottage industry of foundries has sprung up where workers fashion assault-style rifles, according to Bokhari. What is the Talibans goal? The Talibans aim is simple, experts said: to take back what the group lost in the early 2000s. They want their Islamic emirate back in power, Crews said. They want their vision of Islamic law. Loading He continued: They dont want a parliament. They dont want electoral politics. They have an emir and they have a council of mullahs, and thats the vision they see as best for Islam. There does not seem to be a single leader of the Taliban, but the group seems to have several main leaders. Whether life under Taliban rule will be the same as it was in the 1990s remains unclear. Theres little doubt that the group wants to confine women to their homes, end mixed-gender education and bring back a society with Islamic law at the centre. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Taliban terrorists take control of Afghan's presidential palace after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Zabi Karimi/AP Photo) Taliban Enters Presidential Palace, Declares Victory as Afghan President Flees Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, on Sunday fled the country as the Taliban terrorist group surrounded the capital, Kabul, according to a senior official, while the Taliban entered the Afghan presidential palace. Photos circulating online show members of the Taliban, holding AK-47-style rifles, inside the palace. Speaking to Al Jazeera TV during a live stream, a member of the group who was inside the presidential palace said the Taliban is planning to declare Afghanistan the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the near future. We have reached a victory that we couldnt imagine, said Mullah Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, in a video addressed to the groups supporters. He added that now its about how we serve and secure our people, and ensure their good life to best of ability, according to a translation. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, confirmed on social media that Ghani fled the country, coming about a day after Ghani claimed that he would be able to muster the remnants of the Afghan government forces to mount a defense of Kabul, a city of 6 million. The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation, Abdullah said in a video, according to a translation of his comments on social media. God should hold him accountable. Ghani issued a statement hours later, saying he departed to avoid bloodshed in Kabul. I came across a hard choice; I should stand to face the armed Taliban who wanted to enter the palace or leave the dear country that I dedicated my life to protecting the past 20 years, he said in the message, according to a translation. Videos circulating online showed the Taliban entering Kabul, with crowds of supporters greeting them. The U.S. Embassy, meanwhile, said in an alert that the Kabul airport was taking fire and called on American staff to shelter in place. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks at the parliament in Kabul, Afghanistan August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly including at the airport. There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place, an embassy security alert stated. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told media outlets on Sunday that the Taliban should not attack U.S. forces or staff and said it would be met with a very strong, decisive response. Around the same time Ghani departed Sunday, the Taliban terrorist group wrote that it ordered its fighters to enter Kabul after surrounding the Afghan capital city, arguing that it is necessary to prevent common thieves and robbers from harming people. The citizens of Kabul should not feel any fear from the [Taliban] and their forces will enter Kabul city very easily, said a spokesman for the group. The military units of the Islamic Emirate entered Kabul to provide security, the spokesman later wrote. The Taliban, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department decades ago, also directed its fighters to not enter peoples houses or to harass or annoy anyone. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) However, across Afghanistan, there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas that the group seized in recent days. Before Ghanis apparent departure, government officials and Taliban spokesmen said they were working on a peaceful transfer of power. However, with Ghanis departure, its not clear whether that will happen. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatars Al Jazeera satellite news channel that the insurgents are awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city. He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government. When pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government. Taliban sit on the back of a vehicle in the city of Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2021, after seizing the province from the Afghan government. (Hamed Sarfarazi/AP Photo) Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that U.S. Embassy staff would evacuate Kabul, although he didnt say whether the United States would keep a diplomatic presence in the country. Rapid flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began Sunday, a few hours after the terrorists seized the nearby city of Jalalabadwhich had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands. The United States decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel amid reports that embassy staff would be sent to the nearby Kabul airport. Military helicopters shuttled between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions. Sunday began with the Taliban seizing the nearby city of Jalalabad which had been the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa, and Parwan provinces, as well as the countrys last government-held border post. For years now, the United States has been looking for an exit from the war. Washington under President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020. More than a year later, President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month, culminating with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Associated Press contributed to this report. An Exchange Experience in Frankfurt Rhine-Main When my daughter began German classes in middle school, we couldnt have imagined how much the experience would add to our lives. Four years later, we hosted a student from Germany; we were preparing for my daughter to go there when the coronavirus pandemic spoiled everyones plans. In the summer before she started college, we decided to recreate part of that canceled tour, and I got to go, too. We knew the student who had stayed with us, but now both of us would be staying with her family, so we were excited and a bit nervous. The wide smiles and warm hugs that greeted us in Frankfurt set the tone for a marvelous adventure. We usually sleep flying east and stay awake flying west to help us adjust to the new time zone. With that in mind, I told our host mom we could hit the ground running, so she loaded us into her car and drove us to nearby Wiesbaden for the afternoon. Two young travelers try the famous waters from the hot springs in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Lesley Sauls Frederikson) This was a swanky town for centuries because of its hot springs. Also here are a high-rolling casino and a shopping district spread through historic cobbled streets. Cafes offer outdoor seating, and metal sculptures along the route are 3D replica maps of the towns center. We walked through a lush green park lined by elegant old mansions and eventually came upon a water-powered funicular from 1888 that takes visitors up Neroberg hill for a view of Frankfurt Rhine-Main that is unparalleled. Our second day in Germany was a workday for our host mom, so she booked a tour of Mainz for us with a guide who explained the citys rich and complicated 2,000-year history. We learned that Gutenberg perfected his printing press by modifying the presses his family had used to prepare grapes in this wine-rich region. We also learned that Mainzer Dom, the citys magnificent cathedral, was the only place outside the Vatican ever to be a Holy Seefrom 975 until 1011. Outside the church, we paused at a wide wooden post covered in nails sold as a fundraiser for World War I widows. After our tour, we noshed on sausages baked into pretzels with cheese from street vendor Ditsch, then headed to the Gutenberg Museum to see the famous Bible and watch a demonstration of how the original press operated. The presentation was in German, so my daughter and her host sister translated the high points, and later, the docent gave us the document he had pressed. On our way home, we popped into a modern mall, where we found an archaeological dig of a temple devoted to Isis that was discovered during the malls creation. We also stopped at the ruins of a coliseum that once held 10,000 Roman visitors who came annually to celebrate Drusus, an important military hero in the first decade B.C. A modern train station nestles against them now, and a silent video is on constant display to show how it once looked and how the ruins have been preserved. Later, we drove up a winding hill to Laubenheimer Hohe winery to taste local Reinhessen wines. The sun set and the moon rose over the vineyards where we ate dinner and watched the twinkling lights of Frankfurt come alive on the horizon. Vinegar, local handkase cheese, and onions on bread went well with our riesling and pinot gris wines, and a soft pretzel dipped in savory spundekas was divine. Frankfurts skyline rises behind Eiserner Steg, a bridge where romantics padlock their love and throw away the key. (Lesley Sauls Frederikson) With Frankfurt just a short train ride away, that was our next destination. Our daughters joined us for lunch in the oldest part of the city before going off on their own. I just love to meander and find new places, our exchange mom told me, so thats exactly what we did. Twenty thousand steps later, we had visited a beautiful old church where a glowing bride swept down the aisle on her fathers arm, watched an artist weave bubbles in the air for delighted children by an old city fountain, and paused to take in the city skyline from Eiserner Steg, an iron bridge from 1869 where engraved padlocks clipped to railings forever lock in their owners love. Behind the beauty, however, remains a real element of responsibility and renewal in each of these cities and towns where the fingers of history are long and often painful. They were heavily bombed at the end of World War II, when Allied forces intentionally saved only churches and large buildings to use as landmarks for bombing raids, but much effort has been made to rebuild. New buildings are remade to look like their predecessors or incorporate fragments of statues or detailing that recalls the past while looking toward the future. As for uswe are looking to the future, too. Not every foreign exchange experience provides lifelong friends, but in Germany, we found people who will be forever family. When You Go International travel rules are in constant flux, so be proactive in knowing requirements. Vaccination cards and/or negative COVID test results may be required for many activities and to board a flight back into the United States. Testing centers are widely available. Wiesbaden: Wiesbaden.de/en/tourism/index.php Casino Wiesbaden: Spielbank-wiesbaden.de/en Nerobergbahn (funicular): Nerobergbahn.de/home.html Mainz: Mainz-tourismus.com/en Gutenberg Museum: Mainz.de/microsite/gutenberg-museum-en/index.php Temple of Isis: Mainz-tourismus.com/en/explore-enjoy/living-culture/museums/sanctuary-of-isis-mater-magna Laubenheimer Hohe Winery: Rheinhessen.de/en/to-eat-and-drink/a-hofgut-laubenheimer-hoehe-1 Frankfurt: Frankfurt-tourismus.de/en Lesley Sauls Frederikson is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks as he and Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein face reporters as they meet at the State Department in Washington, on July 23, 2021. (Elizabeth Frantz/Pool via AP) Biden Secretary of State: US Embassy Staff Being Evacuated in Kabul Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Aug. 15 that the United States is evacuating its personnel from the embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, although he didnt say whether the embassy would be closed. We are working to make sure that our personnel are safe and secure, Blinken said during an ABC News interview. Were relocating the men and women of our embassy to a location at the airport. Its why the president sent in a number of forces, to make sure that as we continue to draw down our diplomatic presence, we do it in a safe and orderly fashion. Taliban forces surrounded Kabul over the weekend, and the Afghan government and Taliban both confirmed on Aug. 15 that talks are being held to transfer power peacefully. In about a week, the terrorist group took over much of the country, seizing numerous provincial capitals as the Afghan army surrendered en masse in many locations. When asked on the ABC News segment about whether the U.S. Embassy would be shut in its entirety, Blinken didnt give a direct answer. Although the United States has long sought to remove its presence from the South Asian country after invading shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the swift advances made by the Taliban on Kabul have been likened to the fall of Saigon, when Vietnamese communists took over the country in 1975, providing a number of enduring images of embassy staff evacuating the country by helicopter. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) Lets take a step back. This is manifestly not Saigon, Blinken told ABC News, pushing back against the comparison. The invasion of Afghanistan, he added, succeeded in taking out Osama bin Laden and reducing the capacity of the al-Qaeda terrorist group. The fact that the United States killed bin Laden, who has been accused of being a chief orchestrator of the Sept. 11 attacks, should ring out very strongly, Blinken later said. Late on Aug. 15 local time, the Taliban issued an online statement saying the terrorist fighters were ordered to enter Kabul. Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed, a Taliban spokesman had said earlier in the day. American diplomats were seen being evacuated from their embassy by helicopters after a swift advance by the terrorists. President Joe Biden on Aug. 14 authorized the deployment of 5,000 U.S. troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an orderly and safe drawdown of military personnel. That amounts to 1,000 more personnel than originally had been announced, according to a Pentagon official. The State Department confirmed to The Epoch Times on Aug. 13 that it also directed staff to destroy sensitive documents and other materials ahead of the Talibans advance. Reuters contributed to this report. President Joe Biden steps off Marine One upon arrival at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Del., on Aug. 12, 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Thanks School Superintendents for Defying State Bans on Mask Mandates President Joe Biden has commended a pair of school superintendents from Florida and Arizona for enacting mask mandates in defiance of statewide bans, according to the White House. In separate calls on Aug. 13, the president spoke to Chad Gestson, superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District, and Vickie Cartwright, interim superintendent of the Broward County Public Schools. Geston and Cartwright have mandated masks for students in their districts despite mask mandate bans by Republican leaders in Arizona and Florida. In both conversations, the president commended their leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools, a White House official said. Dr. Gestson and Dr. Cartwright are among the leaders who have stepped up at the local level to ensure students and schools are safe where governors have enacted bad public health measures, including banning masks that help stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order prohibiting schools from imposing mask mandates on students. School district leaders in three counties have openly defied the order, prompting the DeSantis administration to threaten to withhold funds from those districts in the amount of the salaries of the officials involved. The Biden administration countered by offering to repay the docked funds by using the $7 billion allocated to Florida schools in the federal pandemic relief package. In Arizona, the Republican-led Legislature approved and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law prohibiting school mask mandates. At least 10 school districts have defied the mandate, and oral arguments in a lawsuit against one district began on Aug. 13, according to NPR. Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Broward County treated 20 pediatric COVID-19 cases in June, more than 240 cases in July, and almost 160 during the first 11 days of August, according to area ABC affiliate Local 10. Arizona has reported 93 COVID-19 deaths over the past seven days. Florida has reported 242 deaths. The seven-day average of the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida is at the highest level seen since the beginning of the pandemic. In Arizona, the same average has been rising steadily since early July. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, is the pathogen that causes COVID-19. UKs Raab Says Violence in Afghanistan Must End as Parliament Recalled From Summer Recess British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday that the violence in Afghanistan must end as the Taliban terrorist group entered Kabul, prompting a transfer of power in the country. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani relinquished power on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul, according to Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, who confirmed there would be a transfer of power. Ghani reportedly left the country on Sunday. Raab said he spoke to Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the foreign minister of Afghanistans neighbour Pakistan, about the situation. Shared my deep concerns about the future for Afghanistan with FM Qureshi, he wrote on Twitter. Agreed it is critical that the international community is united in telling the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights must be protected. House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle earlier granted a request from Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking MPs to come back from summer recess to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The Speaker of the House of Commons has granted a request from the government to recall the House at 9:30 a.m.2:30 p.m on Wednesday, August 18 in relation to the situation in Afghanistan, parliamentary authorities said in a statement on Sunday Downing Street said ministers and senior officials were to meet on Sunday afternoon to discuss the worsening situation. Members of Joint Forces Headquarters deploying to Afghanistan to assist in the draw down of troops from the area on Aug. 13, 2021. (LPhot Ben Shread/Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright via PA) It came as Britain and other Western countries were scrambling to get their remaining nationals out of the country before it was too late. The lead elements of a 600-strong UK forceincluding Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigadewere understood to be in the capital to assist with the operation. The Taliban insisted that there would be no reprisals against Afghans who had worked for the government or for foreign countries and that they were seeking a peaceful transfer of power. However, such assurances were greeted with scepticism by Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat, who said the priority had to be to get as many people as possible out of Kabul. This isnt just about interpreters or guards. This is about those people who we trained in special forces to serve alongside us, those who helped us to understand the territory through our agencies and our diplomats, Tugendhat told BBC News. This is the people who, on our encouragement, set up schools for girls. These people are all at risk now, he said. The real danger is that we are going to see every female MP murdered, we are going to see ministers strung up on street lamps. Defence Committee chair Tobias Ellwood called for the dispatch of the Royal Navy carrier strike group to the region and urged the prime minister to convene an emergency conference of like-minded nations to see what could be done. I plead with the prime minister to think again. We have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to recognise where this country is going as a failed state, he told Times Radio. We can turn this around but it requires political will and courage. This is our moment to step forward, Ellwood said. We could prevent this, otherwise history will judge us very, very harshly in not stepping in when we could do and allowing the state to fail. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace addresses a news conference in Nairobi, Kenya January 25, 2021. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters) In response to accusations of betraying Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Saturday that what comes next should not overshadow what we did during those 20 years. And lets look at other failed states where we did not intervene, such as Syria. The scale of suffering and terror in that country tragically surpasses anything Afghanistan has experienced, Wallace wrote in an opinion article published in The Telegraph. Wallace, who has been sceptical about the hasty withdrawal of Western military from Afghanistan, said he had tried to rally countries to stay there after the United States announced its withdrawal, but without success, as weary publics and parliaments in country after country had no appetite. He argued that the United Kingdom cant unilaterally go back to Afghanistan as some have suggested. A unilateral force would very quickly be viewed as an occupying force and, no matter how powerful the country that sends it, history shows us what happens to them in Afghanistan, Wallace wrote. It would be arrogant to think we could solve Afghanistan unilaterally. Jack Phillips and PA contributed to this report. Members of Joint Forces Headquarters deploying to Afghanistan to assist in the drawdown of troops from the area on Aug. 13, 2021. (LPhot Ben Shread/Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright via PA) British National Stuck in Afghanistan: How Can I Leave My Wife Alone to Die? A British citizen in Afghanistan who fears for his life says he cannot fly to safety in the UK because it would mean leaving his wife all alone to die. The 42-year-old, who asked to be identified only as Omed, said he was hiding at home with his family in Kabul as Taliban forces took control of the countrys major cities and moved into the capital. He fears his British citizenship and previous work on U.S. Army bases will make him and his family targets for the Taliban. Omed has two children under the age of eight, who also have British nationality, but he said that because his wife is not a UK citizen, she could not get a visa to come to the country. If I fly back to [the] UK, how can I leave my wife all alone to die? He told the PA news agency. As soon as they [the Taliban] come to Kabulobviously people know each other: neighbours, businesses, and everythingthey would come and if they dont find me obviously my wife would be there, he said. I cannot leave her. Whatever happens, I would like to be with her. Omed, who was born in Afghanistan, arrived in the UK in 2001 as an asylum seeker after fleeing the Taliban, ultimately claiming citizenship. He moved back to Afghanistan around 12 years later, when he believed it was safer, and began working with a company drilling water wells. He said he has enough money to support his family back in the UK but has been told his wife cannot get a visa. They should at least show compassion because already they are taking embassy staff back to the UK, Omed said. They might have had room to consider people who have Afghan wives and are able to support them back in the UK. Its an emergency. Omed said he has only been able to speak to anyone from the embassy once, around two weeks ago, and was told there were no special circumstances that would allow him to take his wife to the UK. He went to the British Embassy on Sunday morning, he added, but found that the building had been evacuated overnight. He said he is trying to remain as calm as possible for the sake of his family. Im really scared but Im trying to, in front of them, to be calm and show that nothing will happen, he said. If I show my feelings, whats inside, to them probably they will start screaming. But deep down I know its not as easy as Im trying to show them. Its really scary because being a British national is one and working in the U.S. Army bases is a second danger for me. He said he plans to leave as soon as possible to go and stay with relatives in an area where people do not know him, before possibly trying to escape to a neighbouring country with his family. By Alistair Mason Elder Ignores Mainstream Media in First Online Press Conference Commentary Whod a thunk it? Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Politico (both of whom had multiple reporters) and a host of other mainstream media suspects, including the Associated Press, got to ask a single question Friday at Larry Elders first online Zoom press conference for the California gubernatorial recall. The likes of the Bay Area Yu Channel, the Sing Tao Daily and Lynn Ku of KTSF did. If you enjoy seeing MSM stuffed shirts being upended, it was quite a hoot. A reporter from the LATI wont name him out of a courtesy he didnt seem to have himselfwas throwing a tantrum in the Zoom chat room due to his receiving a lack of attention. And if you sense a pro-Asian bias in all this, you are obviously correct and it was obviously deliberate on the part of the Elder campaign. These seemingly small Asian outletsconsidering the size of Californias Asian community, they could be quite big in actualitywere given the only opportunities to ask questions. And their questions were quite substantive. It was rather like the reverse of a White House press conference, particularly during the Trump era, when question after question from CNN et al was of the When did you stop beating your wife? nature. Normally I abhor identity politics, but if a major population group in CaliforniaAsians are 14.7 percent of the state, while blacks are but 5.8 percent, according to the 2018 censushas been getting the short end of the proverbial stick, it is those Asian-Americans. This is true in two areas especiallyeducation where they have been the victims of negative discrimination for doing so well in school while being restricted in college admissions, and in the growing issue of street violence where they have been among the groups most subject to attack. The first of these areas is pretty well known, having been the subject of lawsuits and so forth, but the reality of the second has been largely hidden by the mainstream media because most of this violence is black on Asian. The MSM, not surprisingly, doesnt want to talk about that. Elder, uniquely positioned to do so, did, during the press conference and, I would assume, elsewhere. As he put it, nothing changes if you dont tell the truth. That the Elder campaign is going strong for the Asian vote is not entirely surprising. For many years the GOP inexplicably ignored this group, which offered a natural opportunity given the number of small business people in that community, but recently have woken up to it, particularly in Californias Orange County where the Republicans had renewed success in the 2020 Congressional election. The Elder campaign, however, appears to be focusing on Asians to a yet higher degree, giving them priority in this first of what we were told will be several virtual press conferences. (I suspect Hispanics will be next, since polling suggests Larry has growing popularity in that community as well.) Underscoring the Asian emphasis of this first conference, the host was Wing Ma, a highly-intelligent, longtime conservative activist and writer who worked with me some years ago at PJ Media and is now Elders communications director. The speaker introducing Elder was Betty Chu, the fiery (to say the least) octogenarian former mayor of Monterey Park, a working-class bastion in East Los Angeles. Elder spoke for fifteen minutes or so and was his usual fluent self, evidencing a solid grasp of the issues confronting the state andperhaps with the exception of the wild fires, although those now are engulfing most of the Westthe country. First and foremost, as it is for many of us now in the era of critical race theory, was education, not only the erasure of the hideous CRT but the opening up of school choice, which Elder has espoused for many years. Also, top of his agenda would be a state of emergency to deal with the homeless problem. Elder, since I have been listening to him, has tilted to the libertarian but is now veering pragmatic on this issue because it is so extreme. He further dealt with the escalatingand rather frightening given the district attorneys in San Francisco and Los AngelesCalifornia (and nationwide) crime problem. He is for building more prisons rather than letting violent criminals out, a safety-first approach in an increasingly dangerous world. Elder demonstrated a wide breadth of knowledge, answering the questions in considerable detail. We live in a peculiar time in which the talk show host often has a better command of the issues than most politicians due to the demands of their professionall those call-ins (Who was more knowledgeable than Rush?). It is highly unlikely that Gavin Newsom would want to debate Elder, but can Elder win against what will surely be a tsunami of Democratic money already underway? For the Democrats the loss of California would be an unmitigated and completely unanticipated disaster that could have a ripple effect across the country. I am no Nostradamus (neither was Nostradamus, if you look it up) and, for the moment must go with that guru of gurus, Yogi Berra: Predictions are difficultespecially about the future. But I will certainly be on Elders next Zoom press conference (though I will be unlikely to ask a question. Its far more interesting, not just in the Zen sense, to listen and learn.). I will, however, bite the bulleteven to constantly wearing a mask while dodging excrement in the streetsand go out at the end of the month for a few days to the state I fled now several years ago, California. I would like to see up close and personal what is happening. But I cant guarantee I will have any special insights. California, like the story of the elephant felt by a blind man, is so big your results, and fate, depend on where you touch the beast. Nevertheless, although its been a while, I still want to believe I can find my way around, at least in LA. More then. Larry Elder is a contributor to The Epoch Times. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Ford Counterattacks in Cruise Dispute With GM DETROITFord Motor said late on Friday it will ask the U.S. Patent Office to rescind trademarks obtained by rival General Motors for the terms Cruise and Super Cruise, escalating a brawl GM began by suing Ford over its use of Blue Cruise for an automated driving system. The legal fight between the two Detroit automakers turns on whether cruise is a generic term for technology that allows the car to take over some share of driving tasks from a human motorist. The clash underscores the intensity of competition among established automakers to be seen as leaders in automated driving technology, competitive with Silicon Valley rivals Tesla, Alphabets Waymo unit, and others. GM filed a federal suit against Ford on July 24, accusing Ford of violating GM trademarks by using the name Blue Cruise for a system that enables hands-free driving. GM had previously trademarked Super Cruise for its hands-free, partially automated driving technology. It also has trademarked Cruise, the name of its robo-taxi unit in San Francisco. Ford reiterated on Friday its position that GMs suit is frivolous. The effort to nullify GMs trademarks for the use of the word cruise takes the fight to a new level. To defend itself, Ford has no choice but to ask the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to rescind both of GMs Cruise and Super Cruise trademark registrations that should have never been registered in the first place, Ford said. Any number of companies use the word cruise in connection with driver assist technology. Among the examples Ford cited: Predictive Cruise, marketed by Mack Trucks; Smart Cruise Control marketed by Hyundai Motor, and Autocruise, used by auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG. GM said Friday that Super Cruise has had a well established commercial presence since 2017, and added in a statement that the company remains committed to vigorously defending our brands and protecting the equity our products and technology have earned over several years in the market and that wont change. By Joe White This overhead view taken on August 12, 2021 shows flooded streets following heavy rains in Suizhou in China's central Hubei province. (STR/CNS/AFP via Getty Images) Fresh Floods Hit Central China, Killing People as They Sleep Flooding continued to cause havoc in both cities and rural areas in central China early on Aug. 12, killing people as they slept. Floodwaters rose to 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) in Hubei Provinces Liulin township following heavy rains that began Wednesday. The torrential rain left more than 2,700 houses and shops damaged, with 221 collapsing entirely, according to Chinas central broadcaster CGTV. Authorities said 21 people had been killed, with four missing. That number may not reflect the true total, given that the communist regime is known to underreport the casualties of floods, one analyst told The Epoch Times. A resident who gave his surname as Li said, Theres a lot more [people killed]. He told The Epoch Times that more victims hadnt been found. The true death toll is still unknown, one civil rescuer told The Epoch Times. The flood rose too quickly, reaching over three meters. We are cleaning thick mud now. At 10 p.m. Wednesday, the local meteorological agency issued the most severe red alert in Liulin, citing terrestrial rain in the region. Five hours later, a flood swept through the town when residents were asleep. The first floors of all buildings alongside a road in the town center were submerged soon after. Just half an hour before the flooding, the authorities started to use police cars loudspeakers to warn everyone, a shop owner who gave his surname as Zhu said. He complained the warning had come too late. Zhu told The Epoch Times many residents heard police sirens on Thursday morning, but they didnt understand what it meant. He added the police sirens may have failed to wake some people up due to the loudness of the downpour. Zhu suggested if more officials could call residents through loudspeakers or by knocking on doors, many more would have escaped the flood. Nothing left in my shop now, all gone [with the flood]. Every household suffered. I dont know whether I could receive compensation, he said. Zhu is currently sheltering at a school. The devastating flood damaged power supplies, and stopped transportation. State media China Daily, citing the provincial emergency bureau, estimated the loss to be over $16 billion. China regularly suffers seasonal flooding, but this year has been particularly severe, with torrential rains reaching from the center of the country as far north as Beijing. Last month, 12 million people in another central Zhengzhou city, Henan Province, experienced heavy rainfall for three daysthe equivalent of a years average rainfall. Authorities reported 302 people died from the flooding, with 50 missing. The official death toll was questioned as the authorities dispatched the army and police guarded the worst-hit area, a 2.5-mile-long tunnel that was inundated with water in just five minutes. Foreign journalists who reported a drowned underground train were hunted and harassed by Chinese Communist Party, and a state-media photographer was detained. The regime also barred people from mourning those who had been drowned at the entrance of a subway station. More heavy rain is forecast across east and south China, including Guangxi Province and Yunnan Province, the National Meteorological Center said on Aug. 14. The Associated Press and Hong Ning contributed to this report. Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamoru Shigemitsu, signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay at the end of WWII, 2nd September 1945. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) How the End of World War I Informed the End of World War II Why Japans conditional surrender was not an option Commentary When World War I came to an end, Germany was humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles, yet boasted that it had not been conquered, or even invaded. Externally, the treaty would require that the blame fall to it for starting the war; internally, it would gloat in the triumph of not suffering the cataclysmic fates of its neighborsfates for which it was very much responsible. The Allied Powers were aware of the two options placed before them in November 1918: continue the war against Germany or accept an armistice. Describing it as a mere choice, however, does not do justice for the weighty decision that had to be made. By wars end, America had suffered 117,000 dead after only six months of fighting (more than half were non-combat deaths). The militaries of the Allied and Central Powers suffered much more. France suffered 1.4 million, Britain nearly 1 million, Italy 650,000, Germany 1.8 million, Austria-Hungary 1.2 million, and Russia 1.7 million, even after its new Bolshevik government had signed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty in March 1918, bringing hostilities between it and Germany to an end. The decision was not just about ending the war, but about ending the suffering. It was a war that lasted longer than most anyone expected, and was far more devastating than anyone dreamed. When Germany hinted at a ceasefire, it ushered in a deep global sigh of relief. Those two aforementioned options were quickly pared down to one: peace. The British economist John Maynard Keynes wrote, We have been moved already beyond endurance, and need rest. Never in the lifetime of men now living has the universal element in the soul of man burnt so dimly. He called the moment immediately after World War I the dead season of our fortunes. Many historians and contemporaries, such as Keynes, predicted that this peace would come at a heavy cost. The dead season would continue for decades in the aftermath of what many would describe as winning the war, but losing the peace. In the ensuing years, the Allied Powers would disconnect from each other. Italy, one of the four powers administering the peace process, actually walked away from the peace talks of 1919. Britain would become weary of checking Germanys disregard for the treaty agreements. France was too weak to enforce them alone. Italy would undergo a revolution, leading to the rise of Benito Mussolini. America would elect a new president, Warren G. Harding, and return to political isolationism. And most of Europe would focus much of its concern on the spread of communism. A peace had been signed, but the war had not been finished. The interwar years of 1919 to 1939 would begin, which would result in Germanys rearmament and the weary world ignoring it. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlains peace for our time was merely part of the prelude to World War II. The Germanic-Japanese Parallels The world again found itself facing the same situation at the end of World War II, not with Germany, but with Japan. The Empire of Japan had struck first against America. Now America was closing in. The war in Europe had officially come to an end in May 1945. Japan had lost its primary allies, Germany and Italy. On the night of March 9 to 10, Tokyo suffered the most devastating raid in recorded history with some 300 B-29 bombers destroying 14 square miles of Japans urban core and killing approximately 100,000150,000 people. More than 60 other cities would be bombed by summers end. By June, 80 percent of Japans production had been burned down. For Japan, the war was over. For America, it was not. American victory was inevitable; Japanese surrender was not. As American troops continued to dominate the war in the Pacific and move closer to Japans mainland, the government of Imperial Japan was producing propaganda aimed at its people and preparing them to fight to the death once the Allies arrived. The debate between using the atom bomb and conducting an all-out invasion is worthwhile. Some believe the use of the bombs was unnecessary and cruel, and that it indiscriminately introduced the world into the nuclear age. Some believe that using the bombs was the optimal method to ending the war and that it greatly reduced the loss of life. But if more than 100,000 lives were taken in one night during the Tokyo raid with only 300 bombers, consider the cost if the strategic bombing campaign of Gen. Curtis LeMay had been utilized to its full capacity. It would have been approximately 15,000 bombers with the capacity to bomb around the clock, all throughout the mainland. Japan was one of the most advanced countries in the world. Had this strategic bombing campaign been conducted, it would have, as historian Victor Davis Hanson once stated, sent Japan back into the Stone Age. Ultimately, it took scores of cities to be bombed, the devastation of Tokyo, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the threat of American and Soviet invasion (the USSR had just taken Manchuria) for Imperial Japan to surrender, and even then, there were factions within the government that tried to stop the surrender. Japan had previously hinted at conditional surrender, and had reached out to Moscow for such a purpose. This is proof that the government of Japan saw the writing on the wall. America, however, was unwilling to repeat the same mistake the Allies committed 27 years prior. A conditional surrender was not an option (Japan would finally accept, and America would agree to, the terms of surrender that allowed Hirohito to remain in power as Emperor, even if as just a figurehead). An Unquestionable Victory and Defeat Germany had been the aggressor in 1914. By the end of 1918, it had exited the war with the country still intact and a people believing it had not tasted defeat. While the rest of Europe rebuilt its infrastructure, Germany prepared for another war in retribution for a loss they felt never happened. Germany dragged the world back into conflictone that eclipsed the previous one, and eventually left Germany in rubble and its people broken. Japan had been the aggressor in 1941 (and 1937 in China, earlier in Korea). By August 1945, at least 25 million people had been killed in the Pacific War, nearly four-fifths of them noncombatants, and a vast majority of those were not Japanese. Its military proved just as ruthless as Germanys and its government just as unwilling to surrender and just as willing to put its citizens on the frontlines (the Nazis eventually turned to the countrys youth to fight the invading Allies). The decision on how to end the war apparently coincided with the objective to not just have Japan accept defeat, but to ensure that its defeat was understood in no uncertain terms. There would be no repeat of a quasi-Germanic resurgence in Japan. The requisite of unconditional surrender was not some attempt to express American superiority; it was a global necessity. Prozna Street, in the heart of what was Warsaw's Jewish quarter before World War II, in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 5, 2016. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo) Israel Condemns Poland Restitution Law, Recalls Top Diplomat WARSAW, PolandIsrael on Saturday condemned Polands approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors or their descendants to reclaim property seized by the countrys former communist regime and announced it was recalling its top diplomat in protest. The move ignited a diplomatic crisis between Israels new government and the nationalist conservative government in Poland. After years of close ties under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels new government, which includes top officials who are the children of Holocaust survivors, has taken a far more confrontational approach. Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier in the day signed the law, which addresses appropriations done by the communist government that ruled Poland from the end of World War II until 1989. The law itself says nothing about the Holocaust or World War II. Instead it establishes that any administrative decision issued 30 years ago or more can no longer be challenged, meaning that property owners who had their homes or business seized in the communist era can no longer get compensation. It is expected to cut off for all time the hopes of some familiesboth Jewish and non-Jewishof reclaiming property seized during that era. Both the United States and Israeli governments had strongly urged Poland not to pass the law and Israel had warned it would harm ties. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Dudas signing of the law a shameful decision and disgraceful contempt for the memory of the Holocaust and said Poland has chosen to continue harming those who have lost everything. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that he had instructed Israels charges daffaires in Warsaw to return home immediately and that the new Israeli ambassador to Poland, who was scheduled to leave for Warsaw, will remain in Israel. The Israel Foreign Ministry also said it was recommending that the Polish ambassador, who is on vacation home, not return to Israel. Poland today approvednot for the first timean immoral, anti-Semitic law, said Lapid, whose late father was a Holocaust survivor. Defense Minister Benny Gantz, noting that he was the son of Holocaust survivors, said he was deeply disturbed. Property restitution is a small yet significant part of the process to fulfill the rights of those who have survived and to acknowledge those who have perished in one of the worlds biggest genocides, Gantz said. Duda said Saturday that he had analyzed the matter carefully and decided to sign the law to end legal uncertainty and fraud linked to properties whose ownership remains in doubt decades after their seizure. The law does not distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish claimants, and Duda said he strongly objected to anyone suggesting that the law was directed specifically against Jews who survived the Holocaust. I unequivocally reject this rhetoric and say it with all my strength, Duda said. Linking this act with the Holocaust raises my firm objection. Before World War II, Poland was home to Europes largest Jewish community of nearly 3.5 million people. Most were killed in the Holocaust and their properties confiscated by the Nazis. Some of the small numbers of Polish Jews who survived faced violence and persecution at Polish hands after the war, driving many to emigrate to countries including the United States and Israel, which was founded as a sanctuary for Jews after the Holocaust and which today is home to tens of thousands of aging Holocaust survivors. Polands post-war communist authorities seized many of those properties, along with the property of many non-Jewish owners in Warsaw and other cities. When communism fell in 1989, it opened up the possibility for claimants to try to regain family properties. Some cases have been resolved in courts, but Poland has never passed a comprehensive law that would regulate restituting or compensating seized properties. Complicating the matter, some criminal groups in past years have falsely claimed to represent rightful owners, obtaining valuable properties though fraud, and later evicting tenants from the properties. I am convinced that with my signature the era of legal chaos endsthe era of re-privatization mafias, the uncertainty of millions of Poles, and the lack of respect for the basic rights of citizens of our country. I believe in a state that protects its citizens against injustice, Duda said. The legislation was widely supported across the political spectrum in Poland. The last major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland erupted in 2018 when Warsaw introduced a law that many in Israel viewed as an attempt to suppress discussion of crimes that Poles committed against Jews during the German occupation of World War II. The law was eventually watered down and has not been applied. By Vanessa Gera and Josef Federman A health care worker displays a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card during a vaccine and health clinic at QueensCare Health Center in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 11, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Thousands of Counterfeit COVID-19 Vaccination Cards From China Seized in Tennessee More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards from China have been seized by federal agents in Memphis, Tennessee, en route to other cities in the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) caught a shipment from Shenzhen, China, to New Orleans that contained 51 blank counterfeit vaccination cards, CBP said in an Aug. 13 statement. It was the 15th such shipment of the night, the statement reads. The FBI stated on March 30 that buying, selling, or using counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards is a crime, and violators will face a fine and up to five years in prison. White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients also said on Aug. 13 that its a crime to falsify COVID-19 vaccination cards, amid new restrictions set by several major cities. After New York City announced that it would mandate vaccine passports at certain businesses starting next month and as a growing number of colleges and universities across the country are requiring vaccination for students to attend in-person classes, there has been a surge in the fraudulent documents. The counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards that were seized in Memphis, Tenn., in August 2021 come with a CDC logo on the top. (U.S. Customs And Border Protection) Fake Cards This fiscal year to date, Memphis has made 121 seizures totaling 3,017 of these vaccination cards, the CBP statement reads. They are always from China. The shipments were all described as Paper Greeting Cards/Use For-Greeting Card or PAPER PAPER CARD. The cards have blanks for the recipients name and birthdate, the vaccine maker, lot number, and date and place the shot was given, as well as the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] (CDC) logo in the upper right corner, the statement reads. But CBP officers knew the cards were fake because it was imported by a non-CDC or medical entity, and this was not the first time they had seen this shipper. Such counterfeit cards have typos, unfinished words, and some of the Spanish verbiage on the back was misspelled. If you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision. But dont order a counterfeit, waste my officers time, break the law, and misrepresent yourself, said Michael Neipert, area port director of Memphis. A health care worker displays a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card during a vaccine and health clinic at QueensCare Health Center in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, on Aug. 11, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Active Black Market The city and university policies have resulted in an active black market for vaccination cards. On Instagram, Telegram, Reddit, Twitter, and similar social media platforms, users can get the contact information of vaccination card sellers, who sell them from $25 to $200 each. These cards might not be genuine. According to a tally by The Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 675 colleges and universities require proof of COVID-19 inoculation in the United States. The process to confirm vaccinations at many schools can be as simple as uploading a picture of the vaccine card to the students portal, The Associated Press reported on Aug. 9. While COVID-19 vaccines are easily available across the United States, some people are reluctant to vaccinate because of religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, or a desire for more information from health care providers. Some social media users share the cases of death and side effects associated with the vaccine, while others express concerns that the vaccination cant protect people from being infected with COVID-19. According to USA Facts, 60 percent of Americans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Aug. 13, while 51 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated. An "anti-approaching bracelet", for domestic violence offenders, during the presentation of the device's implementation on Sept. 24, 2020. (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images) NC Plans to Give $27 Million for GPS Surveillance to Disrupt Domestic Violence By Dan Kane From The News & Observer RALEIGH, N.C.When lawmakers last year wanted the North Carolina state court system to fund a $3.5 million project using tracking technology to prevent domestic violence attacks, court officials balked, saying they lacked the expertise. Lawmakers approved the pilot project, run by a Greenville-based nonprofit, assigning funding to the state Department of Public Safety instead. Caitlyns Courge, the nonprofit, has collected glowing testimonials from judges about the projects effect. But its launch raised questions about efforts made to attract competitive bids from vendors to deliver the service at a competitive price. Now state House budget writers want to spend much more money, $27 million proposed over the next two fiscal years, on the project technology. This time the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) would have the responsibility of finding vendors to provide the service. A domestic violence prevention group and a state lawmaker question the size of the proposed spending, given unmet needs in wider efforts to help respond to and prevent domestic violence. The $27 million the House budget proposes for monitoring would rival the $28.4 million the chamber would spend on all other domestic violence services, including operating shelters, counseling and economic support, said Kathleen Lockwood, policy director for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The State would see a greater return on its investment by allocating this funding to domestic violence service providers and resources such as affordable housing and paid leave that prevent domestic violence perpetration, she said. The pilot program allows judges to provide people with hand-held GPS devices that alert them when the defendants theyve accused of domestic violence are nearby. The defendants wear GPS monitoring ankle bracelets devices while out of jail awaiting trial. In February, The News & Observer reported that Caitlyns Courage, a newly-formed nonprofit based in Greenville, was late to notify potential vendors for monitoring equipment and services and declined to identify all bidders or release bid documents. Tarheel Monitoring, a Wilmington company with ties to House Speaker Tim Moore, won the bid. Two of its officers made $3,000 donations to Moore in 2019, campaign records show. Gene Davis, a friend who does legal work with Moore, held an ownership stake in a Tarheel Monitoring spinoff several years ago, according to Davis economic interest statements filed with the State Ethics Commission. A police car drives through an intersection in this file photo taken in Wilmington, N.C. (Andrew Caballero/AFP/Getty Images) In April, WBTV of Charlotte reported that Joe Russo, an electronic monitoring expert at the University of Denver, questioned how the money was being spent. Tarheel Monitoring purchased 1,400 ankle monitoring units for $700,000 instead of leasing them, the TV station reported. The company spent the rest of the money on prepaid monitoring services at a rate higher than other monitoring contracts WBTV reviewed. The nonprofit is named after Caitlyn Whitehurst, 25, who was killed by an ex-boyfriend two years ago. Her family started the nonprofit and her father, Judson Whitehurst, serves as its board chairman. He did not respond to a reporters phone call and email seeking comment. Last year, legislator budget writers in the House didnt identify the lawmaker who inserted the $3.5 million for Caitlyns Courage in omnibus legislation that spent federal COVID-19 relief funds. This time, budget writers said they didnt know which member proposed spending $27 million on a statewide expansion. One of them, Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Republican and a top House budget writer, suggested the spending originated with a House subcommittee for justice and public safety spending. But Rep. Allen McNeill, a chairman on that committee, told the N&O to ask top House leaders who sought the provision. Chris Mears, a spokesman for the AOC, said the agency had not asked to take over the program and if that provision ends up in the state budget, we dont know who would be charged with administering it. The AOC would follow state laws for competitive bidding, he said. He also said AOC officials do not know which lawmaker sought the funding. In April, Caitlyns Courage reported to state lawmakers that courts and law enforcement quickly embraced the program. Fifteen of the states 41 judicial districts are using it, including the one serving Orange and Chatham counties. Courts have long issued ankle bracelets to track defendants accused of domestic violence and other crimes. Under this program, accusers are given a handheld device that signals when defendants are within a proximity set by the court. Caitlyns Courage reported that 37 of the 308 defendants being monitored during December 2020 to March 2021 were re-arrested for entering protective zones, tampering with the devices and/or improper handling of their batteries. The nonprofit cited a case in Cumberland County where a victim, who had received a threatening video from a defendant, alerted authorities when her tracking device went off and he was arrested near her home. The program protected the victim and her child and prevented the incident from escalating into a deadly situation, the report said. Rep. Marcia Morey, a Democrat, said Tuesday she questioned the proposed spending when it popped up in a budget report last week because it was alarming how much money was being committed to it without any specifics in terms of how much equipment do you need. 2021 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Demonstrators clash with police officers during a protest by activists of the National Corps political party in front of the presidential office building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters) Police Clash With Protesters Near Ukrainian Presidents Office KYIV, UkrainePolice clashed with protesters from a nationalist party near the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday when they tried to break through a police cordon. Reuters TV footage from the scene showed members of Ukrainian police and protesters spraying tear gas at each other. The protesters attacked with long sticks and threw car tires and stones while the policemen barely fought back. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy said eight policemen were injured during the clashes and a criminal probe had been launched. He wrote on Facebook that the clashes began when the police tried to search protesters on their approach to the presidents office but they resisted. Demonstrators clash with police officers during a protest by activists of the National Corps political party in front of the presidential office building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters) The Constitution guarantees the right for peaceful protests. Everyone who had undergone basic checks would have been allowed to enter the square in front of the presidents office, he said. The right-wing National Corps party organized the rally to protest against a plan known as the Steinmeier formula, which provides special status for the Donbass region, controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Demonstrators clash with police officers during a protest by activists of the National Corps political party in front of the presidential office building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters) The group said the violence was provoked by police officers when they blocked access to the building, and some protesters got injuries as a result. This regime is in fact anti-Ukrainian, Andriy Biletsky, a party leader, was quoted by the website as telling his supporters. By Ilya Zhegulev Protesters march on a street during a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 9, 2019. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Rights Groups Express Concern After Hong Kong Protest Organizer Disbands International rights groups are voicing concerns about Hong Kongs dwindling freedoms after a major civil society group in the Chinese-ruled city announced on Aug. 15 that it will disband, amid a looming police investigation. Hong Kongs Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), a pro-democracy umbrella group established in 2002, was the organizer behind some of the biggest rallies in the city in recent years. On June 6, 2019, more than 1 million people took part in a CHRF march, which also marked the start of the citys anti-Chinese Communist Party, pro-democracy movement. Days later, on June 16, about 2 million Hongkongers took part in another march. In a statement published on Aug. 15, CHRF said the decision to disband, made during the groups meeting two days earlier, was unanimous. In the course of over a year, the [Hong Kong] government, in the name of the pandemic, continuously turned down march applications by the CHRF and other organizations, the CHRF stated. Many of our member groups are under oppression, as [the citys] civil society is facing unprecedented challenges. The group said it had originally hoped to continue to face the challenge. However, the choice to fight on became impossible since its secretariatan office that includes the positions of a convener, deputy conveners, and financehad failed to maintain operations, due to the imprisonment of its convener, Figo Chan. Additionally, the group said no members had expressed a willingness to take on the work of the secretariat in the coming year. Chan is currently behind bars after being sentenced to 18 months in prison in May for taking part in an unauthorized protest in 2019. The group said that its assets, worth about HK$1.6 million (about US$205,570), will be donated to appropriate groups. The group also expressed gratitude for being able to stand with Hongkongers in many different protests, including the fight against an anti-subversion bill known as Article 23 in 2003, the Umbrella Movement in 2014, and the marches against an extradition bill in 2019. Our calls resonated across the entire cityallowing the world to see Hong Kong, letting the light shine in the darkness, and letting democracy and freedom take root in peoples hearts, according to the CHRF statement. CHRF expressed hope that other groups could remain committed to their values to support [Hong Kongs] civil society. Following CHRFs announcement, Hong Kong police issued a statement saying the group failed to comply with an information request announced in April. The police also stated that members of any organization remain criminally liable for any offense even if the organization disbands. Protesters demonstrate against the now-suspended extradition bill in Hong Kong, on June 16, 2019. (Carl Court/Getty Images) Concerns Amnesty International and Washington-based nonprofit Hong Kong Democracy Council both expressed concern about the state of Hong Kongs society in the wake of CHRFs announcement. The CHRF has organized, often in close collaboration with the police, large-scale peaceful rallies in Hong Kong for 20 years without being accused of breaking any law, Joshua Rosenzweig, the head of Amnesty Internationals China team, said in a statement. Its demise is yet more evidence that Hongkongers rights to freedom of association, expression, and peaceful assembly can no longer be taken for granted under the authorities obsession with national security. CHRF made the announcement less than a week after the citys largest teachers union, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union, also disbanded due to the drastic political and social situation in Hong Kong. According to Rosenzweig, the two incidents arent isolated cases. The pattern of self-censorship seen this week also signals a concerning domino effect, as Hong Kongs draconian national security law has triggered an accelerating disappearance of independent civil society groups from the city, Rosenzweig stated. The regime in Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong last summer, punishing vaguely defined crimes such as subversion with a maximum penalty of life in prison. Now, dozens of the citys pro-democracy opposition leaders are facing prosecution, are sitting in jail, or have fled overseas. Samuel Chu, managing director of Hong Kong Democracy Council, said both CHRF and teachers union had been pillars of Hong Kongs civil society and criticized the Hong Kong government for escalating their political cleansing, according to a statement. Closing the civil society space would ensure that no group or individual is visible and powerful enough to hold the regime accountable, Chu stated. He urged the United States and the free world to continue to provide technical, moral, and financial support to civil society in Hong Kong. Sharp Rise in Job Postings Stipulating Vaccine Requirements: Report The number of job openings posted on the Indeed hiring platform stipulating COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of employment has risen sharply in recent weeks, including popping up in sectors with little interpersonal contact, according to the companys research arm. The share of job postings per million explicitly mentioning COVID-19 vaccine requirements rose 34 percent in the week ending Aug. 7, compared to the same period a month earlier, according to an analytical note by AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, the research and insights division of the Indeed job site. In line with the same trend, the share of job postings broadly requiring vaccines but not specifically mentioning COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, surged by an over-the-month 90 percent. Employers are well aware that COVID-19, the fear of it and restrictions against it, dampen economic activity and some are not only encouraging vaccination among employees, but are now requiring it, Konkel wrote. Vaccination requirements are emerging in sectors that in the past didnt typically require employees to be inoculated, such as software development and marketing, according to the note. For example, the share of software development postings requiring vaccinations rose by more than 10,000 percent between February and July of this yearto 437.9 job postings per million from 3.5 job postings per million. Its a similar story for other sectors like accounting, retail, and marketing that dont normally require vaccination but are now starting to, Konkel wrote. While the percent change numbers look daunting, Konkel noted that job postings requiring vaccines are still a small fraction of overall listings. The findings follow reports of major companiesincluding Disney, Facebook, Google, McDonalds, Twitter, United Airlines, and Walmartannouncing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for staff. The Biden administration has been pushing hard for more Americans to get the shot, with President Joe Biden recently imposing strict requirements on federal employees to either be vaccinated or comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, social distancing, and more. Biden said he hoped businesses would follow suit with measures that would boost vaccination rates among employees. Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said at an Aug. 12 briefing that, for the first time since mid-June, the country is averaging around a half-million people getting newly vaccinated each day. We all know that vaccinations are the very best line of defense against COVID and how we end this pandemic, Zients said. That is why weve been tireless in our efforts to get more and more Americans vaccinated. Jeff Zients, the White Houses COVID-19 response czar, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on April 13, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) He noted that a number of institutions, including state and local governments, health care systems, businesses, universities, and other institutions are also stepping up. Across the country, nearly 700 colleges and universities have announced vaccination requirements, while over 200 health systems have done the same, he said. In what could be a further boost to the administrations vaccination drive, White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hoped the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would soon grant full approval to the COVID-19 vaccines, which are now authorized for emergency use only, paving the way for what he said would be a flood of vaccine mandates at businesses and schools nationwide. Organizations, enterprises, universities, colleges that have been reluctant to mandate at the local level will feel much more confident, Fauci told USA Today in an interview. They can say, If you want to come to this college or this university, youve got to get vaccinated. If you want to work in this plant, you have to get vaccinated. If you want to work in this enterprise, youve got to get vaccinated. If you want to work in this hospital, youve got to get vaccinated. 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, that mandates infringe on personal liberties, as well as concerns about side effects. U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman leaves after a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 22, 2015. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) State Department Official Voices Support for Lithuania Against Chinas Coercive Behavior The United States is determined to stand with Lithuania against China after Beijing pulled its envoy in retaliation for the Baltic nations decision to develop closer ties with Taiwan, according to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Sherman made the commitment in a phone conversation with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Aug. 13. Beijings diplomatic outburst came after Lithuania agreed to allow Taiwan to open an office in the Baltic nation under the name of Taiwan. Sherman reiterated the United States is resolute in our solidarity with our NATO ally and EU partner Lithuania, including standing with them in the face of the Peoples Republic of Chinas recent coercive behavior in response to Lithuanias decision to develop mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. Lithuanian FM @GLandsbergis: Strong US support expressed to LT during my call with US @DeputySecState W. R. Sherman at the wake of migrants crisis & PRC pressure. Lithuania will continue promoting democracy and values based foreign policy jointly with our NATO Ally. pic.twitter.com/Q6aRTdgC3j Lithuania MFA (@LithuaniaMFA) August 14, 2021 The regime in Beijing sees Taiwan as a part of its territory and exerts diplomatic pressure on nations and international organizations to keep them from establishing official ties with the self-ruled island. Because of Beijings pressure, countries without formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan often establish trade offices, which act as de facto embassies for the island nation. Currently, Taiwan handles its bilateral affairs with Lithuania through its diplomatic outpost in neighboring Latvias capital, Riga. The outpost is called the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia. Taiwans only diplomatic ally in Europe is the Vatican. It doesnt have formal ties with Lithuania, Latvia, or the United States. In addition to recalling its ambassador to Lithuania, Beijing also demanded that Vilnius recall its ambassador to China. In response, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret over the Chinese regimes decision but said it remained determined to pursue mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan. Since then, Chinas state-run media have harshly criticized Lithuania. On Aug. 11, Chinas state-run Xinhua published a commentary saying that the Baltic nation was playing with fire over its decision on Taiwan. The article said that Lithuanian policymakers will ultimately pay for their recklessness and that Beijing will not hesitate to take strong countermeasures. Chinas hawkish state-run media Global Times, in an editorial published on Aug. 11, said, China should join hands with Russia and Belarus, the two countries that border Lithuania, and punish it and that the Baltic state needs to be taught a lesson. It also warned other European nations not to think about using the Taiwan question as leverage against China, since issues regarding the self-ruled island represent a watershed between peace and war. Dovile Sakaliene, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament, took exception to the Global Times editorial, saying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was using the article to openly threaten her country. I believe democracy is more sustainable than dictatorships, Sakaliene wrote on Twitter. I guess [the] concept of independent countries forming a strategic partnership is unknown to dictators. Several U.S. lawmakers have also voiced their support for Lithuania. Throwing a tantrum when two free countries choose to talk to each other shows the paranoia and pettiness of the CCP regime, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on Twitter. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Foreign Subcommittee on Asia, said in a statement: I support our European partners efforts to further engage with Taiwan. We must continue to oppose Beijings efforts to isolate Taiwan from the international community. We thank @DeputySecState for stating #US support of #Lithuanias decision to develop mutually beneficial ties with #Taiwan. Were buoyed by this backing, & will keep working with fellow forces for good in promoting peace, freedom, democracy, human rights & prosperity. https://t.co/lIQ9nfXqt9 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) August 14, 2021 On Aug. 14, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement welcoming the phone call between Sherman and Landsbergis. Taiwan also thanked the United States for being a leader for the global democratic camp, in the face of coercion from authoritarian regimes. Taiwan will continue to defend democracy, the rule of law, and protect human rights, as well as strengthen its cooperation with the United States, the ministry stated. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) Taliban Enters Kabul, in Talks With Afghan Government for Peaceful Transfer of Power The Taliban and Afghanistans government are in negotiations for a transfer of power as the terrorist groups fighters have encircled Kabul, the capital, after swift advances that took over numerous provincial capitals in about a week. U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul, meanwhile, are attempting to evacuate via planes and military aircraft. Photos and video footage posted online show the workers fleeing as American military helicopters were seen landing at the building. Until the completion of the transition process, the responsibility for the security of Kabul is with the other side [the Afghan government], the Taliban wrote in a statement posted online. The group noted that Kabul is a large and densely populated city, and it wont enter by force or war, suggesting that fighting to capture the capital would result in heavy losses and damage. Negotiations are underway to ensure that the transition process is completed safely and securely, added the Taliban statement. Smoke rises next to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has released few statements as the Taliban made swift advances across Afghanistan, relinquished power as the Taliban entered Kabul, according to Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, who confirmed there would be a transfer of power. On Saturday, Ghani released a televised statement and said there would be no bloodshed in Kabul. The Afghan people should not worry There will be no attack on the city and there will be a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government, Mirzakwal said in a pre-recorded speech, according to the AFP news agency. The safety of the city is guaranteed, there will be no attack on the city, and the agreement is such that the transition of power will take place in a peaceful manner. And while the Taliban, which was designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department decades ago, said it wont exact revenge on Afghans who worked with the U.S. military, there is speculation that the group hasnt changed much since it ruled Afghanistan with its harsh interpretation of Sharia law. Taliban terrorists sit on the back of a vehicle in the city of Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 14, 2021, after seizing the province from the Afghan government. (Hamed Sarfarazi/AP Photo) Reports said that in other areas of the country, women were forced to leave their jobs and return home. A video also surfaced online showing alleged thieves being punished by being dragged through the streets of Herat after being painted black. But the Taliban on Sunday claimed the group wouldnt enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses. The terror group also said theyd offer an amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. Just outside Kabul, the Taliban also took over Bagram Airfieldformerly the largest American military base in the countryand released prisoners being held there, according to a spokesman. The most important prison at Bagram Airfield was also captured, said another spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a Twitter post. The latest information shows that all the prisoners have been transferred to a safe place. Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani and acting defense minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi visit military corps in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Afghan Presidential Palace/Handout via Reuters) Also on Sunday, several other Afghan provincial capitals were taken by the Taliban, the group confirmed in a series of Twitter posts. The Talibans all-but-certain victory in Afghanistan serves as a blow to the United States standing in the world after American forces spent nearly 20 years trying to beat back the terror group and help train the Afghan army. Despite spending decades and about $90 billion to raise an army, the Taliban took just a little more than a month to capture most of the country. Richard Armitage, the former secretary of state under then-President George W. Bush when the United States invaded in 2001, claimed that the armys collapse was, in part, due to wider failures on behalf of the Afghan government, which has long been known to be a hotbed of corruption. I hear people expressing frustration in the press that the Afghan army cant fight a long fight, he told Reuters. I can assure you the Afghan army has fought, can fight, and if its got a trigger and something comes out of the barrel, they can use it. He added that the real question is actually whether the Afghan government is worth fighting for? The Associated Press contributed to this report. NORWALK A coronavirus lockout passion project and lifetime hobby morphed into a business venture for Fairfields Brad Kerner, and now its looking to expand. Dubbed The Eco Dude, Kerner first opened Eco Evolution as part of a contest for a temporary storefront on Washington Street. Eco Evolution opened in June for its two-month trial period in the contest, hosted by local real estate collective AGW SONO and its marketing team, OnWashington. Following the trial period, Kerner decided to sign a lease and Eco Evolution became a permanent SoNo fixture at 135 Washington St. It went so awesome that I signed a five-year lease, Kerner said. I love the community of South Norwalk. Eco Evolution is a marketplace and eco-friendly store, offering space for 40 Connecticut-based artists to sell their wares. The store also sells upcycled or used items and eco-friendly alternatives, such as a soap refill station where customers can bring their containers to refill with detergent or soap to cut back on plastic waste. At Eco Evolution, 80 percent of the products come from an average eight-hour drive. Seventy percent of the products are by women-owned business and 17 percent are from BIPOC-owned businesses, according to the stores website. I take the burden of thinking about and researching it all, Kerner said of the stores eco-friendly items and alternatives. How can I do that more eco friendly? You come to me. Kerner was always into helping the environment and helping his three children and wife live a more sustainable lifestyle, making their own yogurt at home and replacing paper towels with reusable fabric wipes, while balancing his day job which he is currently transitioning out of to pursue the store further. For the next step in Kerners environmental journey, he is looking to open a zero-environmental-impact coffee shop within the store. A space in Eco Evolution was set aside for the cafe and the beans will be roasted on site, eliminating the main source of waste produced by the average coffee shop, Kerner said. The coffee beans are crafted by Buena Vista Coffee Roasters, owned by Kerners neighbor and friend Jeff Roy. To fund and raise awareness for the coffee shop, Kerner opened a Kickstarter campaign earlier this month, with the goal of raising $6,000. We want to have a carbon-negative impact, Kerner said. We already have a roaster and I was selling bags of coffee in the shop. I told everyone about (the coffee shop) and the response was, We need this. Theres no good sit-down, hangout, plug-in coffee shop around here, especially when you consider the amount of people that live here. While the fundraising campaign, which closes in early October, is helping begin the coffee shop setup, it is more to raise awareness of the store than to fund the project, Kerner said. Its not only a way of raising funds, but coffee shops are about community and so am I. Thats why I have a local artisan cooperative, Kerner said. As part of the coffee shop, all supplies used including cups, stirrers and napkins are compostable, and regulars can receive a ceramic mug kept in the shop for their use each time they visit, Kerner said. abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com Island isolation measures extended with minor amendments PHUKET: Measures adopted by Phuket officials to contain the spread of COVID-19 are to be extended until Aug 31 under a new order issued by the Phuket Governor. CoronavirusCOVID-19ChinesehealthVaccineimmigration By The Phuket News Sunday 15 August 2021, 11:52AM The provincial order was issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and posted just before 10pm last night (Aug 14). The order will be in effect from Aug 17 to 31. Essentially, all restrictions remain in place as per the previous order including schools closed until the end of the month, risky venues being banned from serving alcohol and limitations on social gatherings in private residences and groups of no more than 50 people in public spaces. The only real amendment to the pre-exisiting order is that residents of Phuket, those that work here permanently and tourists under the Sandbox scheme will now be allowed entry. Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong explained the key measures and other information mentioned in the order after a Communicable Disease Committee meeting in the afternoon, as follows: Entry requirements New exemptions will now apply for people who are registered as Phuket residents with a Phuket listed address or people who work permanently in Phuket, said V/G Piyapong. This group of people can enter the island from Aug 17 after the measures come into effect. However, they still need to be fully vaccinated and test negative by RT-PCR or antigen rapid test within 72 hours before arriving in Phuket. Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 entails 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 COVID-19 no more than 90 days before arriving. People who work permanently in Phuket must present a confirmation document, issued by the company they work for, to officers at the border checkpoint. The exemption will also include tourists under the Phuket Sandbox scheme. Tourists who complete their mandatory 14-day stay in Phuket can go out and return to Phuket. They must present the necessary documents to officers to prove that they are tourists under the scheme. We are also discussing measures which will see antigen test booths at the checkpoint to facilitate arrivals, V/G Piyapong added. Otherwise, the core of the order will remain the same meaning that all arrivals of all kinds of vehicles from the mainland are to be refused entry to Phuket, V/Gov Piyapong said. There are exemptions to this rule which allows people conducting essential or urgent business onto the island 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. All of the above must be fully 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 COVID-19 no more than 90 days before arriving. The checkpoint onto Phuket will remain closed to all traffic except for emergencies from 11pm to 4am each night. Venue closure and alcohol ban The closure of venues deemed risky across the island will remain the same as Phuket is still classified as a orange-zone province. V/G Piyapog confirmed that Phuket will continue to follow measures set down by the CCSA. Even though the Communicable Disease Committee discussed the possibility of lifting the ban of alcohol consumption in restaurants, we did not agree to lift the measure, he said. The serving and consumption of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and hotels will remain banned, he repeated. Measures for migrant workers So far, we have recorded many infected cases among migrant workers and they will now not be permitted to enter or leave the province, V/G Piyapong said. As such, we have two provincial orders specifically for them. One applies to those who work on land, and the other for those who work at sea on fishing boats. For those who work on land, we will give authority to each District Chief to manage the workers camps because some decisions need to be made urgently. "Regular ATK or RT-PCR testing will be conducted and should the rate of infection rise above 10% of the total population of the camp then it will be placed into a bubble and seal lockdown scenario. The District Chiefs will have direct ongoing contact with the camp managers in their areas. For workers at sea, we will apply the bubble and seal measure to fishing boats meaning the boat must not be moved except for when going to fish. Workers who are considered as high-risk people must stay only on their boats. The Phuket Fishery Office will be responsible for managing the workers and will have a team of vessel managers to contact and share information, V/G Piyapong concluded. Issuing of new, renewed driving licences back on ice PHUKET: The issuing of new and renewed drivers licences in Phuket has been suspended again, along with assurances that some people stopped by police and found driving with a licence that expired will not be charged. transportCOVID-19 By The Phuket News Sunday 15 August 2021, 01:02PM The Department of Land Transport home page on its website, pictured above as of today (Aug 15), has never informed people that some Provincial Land Transport Offices, including in Phuket, had ever resumed issuing new and renewed licences. Image: DLT A senior officer at the Drivers License Department at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), who asked not to be named, confirmed the news after Thai nationals in Phuket recently confirmed being issued new and renewed drivers licences, while a foreigner allocated an appointment to have his licence renewed had his appointment cancelled. The senior PLTO officer explained to The Phuket News that the PLTO had resumed issuing drivers licences several times since March last year, when the Department of Land Transport announced that all services related to issuing new and renewed licenses had been suspended. We have started and stopped providing services [issuing new and renewed drivers licences] many times. In July, we provided services for several days and were ordered to stop again, according to the situation regarding the pandemic. We had opened for renewing licences for many short periods of time, the officer explained. Most recently, the PLTO stopped issuing drivers licences again earlier this month. The DLT has issued an order on Aug 3 to stop providing all services all across the country, and the order has been in effect since Aug 4 on, the officer said. However, the Department of Land Transport since March last year has consistently maintained its announcement in English that all services related to issuing drivers licences remain suspended. The announcement remains on the DLT website home page today (Aug 15). Actually, the Department of Land Transport has ordered offices across the country to start and stop providing services about licenses many times during the pandemic, so stopping since March last year must be information that needs to be updated, the PLTO officer explained. I will inform the officers who are responsible for managing the website to update the information. The information may have been updated only in Thai, not in English. Thank you very much for informing us, he added. Meanwhile, the officer confirmed that any person stopped by police for driving on a licence that expired this year will not face any charges. The DLT has asked for cooperation from the Royal Thai Police to suspend the charging for all holders of licenses which expired from April 10 to Sept 30 this year. The licenses are considered valid. Drivers can use them as usual, the officer said. At this stage, the deadline is only Sept 30, but if the DLT issues an order to extend the period suspending services, the deadline will be extended for sure. Do not worry about the license during this time. No police will check your license for sure, he added. However, the officer was much more vague about people stopped by police with drivers licences that expired before April 10 this year. The factor remains especially important for foreigners who were never informed in English by the PLTO that they may have applied to renew their licences at any time since March last year while at the same time the message in English by the DLT head office in Bangkok has remained that all services relating to issuing drivers licences have remained suspended since March 31, 2020. They do not meet the criteria, but police know the necessity and the current situation about our suspending services, was all the senior officer, who asked not to be named, would say. The PLTO office currently remains open to the general public only to provide advice, the officer confirmed. Our office remains open to both Thais and foreigners. However, we can only give advice to people coming to the office. We are not providing any other services, he said. The reason we have stopped providing any services is to stop the movement of people. If our office remained open while offices in some other provinces remained closed, people may come to the office that is open, which may increase the risk of infection, the officer explained. PLTO services deemed critical for the Phuket Sandbox scheme are an exception, the officer noted. Right now, we have stopped providing all services, but Phuket is under the Sandbox scheme, so we still need to provide some services that may be involved in the scheme, he said. If a foreigner or Thai plans to go abroad soon and needs to have an International Driving Permit, we will consider issuing the permit [actually only a translation of a current valid drivers licence issued by the Royal Thai Government] for those who really need the license and are able to present evidence of their flight booking. We will consider these case by case, the officer said. University choices in a COVID era As University Counsellors, we were anticipating continued disruption from the pandemic and the inevitable shifts to higher education last year and Post-BISP Planning is the phrase that was coined. Education By BISP Sunday 15 August 2021, 11:00AM Changes in the traditional higher education pathways were already starting to emerge before COVID-19; students and families had started to think more practically and more creatively about options after secondary school. University Counselling just didnt cover all the possibilities we were talking about with students. Nevertheless, there was little question that fledgling trends emphasising cost-efficiency, practical experience, citizenship pathways, military service, and flexible degrees were going to grow as the global economic situation gave families and students permission to think differently. Last year saw a quarter of the Class of 2020 take a gap year and the Class of 2021 is on the same track. Pre-COVID-19, there was more certainty about plans after graduation. University was the norm for 94% of the graduating class at BISP. It was easier to pick a country or university to attend because incomes were generally stable, and travel was less complicated. Looking back on this year, Post-BISP Planning has meant more emphasis on research: research of total costs, value for money, visa restrictions and vaccination roll-outs. Students and families simply had to take more time to research application options. Many students delayed final decisions as university or gap year plans required thorough vetting of COVID-19 considerations. Unifrog How students made choices was one change; how universities found and recruited students was another. For the past five years, universities from around the world would come to the BISP University Fair, an event that hosted over 100 universities. Students had exposure to universities they had not heard of without leaving campus. Now, there is only one way to research online. And how much time does a student really want to spend watching university webinars after a day of online learning? The responsibility of filtering and disseminating information is too vast for students to do alone and must be a deliberate team effort with counsellors, students and families working together. The student-led conferences in March and April initiated the shift to emphasise the need for teamwork and to support students to take ownership of their process. The recent addition of Unifrog, a global platform providing support for post-high school planning, will also facilitate comparing and contrasting university options. This year the University Counsellors have been kept busy as university requirements worldwide have changed dramatically. SAT testing has become optional, in some cases, eliminated, the extension of the UCAS deadline was unprecedented, scholarship applications and home fee status paperwork are the new normal. Advising BISP students has become more technical. Now, many variables have to be considered for each student. Globally, the highly selective universities have experienced a 20 to 50% increase in applications, earning them the nickname the highly rejectives because of their high rates of applications and meagre rates of acceptance. Students applying to selective universities endured uncertainty caused by the increase in competition. Wisely, many students made adjustments, carefully focusing on practical factors or opportunities they felt matched their interests and goals. Other students took advantage of the new flexibility to change plans as ideas about the future emerged and solidified throughout their final year at BISP. These lessons have been passed on to the students in the Class of 2022 who have clearly discovered the value of reflecting on what matters most to them as individuals and to not squander this moment to be deliberate and thoughtful about their choices. Collaboration and efforts to support students to take ownership of their process is certainly the way forward and Unifrog will most certainly facilitate easier comparison of university options. The University Counsellors are now looking forward to completing the BISP Class of 2021s school journey and to seeing their futures transpire. By Jacqui Brelsford and Casey Nolen Jackson Jacqui Brelsford and Casey Nolen Jackson are University Counsellors at British International School Phuket (BISP) British citizens, either born in America or to American parents, have been dealt a blow after a large wealth manager withdrew its services to 'US tax residents'. Nutmeg, which has more than 140,000 clients, emailed affected customers last month, warning them it was closing their accounts. The term 'US tax resident' includes people who live in the UK but were born in the US, and those who may never have set foot in the US, but have American parents. Blow: Nutmeg, which has more than 140,000 clients, emailed affected customers last month, warning them it was closing their accounts Nutmeg told The Mail on Sunday it was pulling out from providing Isas, pensions and investment accounts to about 350 people due to 'legal and regulatory complexities'. The US is the only country in the world besides Eritrea that taxes non-resident citizens on their global income. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca), introduced in 2010, requires institutions to report the financial details of all their American clients or risk being hit with large fines. Nutmeg was one of the few remaining wealth managers offering accounts to US citizens living in the UK. In 2018 it stopped accepting US tax residents as new customers, but continued to service existing accounts. Now, though, it has also pulled the plug on these existing customers. The wealth manager said it was a 'very difficult decision' and was helping clients find an alternative investment provider. It added that any customers who have renounced their US citizenship should get in touch about keeping their investments with them. Nutmeg clients have reacted angrily to the news. Daniel Duckett, a pastry chef in Belfast and a US tax resident tweeted: 'I've been with Nutmeg for four years and suddenly they decide to stop me being a client. 'Why are banks able to discriminate in this way and get away with it? And what's nuts? The parent company is none other than US-based JPMorgan and [Nutmeg] recently embraced Fatca to attract more expats.' JPMorgan Chase bought Nutmeg in June as part of its expansion into the UK banking and investment market. In 2016, Nutmeg declared it would accept US citizens living in the UK as clients. Another customer, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was 'very surprised' to receive the email from Nutmeg. The woman, who lives in the UK and has British and American nationality, opened a lifetime Isa with Nutmeg in 2017 as part of her retirement plan. 'It seemed the best option for me as I'm self-employed,' she said. 'I liked the fact that the Government put 1,000 in for every 4,000 I put in,' she said. However, she now feels 'back at square one' and doesn't know how best to save for her retirement. She describes living in the UK with American citizenship as 'a minefield' due to the tax rules. The US taxes people based on their citizenship rather than residence. Even green card holders, and socalled accidental Americans those born in the US but who left as babies or toddlers do not escape the reach of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), America's taxation authority. Boris Johnson, who was born in New York but left when he was aged five, gave up his American citizenship after the US tried to tax him on the sale of his home in Islington, North London, in 2014 a move he described at the time as 'absolutely outrageous'. Those deemed to be US tax resident are liable for tax in America, regardless of where they live, and where the money is earned. A double tax treaty means people won't be taxed twice, for example if they pay income tax on their earnings here, they won't have to pay a second lot of tax to the IRS. However, it means that while Isas are tax-free in this country, they will be subject to tax on the other side of the Atlantic. Alex Straight, a partner at accountant Blick Rothenberg, explained: 'The US won't care that your investments are wrapped up in a stocks and shares Isa. 'It just sees it as an investment account that you hold overseas and will tax you on it. This tax burden creates a real headache for Americans living here.' According to Straight, investors holding certain funds in their Isas could be subject to punitive amounts of tax: 37 per cent plus interest depending on how long the investment has been held. The last time flooring group James Halstead failed to raise its dividend was when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister. That was in the mid-1970s, some 45 years ago. The board juggled payments last year in response to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, but was ultimately able to raise the dividend to a new record of 14.25p, marking almost half a century of unbroken growth. The decision reflects Halstead's culture as a family-style business that combines financial conservatism and product innovation. Founded in 1915, the business is still run by a scion of the original family, Mark Halstead, and still operates out of Greater Manchester. Set in stone: The last time flooring group James Halstead failed to raise its dividend was when Harold Wilson (pictured) was Prime Minister Today Halstead's floors are sold to customers right across the globe, all the way from Scott Base in Antarctica to Svalbard Hotells in northern Norway. The company invented vinyl sheet flooring, known as Polyflor, in the 1940s and this remains the cornerstone of its success, used in schools, stations, offices, shops and homes in 180 countries worldwide. Hospitals are major customers too. About a quarter of Halstead's revenue comes from the healthcare sector and virtually every NHS trust uses its flooring, as do hundreds of Covid-care and vaccination facilities worldwide. A focus on healthcare helped Halstead to withstand the worst effects of the pandemic, while its ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances allowed the firm to gain market share from larger rivals. In a trading update earlier this month, Halstead said he expected record results for the year to June 30, 2021, with analysts looking for a 7 per cent increase in sales to 255million and an 11 per cent rise in profits to 49million. Further growth should be forthcoming this year and beyond. The group has been making strong gains in America, with medical facilities particularly attracted to the firm's hard-wearing and well-priced vinyl flooring. Other international markets are in Halstead's sights, too. Overseas expansion was curtailed during the pandemic, but is gradually regaining momentum and should deliver results as travel becomes less challenging. Closer to home, Halstead's luxury vinyl tiles, which look like wood or stone, are increasingly popular among homeowners, not just in kitchens and bathrooms but also in home offices and gyms. Like most manufacturers, the group has been hit by a shortage of raw materials, as well as higher shipping costs and absenteeism among employees exposed to the coronavirus. While these may create some short-term issues, the firm's long-term prospects remain robust. Midas verdict: Midas recommended James Halstead shares in November 2018 at 3.72. They have risen 55 per cent since then to 5.50 and should continue to gain ground. A proud British business with a global reputation, Halstead has repaid shareholders handsomely. A strong, long-term hold. Traded on: AIM Ticker: JHD Contact: jameshalstead.com or 0161 767 2500 Will Informa be the first FTSE100-listed company of the year to be targeted by a private equity giant? Or is an industry rival preparing a swoop on the publishing and events company? Those are the questions investors are asking themselves as rumours whip around the Square Mile about a possible takeover of Informa, the publisher of titles including Lloyd's List. In 2008, several private equity firms including Providence and Carlyle came together to attempt a buyout of Informa, but the deal collapsed amid the fallout from the financial crisis. Uncertain future: Will Informa be the first FTSE100-listed company of the year to be targeted by a private equity giant? Since then, Informa has grown substantially. It merged with rival UBM in 2018 to create Britain's biggest events and publishing firm. However, just last year Informa was forced to go cap in hand to shareholders via a 1billion rights issue amid fears for its financial prospects. Now, however, the talk in the market is that a mystery predator is working with banks such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup on a blockbuster 10 billion-plus takeover bid. Mast Energy secures backing from major player? Among the small caps, Mast Energy Developments a tiny reserve power plant specialist has come into focus amid talk it has secured financial backing from a major industry player. Word is a 'strategic business' is prepared to lend Mast around 10 million to help the company fund its growth. Mast said recently it had bought a gas-powered generation plant in Derbyshire called Pyebridge Power for 2.5million. That will take it nine megawatts closer to the 300 megawatts it hopes one day to be generating. Buzz around Yourgene Health There is a bit of a buzz around Yourgene Health, a molecular diagnostics company. Last week the business, which is chaired by serial small investor Adam Reynolds, unveiled final results showing first quarter revenue had risen by 80 per cent to 6million. And City gossips claim Yourgene Health could soon see further substantial revenue growth as the company is set to win further major contracts. Market practitioners expect a series of broker upgrades if those new contracts come good. Rare earth minerals firm Pensana set for loans With the environment at the top of the political agenda it may not be a surprise to hear that the Government could be about to give the green light to a set of multi-million pound loans to Pensana, a London-listed rare earth minerals firm. In March, the company said it would receive money from the Government's 1billion Automotive Transformation Fund. City sources said more detail is about to emerge about the loan. Earlier this year it emerged that Pensana was looking to develop Western Europe's first rare earth processing plant, a 90 million separation facility in Hull. The aim is to produce a sustainable supply of rare earth oxides, used in offshore wind turbines and electric vehicles. London's public markets remain red hot after a multi-billion-pound food business said it will list in the capital. Olam Food Ingredients is looking to go public early next year in what will be one of the biggest floats in recent times. The company will raise around 2billion from the float and immediately earn a place in the FTSE100. Appetite: Olam Food Ingredients is looking to go public early next year in what will be one of the biggest floats in recent times The decision by Olam is a big win for London as the City looks to attract more world-class companies post Brexit. The London Stock Exchange had its strongest first half for listings in 2021 since 2014, but faces growing competition from the likes of Amsterdam. The stock exchange is also under threat from private equity predators, snapping up companies whose valuations have been depressed during the pandemic. As a result, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is trying to encourage a 'Big Bang 2.0' in the City and so far this year technology giants Deliveroo and Darktrace have come to market. The float will also give London a much needed boost in the food and beverage space as Cadbury's, United Biscuits and Northern Foods have all been sold off over the past ten years. Based in Singapore, Olam Food Ingredients works with some of the world's best-known food and drinks brands. It has 15,000 employee, operates more than 100 manufacturing plants, and sells cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spice ingredients. Anantharaman Shekhar, chief executive, said: 'The primary listing on the stock exchange will give us access to London's large and diverse investor base, with its deep and liquid capital markets, and enable us to benefit from its strong understanding of and research coverage across the food and beverage sector.' In 2020 Olam posted revenues of 6.6billion and profits of 435m. It is majority owned by Temasek Holdings, Singapore's state-backed investment company, which holds a 53.2 per cent stake, with 15 per cent also held by Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation. It has appointed Citigroup, Credit Suisse, HSBC, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley to work on the IPO. Olam Food Ingredients was created in early 2020 after it de-merged from commodities giant Olam International. Britain's biggest banks are thrashing out a major deal to create hundreds of shared branches in towns and villages they have left behind, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Banks are in advanced talks about setting up community banking hubs to protect swathes of the country from being cut off and unable to access cash or stay on top of their day-to-day finances. Sources said the banks are set to agree to a five-year deal to cover the costs of shared sites where customers of any large bank can pay in or withdraw cash and carry out transactions. New beginning?: It is thought that every branch closure can save a bank up to 1million over five years The only significant sticking point is a row over how much each bank will pay, an insider has revealed. The Mail on Sunday has for decades called on banks to share sites as they have shut an increasing number of their least profitable branches across the country. Our Keep Our Cash campaign is calling for every town to have at least one bank. Last night one source close to the discussions warned that banks may seize on the initiative and trigger a huge new wave of individual branch closures. The source said it could give banks the perfect cover to reduce their overall networks closer to around 400 branches each. This is seen in the industry as the ideal size because it gives banks an outpost in all major population centres in Britain, the source said. It is thought that every branch closure can save a bank up to 1million over five years. Lloyds currently has 1,567 branches, Barclays has 755, NatWest has 833, HSBC has 540 and Santander has 452. If they slashed their networks to just 400 each, it would mean shutting as many as 2,147 branches between them. They could then tell customers to use a much smaller number of shared banking hubs. The MoS understands that the Financial Conduct Authority regulator is putting huge pressure on lenders to sign up to an agreement by Christmas or potentially face tough legislation banning branch closures entirely. The Post Office is overseeing a trial of shared bank branches, which ends next month. Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, who sits on the influential Treasury Select Committee of MPs, said: 'When banks are in trouble, the taxpayers help them out, but when times are good they aren't there for their customers. Banks have recently announced a huge improvement in profits and I think it's time they stump up.' Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, Santander and NatWest have all been steadily chipping away at the size of their networks in recent years and Chancellor Rishi Sunak has promised to pass laws aimed at ensuring that everyone who relies on cash can access it. Officials are understood to believe that a new generation of shared banking hubs is vital to protect vulnerable people from being left without access to banking altogether. EY and Pinsent Masons have been advising banks in discussions. There are around 500 towns across the country that only have one bank branch left, according to research shared with the banks in discussions. The analysis found that between 150 and 200 locations would be severely cut off if the last branch in town was axed. As a result, these areas are most likely to be in line for a shared banking hub. The MoS understands that a community might qualify for a shared branch if it has a large population within about a mile and a quarter of the proposed site. There would also need to be a large number of people who rely on branches for banking. Research provided to the banks by consultancy firm Frontier Economics has estimated that each shared branch would cost 250,000 to set up and run over five years. The customers' banks might have to pay transaction fees estimated to be about 50,000 per year. This would create a total cost of 100million for 200 sites, which the Treasury is calling on the big banks to fund. But the banks are arguing about their share of the costs amid fears that these could spiral if more communities are later awarded a shared branch. Sparsely populated rural areas might fail to qualify for access to a banking hub as there may be too little demand to justify the running costs. People in those places may instead be encouraged to access banking services through the 11,500-strong Post Office branch network. A Treasury spokesman said it was consulting on new laws 'to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash'. The spokesman said 'industry initiatives' would 'need to be compatible' with the legislation. Gatwick airport's boss says airlines such as British Airways should 'use or lose' their landing slots. In what may be seen as a shot across the bows of BA which halted short-haul flights from Gatwick last year Stewart Wingate said other airlines were lining up to take the slots. Going nowhere: British Airways halted short-haul flights from Gatwick last year He told The Mail on Sunday: 'BA has already made public their position that because of the slot waiver they'll not be flying short-haul during this summer season. 'If BA were to consider selling their slots, we know there's demand from the likes of easyJet, Wizz Air and others to take the slots from them.' He added: 'Virgin has made clear to us they certainly will be maintaining their slot portfolio. We do expect Virgin and Delta to start flying in the months ahead.' Wingate said the Government needs to bring back rules suspended to help airlines through Covid that force carriers to use their spaces. He added: 'One of the things that's holding us back is the 'slot waiver' the British Government continues to put in place. 'We're certainly pressing the Government for the summer of 2022 to put the right incentives in place to have airlines use the scarce slots that are available.' He warned that the UK is lagging Europe, which has already brought back rules so airlines must 'use or lose' their spaces this winter. Gatwick last week reported a net loss of 245million in the first half of the year as passenger numbers plunged to 569,000. Britain's most popular retail destinations are enjoying a stellar summer thanks to families who scrapped foreign holiday plans. The trend for staycations has seen visitor numbers at some shopping centres nearing 2019 levels, bosses said. Bruce Findlay, retail director at property giant and Bluewater owner Landsec, said the performance of stores within the centres has been further boosted by what he called 'committed shoppers' who have returned with a vengeance after a year and a half of interrupted openings. Stellar sales: The trend for staycations has seen visitor numbers at some shopping centres nearing 2019 levels He said the White Rose Centre in Leeds had seen visitor numbers rise to 'within 10 per cent' of 2019 levels, giving retailers renewed hope. Shocking footfall figures for July, from analysts Springboard, had shown visitor numbers across the retail sector down 24 per cent compared with the same month in 2019. But Findlay's best performing centres including St David's in Cardiff, Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth and Trinity in Leeds have had a strong August. HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) DIY investing platform and stocks and shares Isa He said: 'Now the holiday is on, families are coming for a day out again. We've started seeing dedicated shoppers arriving with a real purpose.' And shoppers arriving to spend, not browse, means sales at some stores are outpacing footfall indicators. Findlay said the return of university students next month to cities such as Leeds and Manchester would help. But he warned: 'The big unknown is the autumn and the lead-up to Christmas. 'A lot of brands have taken significant steps to prepare for September but others are waiting to see what'll happen. They are saying 'I can't guarantee we'll be open and trading.' It's obviously a very nervous situation for some retailers.' ALBANY When she was a student at Syracuse University, New Yorks next governor, Kathy Hochul, was involved in a student government protest. This was in the 1970s, a different time to be sure. Rather than climate change or marriage equality, she was demonstrating about something far more prosaic: the price of textbooks at the campus bookstore. To be fair, climate change, same-sex marriage and other social topics were barely on the horizon in the 1970s. A few years prior to Hochuls time at SU, students were overwhelmingly preoccupied with the Vietnam War. And Hochul also supported divestment from South Africas then-apartheid regime. But the idea that Hochul cared about textbook prices may provide some assurance on the part of New Yorks vast and diverse business community that shes aware of economic issues and appreciates the importance of simple consumer math when it comes to political decision-making. Hochul on Aug. 24 will replace outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who this month announced his resignation in the face of multiple charges that he sexually harassed women on his staff, created a toxic work environment, and mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic response, among other misdeeds. And while Cuomo had many accomplishments on the economic as well as social fronts, members of New Yorks political class have since said Hochul should be a welcome change from Cuomos top-down, brutalist style of governing over the past decade. Businesspeople in the state offered a similar assessment, saying they look forward to working with Hochul, who they hope will listen to their longstanding complaints and concerns about what its like to do business in what until now has been Andrew Cuomos Empire State. Beyond that, however, many said they didnt yet know how Hochul will approach questions of economic development and business sustainability. From an issue of statewide business policy, shes a blank slate, said Bob Bellafiore, a longtime strategist, former Pataki administration official and president of Stanhope Partners. The term blank slate, or as former Assemblyman Robin Schimminger put it, tabula rasa, came up several times in interviews. It reflects the reality that Hochul was shut out of Cuomos inner circle and was consequently excluded from economic decisions. She has constantly traveled across the state, attending forum talks, and shes been to countless ribbon-cuttings as the president of the states Regional Economic Development Councils. But that was ceremonial. There is an upside to that, however. Thanks to that role, Hochul has met and talked with businesspeople across the state. And they liked what they saw. Blank slate or not, ceremonial or not, many say shes been a good listener who has acquired an understanding of the economic issues facing New York. She knows the economic conditions of the state quite well and she is a very thoughtful listener, said Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State. When I have dealt with her in the past she came across as someone who is sincere and is willing to listen, agreed Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of the Independent Power Producers of New York, which represent power plant operators and others in the energy field. Shes very well versed in economic development, added Charles Kruzansky, director of government relations for Cornell University. Others said they are confident theyll be able to offer their frank opinions, even if she may not agree. I think its important that people feel free to say their mind and with Andrew it was impossible, said Jeff Gural. Gural is a rarity: a high profile businessman with issues before the state who has been unafraid to criticize Cuomo. He owns the Tioga Downs casino and Vernon Downs harness track/racino, which are state licensed. He credits Cuomo with doing a lot on the economic front especially with infrastructure improvements like building the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and pursuing a LaGuardia Airport overhaul. But he criticized Cuomo for basically ignoring his and other business leaders calls about a range of issues. This isnt to say that Hochul wont bring some economic development and business-oriented ideas of her own. After serving a term in Congress she worked in government affairs for the Buffalo-based M&T Bank. And The Business Councils Bricetti noted that she has been working on ways to improve child care for people as well as develop more workforce training two topics that are priorities for her group. The COVID-19 pandemic sent many people home and parents, especially women, continue to deal with newfound child care responsibilities. Figuring out ways to handle that is key for companies that are struggling to get adequate staff. Were having an issue getting people back to work and some of that is child care, said Briccetti. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon update. As a woman and working mother, Hochul should have an acute understanding of that issue, which could take an added importance once shes in the governors office. Additionally, her Buffalo roots should make her particularly aware of the continuing challenges facing the upstate economy. That cant be underestimated said Gural, who is based in New York City. Until the pandemic, New York City was thriving. I used to say to my friends in real estate You have no idea how depressed upstate is," said Gural. Shes also seen the problems that can come with the kind of overarching mega-projects that Cuomo enacted to help the region, Schimminger said. While in the Assembly, Schimminger, a Democrat, harshly criticized Cuomos job creation programs, questioning how much the tax breaks for new businesses and outright grants to giant firms such as Tesla have actually helped. The subsidies for Tesla to build a $750 million solar panel plant in western New York were part of Cuomos Buffalo Billion. Schimminger has documented how these programs have created fewer jobs than initially touted. And the major initiatives have been tarred by the federal bid-rigging case that sent one of Cuomos top advisers, Joe Percoco, to federal prison. I think it will mean that she wont go there, Schimminger said of the kind of large-scale projects that Cuomo was fond of. She saw the dangers of mega-projects. Unknown is whether as governor she will move away from the sweepstakes-style competitions for development grants among regions that Cuomo has favored. Or how she will approach the perennial questions surrounding how many and vast the tax incentives should be for new or existing businesses seeking an edge in comparison to other states. Her office on Friday did not return a message seeking comment. Her western New York background can also be seen in her earlier reputation as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat. Peter Warren, research director for the Empire Center fiscal watchdog group notes that when she was in Congress she was among just 25 House Democrats to vote for a federal balanced budget amendment in 2012. Such amendments have long been an elusive Holy Grail for fiscal conservatives on the federal level. That, along with Hochuls early opposition to giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants and her early support from the NRA, has been well documented and suggests an earlier conservative streak thats in contrast to the majority Democrats in the state Legislature these days. But she has since supported driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants as well as Cuomos tough gun control laws. Thats not unlike another upstate politician, Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whose stances on gun control and immigration changed as she moved from the relatively rural conservative 20th House district to representing the entire state in the U.S. Senate. Your priorities representing a district change when you represent a statewide office, said Bellafiore. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina Democrats are getting $100,000 from the Democratic National Committee to bolster voter registration efforts as the party aims to pour money into states traditionally dominated by Republicans before the 2022 midterms. The first-ever Red State Fund grant will provide the state's Democratic party with resources to hire staff and get people registered across South Carolina, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announced Friday. The grant is just the beginning of the investments the DNC will make in state parties, accompanying other efforts to build out infrastructure related to voter registration and protection, Harrison said. The South is changing, said Harrison, an Orangeburg native who led the South Carolina Democrats until 2017. We need to make sure that were doing the work to get those people registered to vote, to educate those folks, to mobilize them, and then get them to the polls and protect their votes when they get there. Prior to taking charge of the DNC, Harrison was known for the record-breaking $130 million he raised as he mounted a challenge to Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham last year. Harrison, who lost the 2020 race, said Friday that although much of the cash he and Graham raised went to television ads, his role now is to build a stronger state party. South Carolina and other state organizations are also getting $15,000 monthly with no strings attached, Harrison noted. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon update. We have to make sure that were good stewards of the financial resources that theyre putting in South Carolina, said Trav Robertson, the current state Democratic chair. Several Democrats have already announced they are vying to replace Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in next year's election. In a statement Friday, South Carolina GOP Chairman Drew McKissick said the Democrats' wasteful spending last year helped Republicans in the state secure their most successful election cycle in more than 140 years, when the GOP gained a U.S. House seat and flipped several statehouse seats as well. We cant believe that Jaime Harrison hasnt learned this yet, but it doesnt matter how much money you have or spend if people arent buying what youre selling and South Carolina voters have proven were not buying what Democrats are selling," McKissick said. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul's abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government." Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaida while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold. Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated womens rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Though the Taliban had promised a peaceful transition, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans late in the day to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Commercial flights were suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at the Kabul airport, according to two senior U.S. military officials. Evacuations continued on military flights, but the halt to commercial traffic closed off one of the last routes available for fleeing Afghans. Dozens of nations called on all parties involved to respect and facilitate the departure of foreigners and Afghans who wish to leave. More than 60 nations released the joint statement distributed by the U.S. State Department late Sunday night Washington time. The statement says that those in power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility and accountability for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order. The nations statement also says that roads, airports and border crossings must remain open, and that calm must be maintained. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam. This is manifestly not Saigon, he said on ABCs This Week." The American ambassador was among those evacuated, officials said. He was asking to return to the embassy, but it was not clear if he would be allowed to. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. As the insurgents closed in, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation," said Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council and a longtime rival of Ghani. God should hold him accountable. Ghani later posted on Facebook that he left to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone. As night fell, Taliban fighters deployed across Kabul, taking over abandoned police posts and pledging to maintain law and order during the transition. Residents reported looting in parts of the city, including in the upscale diplomatic district, and messages circulating on social media advised people to stay inside and lock their gates. In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated that the capital would not come under insurgent pressure for a month. The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America's longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, but America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq war. For years, the U.S. sought an exit from Afghanistan. Then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month. After the insurgents entered Kabul, Taliban negotiators discussed a transfer of power, said an Afghan official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door negotiations, described them as tense. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon update. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani. Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul. We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully, he said. Afghanistans acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, did not hold back his criticism of the fleeing president. They tied our hands from behind and sold the country, he wrote on Twitter. Curse Ghani and his gang. The Taliban earlier insisted that their fighters would not enter peoples homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer amnesty to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. Reports of gunfire at the airport raised the specter of more violence. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door. What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban? Getee Azami cried. It wasn't clear what happened to her after that. An Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan, said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she will be able to graduate in two months. She said her generation was hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now." Sunday began with the Taliban seizing Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country's last government-held border post. Later, Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters. ___ Akhgar and Faiez reported from Istanbul and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada; Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem; Matthew Lee in Washington; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; Aya Batrawy in Dubai; and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. The Assembly is suspending its investigation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo now that he plans to quit. ---- With Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set to quit his job Aug. 24, there are still compelling reasons for the Assembly Judiciary Committee to continue the work that began as an impeachment investigation. Mr. Cuomos departure may rid state government of the symptom, but it doesnt address the underlying sickness in this case, the many weaknesses in government that enabled his bad behavior. Beyond indicting the governor, the impeachment process would have helped to bring those problems to light and point to potential solutions in a comprehensive way. So it came as a huge disappointment Friday when Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie declared the investigation suspended. We urge him and his colleagues to reconsider. We had earlier called on the Legislature to continue the impeachment process and conduct a Senate trial to ensure Mr. Cuomo could not hold office again. However, legal experts now say thats impossible once he leaves office and, clearly, time is simply too short to get all that done in less than two weeks. But perhaps Mr. Cuomos exit simplifies the task. This need no longer be about building a meticulous case against him. It can now be about better understanding all that he has been accused of, and the consideration of what can be done to try to prevent this from happening again. Lawmakers need to go beyond Attorney General Letitia James report and discuss, for example, what can be done to strengthen the states laws, policies, procedures and reporting mechanisms on sexual harassment, not to mention its training requirements for high-level officials. Mr. Cuomos seeming shock that his behavior was unacceptable suggests he missed not just the societal memo but the courses required by laws he himself signed. The Legislature still needs to fully understand how it was bamboozled and strung along for months by the administration and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker when it came to the stonewalling of data on nursing home resident deaths from COVID-19. How did this cover-up go on so long? Could better rules be in place to require the release of public information and information sought by the Legislature including more severe consequences for willfully withholding it? Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon update. New York needs to understand how the ethics rules concerning the use, and misuse, of public employees for private gain broke down in Mr. Cuomos drafting of staff to help with his memoir. And as we have said many times before, it needs to review just how the Joint Commission on Public Ethics and the Office of the Inspector General have become so compromised that Mr. Cuomo and those around him would have little fear of being investigated, with an eye toward strengthening ethics mechanisms. Yes, there are multiple investigations going on, but only the Legislature can pull this all together and implement binding changes that cant be easily undone by future governors. And yes, much of what went wrong here was the result of individuals violating the publics trust and thinking they could get away with it. Power can do that. But when a governor can get away with so much for so long, the situation cries out for a clear understanding of how that happened and how it could be prevented from happening again. New York has a case study in high-level corruption before it. We should not close the book so soon. ALBANY Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul avoided committing to any specific plans to reduce the spread of COVID-19, rejected party labels and continued to emphasize her distance from the departing administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in interviews on CNN's "State of the Nation" with Jake Tapper and CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday morning. Hochul also carefully positioned herself as the person who can broker effective change in New York with a healthy workplace culture, as she concurrently begins her campaign to run for a full-term for governor in the June Democratic primary. The field may be crowded. "I will not be sidetracked by labels or how people want to characterize my administration, other than I will fight like hell for every day New Yorkers," Hochul said in a live interview with Tapper on CNN. Cuomo's resignation is set for Aug. 24. "I'm the one person who can bring it together, so people should not worry about the future of the Democratic Party in the state of New York under my watch." Hochul has begun to use the phrase, "fight like hell" and other sayings as she begins to build her narrative to New Yorkers and the nation during the transition process from Cuomo, who announced his planned resignation last week after the bombshell report from the attorney general's office, which said Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, in violation of state and federal laws. Cuomo has also faced other investigations, including how his administration undercounted nursing home COVID-19 deaths while at the same time having staff prepare a $5.1 million book deal that painted him as a savior in the fight during the pandemic. Cuomo continues to face federal, state and local investigations. Hochul has committed herself to not committing on any particular pandemic plans until she finishes speaking with experts aside from on the issue of masks for children in schools, of which her support has been resolute. "I will not be pigeonholed into a label," Hochul told Tapper. "I will look at each issue as it arises." On the issue of mandatory vaccines for school staff, she said she doesn't have the authority to do that, but is willing to work with the state Legislature to see possible plans. Cuomo has noted that since the state of emergency concluded this summer, his ability to unilaterally mandate certain issues related to the coronavirus pandemic has been limited to state employees, at least until the vaccines' "emergency authorization" is upgraded to a complete authorization by the federal government. Hochul said she has been speaking with experts, and expects to speak with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor. She told CBS she has spoken with Health Commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker, a controversial figure a part of Cuomo's team that has tackled the coronavirus. Hochul plans to continue to speak with him, especially in regards to nursing home data that advocates want her to release when she assumes office. She said she did not want to "raise expectations that I have those documents in my hand on day one." Hochul looked to define her incoming administration as one that is welcoming, drawing a sharp contrast to how she viewed Cuomo's executive chamber. Asked by Tapper why, seven years into the position, Hochul did not sound the alarms on the toxic culture in Cuomo's office, as detailed in Attorney General Letitia James' report, she said she was not close to Cuomo. Her job, she described, was to be everywhere but Albany, traveling the state and focusing on economic development. "The people who know me know that I've not been close to the governor," Hochul said on CNN. "I'm not in the room, so if you don't know something, you can't talk about it." She avoided directly answering a question from CBS about whether she was willing to release emails between herself and the Cuomo administration to prove she had no awareness of its issues. CBS pointed to a demand from Assemblyman Ron Kim, the Queens Democrat who has been among the governor's most vocal critics in the Legislature. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon update. "It's hard to prove a negative, because I've had no communication along those lines," Hochul said. "But I believe in transparency and I will evaluate all requests." She hoped future women would feel comfortable working under her administration, as she prepares to become the first female governor of New York. "I was once a young intern working in Buffalo in Democratic politics," Hochul said. "I want them to know that this is a place they're welcome, they'll feel safe, they'll know their ideas are valued." On Cuomo's first published interview since his resignation, with New York Magazine, Hochul brushed off the governor's comments that he may remain in public life. Cuomo, whose legacy is up in the air, is not barred from running for office and has $18.3 million in campaign cash. "That's what he chooses to do," Hochul said. She pivoted to say she would be "laser focused" on the issues of the pandemic, the economy and schools, and added: "I'm ready to lead and what happens off to the side, I won't have control over, but it will not distract me." Hochul stuck to her position that despite early concerns about a conflict of interest concerning her husband, William Hochul, she believes they can come up with policies that will allow both of them to continue to do their jobs. Her husband is the general counsel for Delaware North Companies, the major Buffalo-based food, hospitality and gaming company. Tapper asked that given the "sleaze" culture in Albany the last three governors have left in disgrace why not have her husband take a leave of absence while she's governor. "The word sleazes has never been associated with either one of the Hochuls," she said. "I've reached out to experts to come up with this ironclad policy, so no one will ever question that there's any involvement of my husband to anything pertaining to the state of New York." New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering two New York City Democrats for the lieutenant spot when she assumes the governor's role later this month For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Naples (Fla.) Daily News. Man held on $2 million bail in deaths of 2 men he met online A man charged in the deaths of two central Ohio men authorities say were killed after meeting the suspect online has been ordered held in lieu of $2 million bail The chairwoman of the University of St. Thomas College Republicans has been arrested on suspicion of recruiting minors for a sex trafficking ring For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal. [August 15, 2021] BOSS Revolution Offers No-Fee Money Transfers and Special Calling Rates to Haiti After Destructive Earthquake Newark, NJ, Aug. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BOSS Revolution, the international money remittance and calling service of IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT), today announced that it was providing no-fee money transfers and reduced calling rates to Haiti after a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean nation on Saturday. The BOSS Revolution Money no-fee offer applies to transfers to Haiti initiated through August 22nd in amounts up to $130, when using a debit card through the BOSS Revolution Money app or website. Senders can choose from several convenient payout options, including cash pick-up and direct deposit, as well as transfers direct to mobile wallets. The BOSS Revolution Money remittance service is readily available in the US through the convenient BOSS Revolution Money app (free at App Store and Google Play ), online and through the nationwide network of BOSS Revolution Money retailers. First time users of the Money app pay no fees on transfers up to $300. Reduced calling rates from the US and Canada to mobile phones in Haiti are available on the BOSS Revolution Calling app through the end of the day today, August 15th. First time callers on the app always receive $2.00 in free calling credit. In addition, BOSS Revolution customers in the US and Canada can conveniently recharge mobile phone accounts of friends, family and loved ones in Haiti through the app. The earthquake has left thousands of families in Southwestern Haiti homeless, and many more without basic necessities. BOSS Revolution is pitching in to support the relief effort by making donations directly to responsible charitable relief organizations and by making it more affordable for members of the Haitian diaspora to send money to and to speak with friends, family and loved ones in Haiti, said Alfredo OHagan, IDTs SVP for Consumer Payments. 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 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. Contact : Bill Ulrey IDT Investor Relations Phone: (973) 438-3838 E-mail: invest@idt.net [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 15, 2021] Godrej Group commemorates 75th year of India's Independence with a unique campaign #FreedomIs MUMBAI, India, Aug. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As India celebrates 75 years of freedom, the Godrej Group today released a digital film to rejoice the spirit of independence with the campaign - #FreedomIs Conceptualised by the Corporate Brand and Communications Team of Godrej and Creativeland Asia, the narrative of the digital film aims to inspire the youth of India to cherish their freedom by celebrating the essence of today's independent India and understanding what freedom means to them. The theme #FreedomIs expresses the expectations of the youth of the country and presents their belief of what freedom means to them, and how their kind of India will be different. The campaign highlights various aspects that they can relate to and urges every citizen to take a pledge to spread this idea of an optimistic India. Tanya Dubash, Executive Director and Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Group, said, "The digital campaign #FreedomIs reaffirms the Godrej Group's vision of bringing a positive chang in the society by encouraging the youth to be better citizens. While we emphasize our commitment to create a greater nation and support its journey in scaling newer heights, we urge the nation's youth to be passionate, ambitious and patriotic through their actions and truly embody the spirit of what freedom means to them." Anu Joseph, Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia, said, "As a Group that has been around from before India's self-reliant movement, Godrej has always aligned its goals with the nation's. Today, on the occasion of the country's 75th Independence Day, Godrej calls upon the youth to align their vision with our nation's ambitions and idea of freedom. This film is a reminder and a call to action." Watch the video here. About Godrej Group Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business. Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.1 5 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions. With revenues of over USD 5 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. For us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. About 23 per cent of the promoters' holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India. At the heart of all of this, are our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are deeply committed to recognizing and valuing diversity across our teams. For more information on the Company, please log on to www.godrej.com Media Contact : Supreeth Sudhakaran supreeth.sudhakaran@godrejinds.com +91-9920584295 Godrej Group Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1004137/Godrej_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 15, 2021] CtrlS NLD announces the launch of next generation interconnection services The services will allow scaling and integration of businesses by connecting their network, applications through its interconnection services portfolio besides addressing their growing needs in the digital economy MUMBAI and HYDERABAD, India, Aug. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CtrlS NLD, is a new entrant in the Indian Interconnection Ecosystem services has announced the launch of interconnect services branded as CtrlS Connect. With CtrlS Connect, customers will be able to connect their digital infrastructure and services with a wide array of services which includes remote Peering, cloud Exchange, data center Interconnect and metro Connect services in major metro markets in India. The services are being introduced coinciding with the 26th Anniversary of commencement of Commercial Internet in India. Today's digital businesses require to be enabled through high-speed, low-latency, highly secure, communication among their enterprise IT assets, cloud applications, and their overall technology ecosystem including their service providers and peers. CtrlS Connect - the carrier-neutral data center interconnection services will act as a digital business enabler for businesses. The services are being launched with the objective of bringing the best of Interconnection to India via a secure, scalable software defined Interconnection platform. These services will enable customers in not only establishing directly peering with all major internet exchange operators across India but will also allow the businesses to connect to the cloud exchange platforms across the country. These services will benefit organizations from across sectors such a financial services, media, e-commerce, healthcare, manufacturing, and supply chain etc who require very low-latency connectivity for executing transactions with high speed. The services are backed by industry bet SLAs, quick provisioning, high availability, robust security, integrated connectivity ecosystem, and performance management supported by professional management services. Additionally, the company is also rolling out CtrlS eXchange Connect services portfolio through its on demand, cost effective, resilient, latency driven network approach brings your network closer to the content and service providers with one or more internet exchange (IX) providers without any additional infrastructure, billing and technical complexities. These services will help businesses connect their locations to the multi-cloud ecosystems, expand geographic reach, enhance application performance security and optimize cost. CtrlS NLD will act as a single point of contact for all network needs of businesses. The company intends to provide businesses the flexibility of wide range of internet exchange (IX) choices to be connected and scale their capacities combined with ability to control their own network efficiently. In near future, the company plans to expand its interconnection footprint by partnering with more regional IX and Cloud Connectivity partners across Tier II and Tier III markets in India. By end of 2021, CtrlS expects to have CtrlS Connect services available across 24 strategic datacenters within India covering 6 metros and a few Tier-2 and Tier-3 Markets. As reported by Gartner, by 2021, over 50% of enterprise buyers will demand managed network services that include real-time, network-synchronized configuration management database (CMDB) capabilities. Industry reports also indicate that the Network as a Service (NaaS) market size is projected to surpass USD 50 billion by 2025. The major market drivers are the increasing demand for cost-effective networking solutions, adoption of cloud-based networking technologies, increase in broadband penetration, and investments in next-generation 5G network commercialization. Network virtualization is helping companies to reduce their capital and operating expenditure required for maintaining & managing physical infrastructure. Various government regulations regarding data privacy and data security are also fueling market growth. According to Markets and Markets, the global Network as a Service Market size is expected to grow from USD 10.4 billion in 2021 to USD 37.5 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.4% during the forecast period Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, CtrlS Group of Companies said, "We are delighted to introduce a wide array of interconnect services to the new age businesses. The data center interconnect services will act not only as an integration point, but also as a 'Glue' for all digital business. We are confident customers will benefit from low-latency, high speed connectivity, reap the benefits of our automation led process to achieve their business objectives augmented by industry best SLAs, speed of connections, automated processes" CtrlS NLD's subsidiary company CtrlS Data Centers will continue to consolidate its position as the industry's largest rated-4 datacenter services provider by providing its customers more ways to directly connect with leading service providers and partners at a global scale. About CtrlS NLD CtrlS NLD services is a new entrant in the Indian Interconnection Ecosystem. The company is introducing CtrlS Connect - the data centers, Cloud and IX neutral interconnection services, portfolio through its on demand, cost effective, resilient, latency driven network across 24 strategic datacenters within India covering 6 metros and Tier-2, Tier-3 Markets. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] More than any other denizen of the political discourse, former Missouri SecState and KCMO mayoral candidate Jason Kander has a unique perspective on Afghanistan because he served there as an intelligence officer. Overnight, he offered this hot take as the U.S. evacuates allies . . . It's compassionate, welcoming and carefully avoids all of the other criticism that Prez Biden endures right now. Check the links . . . US criticised as it races against time to save its Afghan helpers from Taliban The US is in a race against time to ramp up the processing of its former Afghan employees under threat from the Taliban military juggernaut, but critics say the effort is too little and too late for Afghans who responded to western urging to build a more democratic society. Taliban enter Kabul outskirts, await 'peaceful transfer' of Afghanistan capital Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday, with a spokesman for the terror organization saying they were expecting a "peaceful transfer" of Afghanistan's capital city to their control. Spokesman Suhail Shaheen made the remarks to the Al-Jazeera English news channel in Qatar, according to The Associated Press. Clay County Sheriff recalls past work in Afghanistan as turmoil grips country LIBERTY, Mo. - Will Akin oversees law and order as Sheriff of Clay County and at one time helped instill law and order through his work in Afghanistan. Akin worked as a contractor in Afghanistan between 2009 to 2012. He worked as a police advisor where he mentored local police in the war-torn country. Taliban at Gates of Kabul as Afghanistan Collapses Without U.S. Support With every other major Afghan city already in the hands of the Taliban, and the U.S. evacuation of its citizens "well underway" on Sunday, the militant group is now at the gates of Kabul. The Islamic group that the U.S. Developing . . . Our progressive friends are having a good time trolling some housewife . . . The bullying might be deserved but it's tragic this kind of ridicule wasn't used to save NYC nursing home patients from certain death at the outset of the pandemic. Still . . . Joking suburban moms is good fun for everybody even if the student mask & vaxx debate will intensify as this pandemic worsens . . . Take a look: Here is the latest update for travelers from the US to Belgium. The US is, even though it is a red Covid 19 zone, put on the white list for travel to Belgium which means that non-essential travel to Belgium from the US is allowed. You must complete the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) within 48 hours before arriving in Belgium, even if youre vaccinated except if you are staying for less than 48 hours in Belgium or if you are returning to Belgium after a stay abroad of less than 48 hours. Do you have a vaccination or recovery certificate? You do not need to quarantine or get tested!! That last bit makes all the difference!! The CDC vaccination card or EU Digital COVID Certificate is accepted as a vaccination certificate. Link to the PLF form: (links to verify above info: and https://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/coronavirus-covid-19) Hope you all feel welcome to visit our beautiful country!! Day 6: Antigua Our return flight to Guatemala City with TAG was at 2:15 p.m., so we were able to have a leisurely morning of breakfast, swims at the lake and pool, packing up everything, and enjoying some final moments on the balcony gazing out at the lake. As much as we were looking forward to returning to Antigua for our third visit, we were sad to be leaving La Lancha. We both felt we could easily have spent five nights there. This was our first day with some rain, so we were not able to take the boat launch back to Flores, due to the threat of thunderstorms and rough waters. Taking the (very rough) roads adds another 20 minutes to the trip and is decidedly less comfortable and less scenic. We arrived at El Mundo Airport 75 minutes ahead of departure, which was more than enough time to check in. This time we only had to pay $12 for our overweight luggage (not sure where four pounds went, as we didnt leave anything behind). We also had to pay 20 Q each for a departure tax, so I was glad I still and some quetzales left on me. It looked to be another full flight. Everyone was masked in the terminal except for a young American couple who refused to keep theirs on for any period of time. At one point an employee came over to talk to them, and the young woman just glared at him for a good long time before finally pulling it up. After he walked away, she pulled it down again. I could feel my blood pressure starting to boil The flight left on time and arrived five minutes early. We picked up our bags from the carrousel, and within ten minutes we were walking outside to meet our driver from Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. On our previous two trips we arrived at GUA after midnight, so we made the trip to Antigua in about 30 minutes. This time, we had bumper to bumper traffic most of the way, so it took 75 minutes. I was starting to second guess our decision not to splurge on a helicopter transfer! Hotel Casa Santo Domingo seems to be exercising even more precautions than the previous two hotels at which we stayed on this trip. There are signs throughout the property reminding guests of the COVID protocols, all staff are masked, and wait staff wear masks and face shields. Apparently the hotel is sold out on the weekend for a wedding, so it should be interesting to see how that goes. This time we were able to book a Spa Living Suite. Rooms and suites in the spa wing are restricted to adults only and come with unlimited access to the pools and saunas in the spa. There is also a lovely rooftop restaurant that serves drinks, lunch, and snacks. The spa here is perhaps the most beautiful and atmospheric weve experienced anywhere. We will definitely be using the facilities daily. The hotel bills itself as Hotel Museo Casa Santo Domingo, and it really is like staying in a museum. There are various exhibits and installations, ruinseven a crypt! Every nook and cranny has some interesting object, work of art, or architectural detail. Ecclesiastical music is piped throughout the property, adding to the effect. Most rooms have fireplaces, so the scent of burning wood is frequently hanging in the air. The grounds are planted lushly, and day-glo bougainvillea petals fill numerous stone vessels throughout. Every courtyard has some kind of water featureponds or fountains or bothand the sound echoes off the ancient walls. Its sensory overload in the best possible way. As much as we love the hotel, the jury is still out on our suite. Being an historic site, some of the accommodations dont have a lot of natural light, and this time weve been assigned something we have resorted to calling The Crypt Suite. It has a little patio in front with a small table and two chairs. Inside there is just one small window dressed with iron bars. The walls are stone, the floors are wood, and theres a corner stucco fireplace. There are niches with cool (or creepynot sure) statues, and a room off the bedroom with stone floors, a jacuzzi, and a four-person dining table. Also in that room is an iron spiral staircase that leads up to the suites one redeeming feature: a rooftop terrace with lounge chairs, dining table and chairs, and an umbrella. It has beautiful views and will be a great spot for a room service breakfast or late night glass of wine. Still, Id rather have a smaller suite with bigger windows. Well see how it goes Since we were both tired from our transit day we just unpacked and went to dinner at the hotels main restaurant, El Refectorio. The service was very fast and the food very good: both of us had traditional sopa chapina, then pappardelle for me and ravioli for my partner. We split a dark chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and caramel popcorn. All that plus two cocktails and two glasses of wine came in at 676 Q, a bargain in my eyes. After I finish typing this instalment, it will be another early night. Im looking forward to seeing Antigua again in the morning light. No plans for the first full day beyond just walking around, reorienting ourselves to the city, and counting our blessings for being able to visit again. DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 15th Aug, 2021) Amanat Holdings, a healthcare and education investment company, has reported a total income of AED255.6 million, a significant nine-fold increase from the AED28.2 million in H1-2020, according to the company's financial results for the first half ended 30th June 2021. The income from investments similarly grew at a stellar pace to AED251.9 million versus AED21.3 million this time last year, the company's press release said on Sunday. The performance filtered down to the companys bottom-line profitability with a net profit of AED235.3 million in the first half of 2021 compared to AED0.6 million in the same period last year. The companys profitability was also bolstered by the AED160.0 million gain on sale of Amanats share of Taaleem Holdings in April 2021, along with robust contributions made from Amanats new healthcare investment, Cambridge Medical and Rehabilitation Centre (CMRC). Excluding the impact from Taaleems gain on sale, net profit would record AED75.3 million emphasising the strong and sustained recovery when compared to the same period last year and reflecting managements cost optimisation and efficiency efforts. Amanats total expenses stood at AED20.2 million in H1-2021, down by 26.8 percent year-over-year (y-o-y). Commenting on the results, Amanats Chairman, Hamad Alshamsi, said, "I am delighted with Amanats performance in the first six months of the year, which saw us continue to deliver impressive growth and profitability across both platforms further enhanced by our exit of Taaleem during last quarter. The companys performance exemplifies our ability to realise value for our shareholders and the effectiveness of our revamped corporate strategy. This has enabled us to fully capitalise on the post-COVID-19 rebound as we continue to drive long-term growth and value creation." (@ChaudhryMAli88) ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 15th Aug, 2021) The UAE has strongly condemned the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias systematic attempts to attack civilians and civilian objects in Najran, Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile, which was intercepted by the Coalition Forces. In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) on Sunday, the UAE reiterated that these systematic terror attacks by the Houthis reflect their blatant disregard for the international community and all international laws and norms. The Ministry urged the international community to take an immediate and decisive stance to stop these recurrent acts, which target critical infrastructure and threaten the security and stability of the Kingdom, as well as global energy supplies. It also stressed that the continued threat of these attacks in recent days is a grave escalation that represents new evidence of these militias' attempts to undermine security and stability in the region. The UAE renewed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia over these subversive terrorist attacks and reiterated its stance against all threats to the Kingdom's security and stability. The UAE also reiterated its support for all measures taken by Saudi authorities to maintain the safety and security of its citizens and residents. MoFAIC also stressed that the security of the UAE and that of Saudi Arabia are indivisible and that any threat facing the Kingdom is considered a threat to the security and stability of the UAE. Warsaw, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2021 ) :Poland has sold one million Pfizer Covid vaccine doses to Australia as part of a "responsible policy of solidarity", the Polish health minister said Sunday. Health Minister Adam Niedzieslki said that Poland's vaccine purchases "allow us to meet the needs of our citizens and support others in need". Polish ambassador to Australia Michal Kolodziejski said: "In these tough times for our Australian friends, Poland has decided to share with Australia one million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with immediate delivery". Poland has fully vaccinated around 55 percent of its population, but the rate of vaccinations has slowed sharply in recent months and many vaccination centres have been closed due to low demand. Opinion polls indicate that up to a quarter of Poles are either opposed to vaccination or hesitant about getting one. The Sons of Divine Providence (FDP), sometimes known as the Orionine Fathers, are working around Covid-19 restrictions, in Mozambique, to find ways of fulfilling events and activities planned for the 150th anniversary of the birth of Don Orione, an Italian saint and founder of the Congregation. Rogerio Maduca, Radio Pax, Beira Mozambique and Vatican News English Africa Service. The Orionine Jubilee Year, centred on promoting vocations, was inaugurated in June this year at the Obra Dom Orione in Maputo, the countrys capital. The jubilee year festivities end in June 2022. Vocations promotion and animation Father Wend Polycarpe, Rector of the Propaedeutic Seminary of Our Lady of Guard, explained the jubilee year plans to Vatican News partner, Radio Pax of Beira. Father Polycarpe, who is also the Congregations Director of Vocations in Mozambique, said the focus of the Orionine jubilee is to encourage and revive vocations. He said almost all activities or commitments during the jubilee year would aim at vocational animation and promotion. Mozambique's Covid-19 challenge However, the Orionine Vocations Director, Father Polycarpe, conceded that the Congregation was working around the third wave Covid-19 pandemic as they implement planned activities. Several events have been hampered by national restrictions imposed by the authorities battling the pandemic. The Congregation has 13 of its members in Mozambique. They are mainly working in the Mozambican provinces of Gaza and Maputo, the countrys southern regions. On Sunday, 15 August 2021, the Mozambican Province witnessed the professions of perpetual vows for its first indigenous Mozambican members. Don Orione: Little Work of Divine Providence Don Luigi Orione was born in Pontecurone, Diocese of Tortona, Italy, on 23 June 1872. On 13 April 1895, Luigi Orione was ordained priest. Around Don Orione grew a group of seminarians and priests who would make up the first core group of the Little Work of Divine Providence. On 29 June 1915, twenty years after the foundation of the Sons of Divine Providence, Don Orione added to the single tree of many branches the Congregation of the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity. More recently, the Don Orione Secular Institute and the Don Orione Lay Peoples Movement have come into being. They are equally inspired by the same founding charism of Don Orione. Nicaraguas main newspaper, which is a stern critic of President Daniel Ortega and the government, has been raided by the police. The move is seen as part of the crackdown in the run-up to the November 7 presidential election. By James Blears In Nicaragua opposition to President Daniel Ortega comes at a price, and at high noon on Friday, La Prensa, the nations only remaining national newspaper found this out to its cost. Police in pickup trucks pulled up into the car park, where there is a large Nicaraguan flag on a towering steel poll, and raided the building, removing box loads of unspecified materials. While this was being done, electricity and the internet were temporarily cut, and journalists were not allowed to use their cellular phones. But photographers picked up their cameras and took plenty of photographs. Charges accusing the newspaper of customs fraud and money laundering have now been lodged. La Prensa is owned by Christiana Chamorro. She was placed under house arrest two months ago. One of her brothers has also been arrested while another fled the country. Their mother, Violetta, defeated Daniel Ortega in the 1990 Presidential Election. Since June 31 opposition politicians and activists, including seven potential Presidential Election rivals, have been detained by police, mostly accused of violating the sovereignty of the country. The day before the raid, La Prensa suspended its printed edition, saying authorities have held up its imports of newsprint, insisting its fourteen reels are not enough for even one full edition. But the paper is planning to continue its online operation. Seventy-five-year-old Daniel Ortega is running for his fourth consecutive presidential term. His wife Rosario Murillo is vice president and his running mate. Recently leaked internal documents from Pfizer reveal that the company has not insisted that its employees must have COVID-19 vaccines. The leak comes at a time when some businesses have fired employees for refusing vaccinations and the Biden administration is looking at options to empower companies to order vaccinations. Images of a Pfizer booklet written by Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Payal Betcher are circulating online which shows that the company is only mandating coronavirus testing for its unvaccinated employees rather than demanding that they be given the jab. In a message to U.S employees, the company claims that 80 percent of its American workforce has been vaccinated, which leaves 20 percent unvaccinated. While this is great progress, more needs to be done, the document states. The company hopes that unvaccinated American employees get their COVID-19 shots as soon as possible. However, Pfizer does not insist on it nor mention any specific reprisal for refusing inoculation. Please note that if you have declared you are not vaccinated, decline to declare your status, or have a medical or a religious accommodation, Pfizer will require that you participate in a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing regimen. This will mean getting tested twice a week, the document states. Pfizers decision to not mandate vaccination among employees comes in stark contrast to some establishments that have made inoculations a necessity. Big names like Microsoft, Tyson Foods, and United Airlines have mandated COVID-19 vaccinations. In June, it was reported that Houston Methodist Hospital fired more than 150 healthcare workers for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. When employees sued the hospital, a federal judge in Texas dismissed the lawsuit. Similarly, the Supreme Court recently refused to block Indiana Universitys mandate that students be vaccinated to attend the fall semester. A July 19 survey conducted by Mercer found that 14 percent of businesses now require employees to be inoculated to work at a company site. The survey covered over 200 American employers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, roughly 2,950 COVID-19 related employment lawsuits have been filed in the country. Government push Washington is looking for ways to support American businesses that mandate COVID-19 vaccines. We are looking at that just to see how far employers can go when it comes to vaccines and asking their employees to be vaccinated Its on the radar, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told Reuters. Some companies are concerned that they might be exposed to discrimination lawsuits if they make vaccines mandatory for employees. However, President Joe Biden has stated that he will have their backs and the backs of other private and public sector leaders should such a situation emerge. Interestingly, the federal government, the biggest employer in America, has still not mandated COVID-19 vaccines. White House press secretary Jen Psaki revealed that the Biden administration is exploring a range of options to continue mounting a wartime response against the coronavirus. Some local governments have already begun requiring vaccinations. States like Denver and Massachusetts have announced mandatory vaccines. California, the most populated state in America, is requiring all state employees to prove that they have been vaccinated, failing which they have to wear a mask at the office and get tested once every week. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has asked private companies to require vaccines for their employees. The citys 300,000 municipal workforce face dismissal without pay if they refuse to get vaccinated. Beginning September 13 every City government employee will need to be vaccinated for #COVID19 or undergo weekly testing. Those are the options. This is how we keep our city safe and fight back against the Delta variant, said a tweet from the City of New York. Booster shots, Billions in revenue Meanwhile, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given the green signal to administer the third dose of COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised individuals, a decision that will inevitably benefit Pfizer that has been pushing to get booster shots approved. It will be a patients attestation, and there will be no requirement for proof or prescription or a recommendation from an individuals healthcare provider, CDC official Dr. Amanda Cohn said. Pfizer and Moderna, manufacturers of the two most popular coronavirus vaccines in the United States, have made billions from the sale of COVID-19 vaccines, locking in more than $60 billion in sales for 2021 and 2022. Booster shots will add to their revenues. Going forward, analysts have forecast revenue of over $6.6 billion for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and $7.6 billion for Moderna in 2023, mostly from booster sales. They eventually see the annual market settling at around $5 billion or higher, with additional drugmakers competing for those sales, according to Reuters. Israel was the first country to begin administering a third dose of Pfizer vaccine to its citizens. A survey of 4,500 people who received booster shots showed that most of the recipients experienced fewer or similar side effects as compared to the second dose. One percent of the survey participants sought medical treatment due to a side effect while 0.4 percent suffered from difficulty in breathing. A Panama-registered cargo ship split into two near the Hachinohe Port in northern Japan. Crimson Polaris, the 39,910-ton ship, was chartered by Japan-based shipping company NYK and owned by MI-DAS Line S.A. According to an NYK press release, the ship was swept away by strong winds, running aground off Hachinohe at around 7:35 a.m. local time on August 11. The crew aboard the ship was unable to navigate the large vessel. As a result, the ship ended 2.4 miles out from the port. Afterward, a portion of the ships wood-chip cargo was lost from the damaged part of the hull, NYK is currently confirming the amount of cargo and the impact on the sea area at the site All crew members have been evacuated from the ship with the cooperation of the Japan Coast Guard, and those seafarers have been confirmed to be safe, the press release said. NYK organized a crisis management center under the leadership of President Hitoshi Nagasawa to address the issue. People from the company are at the site and necessary support is being given to the shipowner and management company. At around 4:15 a.m. on August 12, the ship split into two and the oil spilled out into the ocean. The ship contained 1,600 tons of heavy oil, which is a form of unconventional oil that is highly viscous and thick. The vessel was at the end of its journey from Thailand. The 21 crew members on board, eight from China and 13 from the Philippines, were not injured. Crimson Polaris was a dedicated wood-chip carrier, meaning that the vessel was designed specifically for carrying wood chips for paper. Unlike normal bulkers (for coal, iron ore, grain, etc.), vessels carrying a low specific gravity of chips are measured in terms of cargo hold capacity rather than deadweight capacity, according to Sanoyas. An oil spill around 3.2 miles long and roughly 0.6 miles wide was visible later on August 12. According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, the two parts of the vessel have not been moved and are being monitored by patrol boats. Three aircraft and patrol boats were dispatched after the ship ran aground. Though authorities attempted to contain the oil leak, they were unable to set up an oil fence around the vessel. In August last year, a Japanese cargo ship had run aground in Mauritius, spilling at least 1,000 tons of oil into the Indian Ocean. It was regarded by ecologists as one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of Mauritius. The Japanese operator ended up committing $9.4 million to support the restoration of the marine environment. The largest oil spill in history occurred during the 1991 Gulf War when 240 to 336 million gallons of oil ended up in the ocean. Iraqi forces, retreating from Kuwait, opened up the valves of oil pipelines and wells to slow down the onslaught of American military forces. Oil flowed into the Persian Gulf, with the resulting oil slick covering a region larger than the island of Hawaii. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its list of the riskiest countries to travel to during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Aug. 9. Notably, 16 of the 20 most vaccinated countries in the world have had Level 3 (high) or Level 4 (very high) incidence rates of COVID-19 cases in the past month. The CDC uses Travel Health Notices (THNs) to alert travelers and other audiences to health threats around the world and advise on how to protect themselves. The THN risk assessment levels for COVID-19, which apply to international and domestic destinations, range from Level 1 to Level 4. The CDC modified its 3-level notice system into a 4-level system on Nov. 21, 2020 to align with the 4-level structure used by the U.S. Department of States Travel Advisory system. Thresholds to determine the THN level are based on the number of COVID-19 cases in an area. For populations of over 100,000 people, the incidence rate, or cumulative new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population, and upward or downward trend of new cases is taken into account. The thresholds are set at more than 500, 100-500, 50-99, and fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 over the past month for Levels 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively. For populations less than 100,000, the same criteria and numbers are used, but the thresholds are based on cumulative new cases over the past month rather than adjusting for per 100,000 population. The following are the CDCs THN levels, along with a list of the most vaccinated countries in the world according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center as of Aug. 14, with the percent fully vaccinated in parentheses. Level 4: COVID-19 Very High Malta (80.18%) United Arab Emirates (73.69%) Iceland (70.67%) Seychelles (70.22%) Uruguay (69.25%) Chile (68.03%) Bahrain (65.15%) Portugal (63.83%) Spain (62.72%) Mongolia (62.53%) Ireland (61.64%) United Kingdom (60.16%) Israel (59.77%) For Level 4 countries, the CDC says to Avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel. Level 3: COVID-19 High Belgium (65.92%) Qatar (65.90%) Denmark (63.63%) For Level 3 countries, the CDC recommends you are fully vaccinated before traveling to these destinations. Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to these destinations. Singapore (71.39%) and Canada (63.67%) fell into Level 2, with the recommendation to be fully vaccinated before traveling to these destinations. Unvaccinated travelers who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should avoid nonessential travel to the these destinations. The remaining 2 countries in the top 20 most vaccinated countries list, San Marino (69.99%) and Bhutan (62.33%), were listed as Level Unknown. The CDC said to Avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel. The travel recommendations for each level are oddly similar, since the CDC says people should be fully vaccinated regardless of the THN level of a country and the percentage of fully vaccinated people. The incidence of COVID-19 in the past month was high enough in 16 out of the 20 most vaccinated countries in the world for the CDC to assign a Level 3 or 4 threat level. The findings echo reports of waning COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and potential for spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus regardless of vaccination status. A preprint study published on Aug. 8 showed that in several states in the U.S. in July, coinciding with the dominance of the Delta variant, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was only 42% effective at preventing infection, while the Moderna vaccines efficacy fell to 76%. In an interview published on Aug. 1, Dr. Anthony Fauci, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director and chief medical advisor to the president, stated, when you look at the level of virus in the nasopharynx of people who are vaccinated, who get breakthrough infections, its really quite high and equivalent to the level of virus in the nasopharynx of unvaccinated people who get infected. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated on July 3 that High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus. The viral loads indicate that even fully immunized people can spread the virus as easily as unvaccinated people who become infected, a New York Times article states. ()15 On Sunday, the Civil Human Rights Front, an organization of local subversive parties in Hong Kong, announced it would disband and cease its activities. Photo taken on June 29, 2021 shows China's national flags and flags of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on a street in China's Hong Kong. Photo/Xinhua The day has finally come. During its 19 years of existence, the organization that carried the words "civil" and "human rights" had never done a single thing to promote human rights, it ironically only curbed them. According to the local law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, any organization or branch must register within one month of its founding. Yet for 19 years the CHRF held activities without registration, in direct violation of the law. By disbanding, this organization might hope to escape penalties, but that dream will prove elusive. As early as 2014, CHRF compelled its member organizations to sit in the Central District, which marked the start of the 79-day "Occupy Central" activity. After that illegal movement was pacified, CHRF constantly organized activities aimed at disturbing the normal order of Hong Kong society. On July 9, 2019, CHRF organized a major protest that escalated into violence. In the months that followed, it organized rioters to burn the police station, surround the Legislative Council and block roads. It is fair to say CHRF had a role in instigating many of the riots in 2019. In that process, CHRF sent letters to 61 foreign consulates in Hong Kong and called for them to discourage tourism, a move designed deliberately to undermine their home city. In November and December 2019, Eric Lai Yan-ho, then-leader of CHRF, traveled to Seoul to contact anti-China groups there, as well as anti-China lawmakers in Australia. CHRF and certain leaders are also suspected of having broken the national security law, and they deserve their judicial penalty. The disbanding does not mean the past can be forgotten, and the investigation will go on. Moderate mag. 5.3 earthquake - Datem del Maranon, Loreto, 267 km northeast of La Peca, Peru, on Sunday, 15 Aug 2021 12:40 am (GMT -5) - Moderate magnitude 5.3 earthquake at 93 km depth 15 Aug 05:45 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 6 minutes. 15 Aug 05:46: Now using data updates from GFZ 15 Aug 07:00: Magnitude recalculated from 5.2 to 5.3. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 93.0 km (from 6.2 to 58 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 21 km (13 mi) towards WNW. Update Sun, 15 Aug 2021, 05:51 5.2 quake 15 Aug 12:39 am (GMT -5) The event was filed by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the first seismological agency to report it. A second report was later issued by France's Reseau National de Surveillance Sismique (ReNaSS), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.2. Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. In Nazareth (pop. 120) located 46 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking. 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 11 minutes ago, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Nazareth, Datem del Maranon, Loreto, Peru. The tremor was recorded after midnight on Sunday 15 August 2021 at 12:39 am local time, at a shallow depth of 10 km below the surface.The event was filed by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the first seismological agency to report it.A second report was later issued by France's Reseau National de Surveillance Sismique (ReNaSS), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.2.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.In Nazareth (pop. 120) located 46 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.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. If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and file a quick report here . Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Earthquake data: [ show map ] Show interactive Map [ smaller ] [ bigger ] 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 5.3 93 km Peru-Ecuador Border Region GFZ unknown n/a Northern Peru VolcanoDiscovery 5.4 105 km NORTHERN PERU EMSC 5.1 104 km Peru: Near Cuenca RENASS 5.4 96 km 75 Km WSW of Alianza Cristiana, Peru USGS 5.4 109 km Peru-Ecuador Border Region GeoAu User reports for this quake (25) 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! Chiviaza, Morena Santiago, EC / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Awakened few strong jolts followed by repeated rattling. Some household objects fell. | 2 users found this interesting. La peca - bagua- amazonas - Peru / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s : El sismo me desperto fue fuerte | 2 users found this interesting. Cuenca (230.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s One shake. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s Cuenca, Ecuador (229.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Woke me up. | One user found this interesting. near Cuenca, Azuay (221.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / very short Envigado, Antioquia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s Cuenca Ecuador (230.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador (254 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Felt and saw the floor shaking and the walls too. nothing fell or cracked, no damage. Vilcabamba (246.7 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s Zumbi, Ecuador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : Windows and walls shook the bed shook very much sitting in a chair it shook real hard Gualaquiza / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s Cuenca / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Loja (238.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Felt some people in building Paquisha, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s Vilcabamba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Guaysimi (180.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s loja, ecuador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s Vilcabamba / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Malacatos, Ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s Loja (277.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s Loja (238.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s CUENCA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Suave Loja, Ecuador (239.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Cuenca, Ecuador (230.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 20-30 s Chachapoyas, Peru (300.3 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Look up aftershocks or earlier quakes Aftershocks More info 2 (=8 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 8 km (5 mi). Aftershocks typically occur during the days and weeks following the quake at or near the same fault, at distances of up to approx. two times the length of the rupture zone. The often broadly linear arrangement of aftershock epicenters encompasses the rupture zone of the main shock (check on the Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake ruptured along a surface of approx. 20 km(=8 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 8 km (5 mi).Aftershocks typically occur during the days and weeks following the quake at or near the same fault, at distances of up to approx. two times the length of the rupture zone.The often broadly linear arrangement of aftershock epicenters encompasses the rupture zone of the main shock (check on the map below to verify). Earlier earthquakes in the same area This can take up to 20-30 seconds. Please wait while we search through millions of records.This can take up to 20-30 seconds. Click here to search our database for earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900! The Haitian government declared a state of emergency after at least 304 people died in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the country Saturday morning, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced in a news conference. More than 1,800 people were injured, the country's civil protection service said. "When it comes to medical needs, this is our biggest urgency. We have started to send medications and medical personnel to the facilities that are affected," Henry said. "For the people who need urgent special care, we have evacuated a certain number of them, and we will evacuate some more today and tomorrow." The state of emergency will be in the Western Department, Southern Department, Nippes, and Grand'Anse. One hospital in the southern city of Jeremie said it is overwhelmed with patients. "There are a lot of people coming in -- a lot of people," an administrator at the Hopital Saint Antoine told CNN. "We don't have enough supplies." The hospital has set up tents in its courtyard, the administrator said. The earthquake was about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 10 kilometers deep, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). "There are reports of significant damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure," American Red Cross spokeswoman Katie Wilkes said. Martine Moise, the first lady of Haiti, said her heart "hurts" after receiving news about the earthquake, which caused enormous damage south of Grand'Anse. "The initial information that I have received from Grand'Anse is heart-wrenching," the first lady said. "It hurts my heart for the kids, the mothers, the elderlies, the handicaps, my friends, and all the victims of this earthquake." "My brothers and sisters, we have to put our shoulders together to come together to demonstrate our solidarity. It is our togetherness that makes up our strength and resilience. Courage, I will always be by your side." Moise added. Videos offer glimpse of destruction Videos posted on social media offer a glimpse of the widespread destruction. One from Les Cayes shows a street strewn with rubble and what is left of a number of buildings. Dust fills the air. A man in the video said that he was lucky that the building he was in did not collapse, but many other houses in the area did. "There are a lot of wounded on the street," he said. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, left between 220,000 and 300,000 people dead and injured hundreds of thousands more. That was 13 kilometers deep. A 5.2-magnitude aftershock hit later in the morning about 20 kilometers west-northwest of Cavaillon, Haiti, according to the USGS. That was followed by several more, including a 5.1-magnitude aftershock around noon. A tsunami threat that had been issued for the region has passed, according to the US Tsunami Warning System. Haiti is in the cone of Tropical Storm Grace, and can expect tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding Monday into Tuesday, CNN Meteorologist Haley Brink said. Heavy rain could lead to localized flooding and mudslides across the region, according to Brink. A tropical storm watch is likely to be issued for Haiti later Saturday after one was issued for the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. "We're concerned that this earthquake is just one more crisis on top of what the country is already facing -- including the worsening political stalemate after the president's assassination, COVID and food insecurity," Jean-Wickens Merone, a spokesman with World Vision Haiti, said in a statement. Haitian President Jovenel Moise was killed July 7. Merone is in Port-au-Prince, about 100 miles from Saint-Louis-du-Sud, and said the shaking there lasted "more than five to ten seconds," and both sides of his house were shaking. Prime Minister will assess extent of damage Henry, the Haitian Prime Minister, declared a state of emergency earlier Saturday and in the evening, arrived at Grand'Anse to assess the extent of the damage. "I am currently in the Grand'Anse department to see the extent of the damage in order to better coordinate government actions on the ground," Henry said in a Saturday Twitter post. "Resources have been mobilized since this morning to provide aid and assistance to the victims of this devastating earthquake," he added. Henry said earlier he has mobilized the government to assess and help. "Following the earthquake that caused enormous damage in the South, Grand'Anse and Nippes, I have already mobilized the entire government team to adopt all necessary measures- as a matter of urgency," the tweet read. Henry urged Haitians to band together in solidarity. "I offer my sympathies to the relatives of the victims of this violent earthquake which caused several losses of human lives and property in several geographical departments of the country," Henry tweeted. "I appeal to the spirit of solidarity and commitment of all Haitians, in order to form a common front to face this dramatic situation that we are currently experiencing," another tweet read. Other countries offer support In a statement on Saturday, US President Joe Biden said he was "saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti, this morning." "We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed," the statement said. "I have authorized an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort." Power said on Twitter Saturday night she authorized the deployment of a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team to Haiti and is coordinating with the Haitian government to assist the country. "Initial assessments indicate widespread damage and destruction. The US is mobilizing urgently to support the Haitian people," Power wrote. The Red Cross' emergency response system has been activated and the organization is "identifying urgent needs on the ground," Wilkes said. Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is preparing to receive patients at Tabarre Hospital in Port-au-Prince, MSF Commucation Advisor Tim Shenk said. Since June, armed gang violence has cut off some areas affected by the quake, making the aftermath a logistical challenge, Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald, told CNN. "This is a country that doesn't have access to helicopters, other than what the United Nations has. So logistically this is a huge challenge," Charles told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. Several Latin American countries said they were preparing to support Haiti. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said on Twitter Saturday they contacted Haitian authorities and are currently preparing to send humanitarian aid. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also said on Twitter he has ordered the National Coordination of Civil Protection and other ministries like Foreign Affairs, Navy, and Defense to prepare help "immediately." The Foreign Ministry of Panama announced they were preparing to send humanitarian aid soon and in the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader said he gave instructions to the foreign minister to call the Haitian counterpart to "facilitate any help within our possibilities." Colombia's President Ivan Duque said the Air Force will be deployed to Haiti on Sunday carrying a team specialized in search and rescue. "It will be 18 tonnes of equipment to fulfill their mission: save lives," he said in a Saturday tweet. Other countries including Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela also expressed their support for Haiti. Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect depth of Saturday's earthquake near Haiti. It was 10 kilometers deep, according to the USGS. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported. Haitis civil protection agency said that the death toll stood at 227 and that search teams would be sent to the area. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble, the agency said Saturday afternoon on Twitter. It said injured people were still being brought to hospitals. Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response. The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble, said Henry. We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people. He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity. The needs are enormous. We must take care of the injured and fractured, but also provide food, aid, temporary shelter and psychological support, he said. Later, as he boarded a plane bound for Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted structured solidarity to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after as many as 300,000 were killed. U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received a briefing on Saturday morning about the Haiti earthquake, according to the White House. Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the effort. A growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said. Among those killed in the earthquake was Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes. He died along with several others when his hotel, Le Manguier, collapsed, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. Philippe Boutin, 37, who lives in Puerto Rico but visits his family annually in Les Cayes, said his mother was saying morning prayers when the shaking began, but was able to leave the house. The earthquake, he said, coincided with the festivities to celebrate the towns patron saint, adding that the hotel likely was full and the small town had more people than usual. We still dont know how many people are under the rubble, he said. Humanitarian workers said information about deaths and damage was slow coming to Port-au-Prince because of spotty Internet service. Also complicating relief efforts was gang activity in the seaside district of Martissant, just west of the Haitian capital. Nobody can travel through the area, Ndiaga Seck, a UNICEF spokesman in Port-au-Prince, said by phone. We can only fly over or take another route. Seck said UNICEF planned to send medical supplies to two hospitals in the south in Les Cayes and Jeremie. The reports of overwhelmed hospitals come as Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a lack of resources to deal with it. Just last month, the country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations program for low-income countries. Videos posted to social media showed collapsed buildings near the epicenter and people running into the streets. People in Port-au-Prince felt the tremor and many rushed into the streets in fear, although there did not appear to be damage there. Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. I woke up and didnt have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street, Verneus said. Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS, said aftershocks likely will continue for weeks or months, with the largest so far registering a magnitude 5.2. The impoverished country, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 2018 that killed more than a dozen people, and a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake that damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. The National Hurricane Center has forecasted that Tropical Storm Grace will reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. The earthquake struck more than a month after President Jovenel Moise was killed, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moise, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: Lets put our shoulders together to bring solidarity. It is this connection that makes us strong and resilient. Courage. I am always by your side. Humanitarian aid groups said the earthquake would only worsen the nations suffering. Were concerned that this earthquake is just one more crisis on top of what the country is already facing - including the worsening political stalemate after the presidents assassination, COVID and food insecurity, said Jean-Wickens Merone, spokesman for World Vision Haiti. ___ Associated Press writer Evens Sanon reported this story in Port-au-Prince and AP writer Tammy Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. AP writers Josh Boak in Washington and Trenton Daniel in New York contributed to this report. Sunshine, storms and Tropical Storm Fred continue to be the big stories heading into the end of the week. For the beginning of your Sunday, it'll be dry with mild temperatures. Sunshine will put us in the upper 80's, but by the afternoon showers and storms moving in from the west have the possibility to bring gusty wind and heavy rain to the area. Biggest concern with these storms will be the gusty winds an heavy rain in those areas that already received the heavy showers the last two days. Any shower activity will hault tonight, but we pick right back up with this wet pattern come Monday as the remnants of Fred makes its way to North Alabama. How much rain we get will depend on the track Fred decides to make as it exits Florida Monday night into Tuesday. If the storm moves east, the heaviest rain will miss us and go into Georgia. Regardless, we could pick up anywhere between 2" to 4" of rain in the next couple of days with the heaviest rainfall in our eastern counties. Our biggest concern of course is the flash flooding risk and the rise of some bodies of water. Temperatures will be below normal during this window due to the cloud coverage. Due to the tropical air mass in place, even as the remnants of Fred exits we will still be in this wet pattern for the rest of the week. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have almost doubled in the past year but industry leaders say uptake is still hampered by the social stigma of the drug and lack of training for doctors. The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved 10,755 cannabis prescriptions in July, up from 5,564 in July 2020. The approvals were under Category B of the special access scheme, the main pathway for doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis for management of chronic illness and pain relief. Simon Sweeting takes cannabis oil for his constant back pain after he suffered a spinal injury. Credit:Janie Barrett A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the increase in prescriptions may reflect increased demand from patients, and increased awareness and understanding of the access pathways for unapproved medicines. However, Justin Sinclair, chief scientific officer at the Australian Natural Therapeutics Group, said many doctors were still reluctant to prescribe cannabis because it had been stigmatised for so long. They already have tantalising proof it exists. Their experiment will either confirm those findings - and put someone on a short path towards a Nobel Prize - or refute them, suggesting, perhaps, that there is something fundamental about the universe we simply do not understand. An underground laboratory The most unexpected thing about being 1025 metres below the surface of the Earth is that it is really hot and really humid. Arriving at the bottom of the mineshaft is like landing at an airport on a tropical island, except everything is black and dirty and you are required to carry your own emergency oxygen supply. The shaft is narrow, steep and twisting. Our Toyota HiLux takes about 30 minutes to drive the eight kilometres to the bottom, where the shaft takes a sharp left and then suddenly levels and opens out. We get out and walk into a huge room carved out of the rock. At the entrance to the dark matter laboratory. Credit:Joe Armao Elisabetta Barberio runs her hand along the undulating walls. Painted white and bathed in floodlights, it has the quality of an underground cathedral. Our voices echo up to the 14-metre-high ceiling. We are at a point in physics, she says, where everything we think we know is only a tiny fraction of the universe. She is an explorer searching for a particle unseeable and untouchable. What is dark matter? The atoms that make up you and me and everything we see can interact with the world via four forces of nature. Dark matter only gets one: gravity. You cant touch it. It does not reflect light. It is a ghost. Its story begins a sliver of a second after the big bang. The early universe was dense, hot and full of dark matter; as it expanded and cooled, the dark matter stretched out with it, like a ball of dough spread onto a counter. Dark matter was first predicted in the 1930s, and strong evidence amassed in the 60s, but it took until the 90s for scientists to find a way to really see it. Over a long enough distance, light gets pulled around by gravity; scientists found they could trace that path as light is warped by the gravity of dark matter, and produce a map. Everyone knew there was a lot of dark matter out there. But the first maps still came as a shock. The visible galaxy is just a little thing in the middle of this enormous dark body, says Professor Kenneth Freeman, an Australian National University astronomer who has made several key contributions to the field. You dont know what it is, but it is there. It changed our whole ideas about how galaxies formed, how the universe evolved. The big bang blasted out a physics-confetti of particles across the universe. When physicists simulate the big bang on supercomputers minus dark matter, the universe they get looks nothing like ours. A map of the distribution of the universes dark matter. The bright areas represent the highest concentrations - they are also where galaxies form. To turn chaos into stuff, something needs to give it shape. In our universe, the web of dark matter plays that role. Its gravity tugs the universe into shape. Gas becomes stars and dust becomes planets. Once you add in dark matter the sims are really astonishingly good at reproducing what we see, says Professor Tamara Davis, a dark matter astrophysicist at the University of Queensland. The fact there is something out there that needs to be explained is without doubt. We have now measured many of its properties, but we still dont know what it is. The power of WIMPs For more than 50 years, scientists have been searching for it. Many candidates, like black holes, have been ruled out. The searchlight is now trained on WIMPs: Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. These particles would be heavy and slow-moving, physicists think, and float through normal matter almost without trace, interacting with our world mainly via gravity. They are not made of the electrons and protons that make up our atoms but of something else altogether. Its almost like this parallel universe of dark matter which sits on top of what we see in daily life, says Professor Ulrik Egede, a particle physicist at Monash University. So far no one has found one, not through years of search, not through smashing atoms harder and harder together at the Large Hadron Collider. Well, almost no one. There is a lab buried under a mountain in Italy hearing a very curious signal. More on that in a moment. Professor Elisabetta Barberio stands inside the underground lab. Credit:Joe Armao Barberios underground cathedral took eight months to excavate, blasted out of the basalt in four-metre increments. We had already drilled 200 kilometres of tunnels. Elisabetta wanted one of her own, says Troy Cole, Stawell Gold Mines general manager. Six-metre-long rock-bolts were drilled into the walls to hold them steady, and then everything covered by a layer of shotcrete and two layers of radiation-blocking TekFlex. Theres about as much engineering down here as the Burnley Tunnel, the mining engineers say. Next to come is a 10-metre crane, to handle the 200-tonne iron-and-polyethylene shield that will cover the detector. When she first came down here in 2014, Barberio remembers picking over cobwebs and past disused machinery. The mine was dying. Stawells gold mining history stretches back to the 1850s, when tens of thousands of prospectors were drawn to the citys goldfields, lured by dreams of a nugget to make their fortune. About 250 kilometres of tunnel now wind under Stawell, but there are no nuggets left. Instead, piles of crushed ore are brought to the surface and then treated to extract a tiny amount of gold - perhaps four teaspoons in every truckload. Trucks enter the mine. A full tray of rock produces about two teaspoons of gold. Credit:Joe Armao We were running out of ore, says David Coe, health, safety, environment and community manager at Stawell Gold Mines. We had got to 1646 metres in depth, and there was no more ore to chase. And we knew eventually we would close. In 2012, Stawell Gold Mines started searching for a future for the mine (one idea that thankfully never got up: turn the mine into an underground mushroom farm). Coincidentally, Swinburne astrophysicist Jeremy Mould had started a letter-writing campaign to the nations underground mines, looking for somewhere to house a small dark matter experiment. Separately, Professor Barberio - based at the University of Melbourne and now director of the new Centre for Dark Matter Particle Physics - was in talks with Italian colleagues about doing their own dark matter search. The three groups found each other and in 2014 toured the mine site, discovering it was perfect. Planning for the lab started in earnest. Then in 2016, the ground disappeared from under their feet. The mines owners put the site into caretaker mode. Cole, who had worked on the site since 1998, had to watch as the 250 employees shrank to just 12. The lab looked finished. In 2017, Arete Capital Partners, a global private equity group, purchased the mine and restarted operations. Meanwhile, the scientists had pulled together a coalition of funders including the federal and state government and the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. In 2019, with funding secure, excavation began; the hope is the lab will be up and running next year. It is hoped it will operate for at least 50 years, drawing scientists and investment from around the world. Theres nothing else like it in the southern hemisphere. Full-time employment at the mine is now back up to 243. Its definitely gone through a rollercoaster of emotion, says Cole. From a sector that was just about packed in, to where it is now, its good. Keeping the noise down Why go to all this effort to build a lab underground? Because to detect the impossibly faint signal of dark matter, one must first mute the deafening roar of the universe. Radiation shows up as static on a dark matter detector. And everything emits radiation, even bananas. Thats part of the reason its so hot down here: the rock surrounding us contains tiny traces of uranium, which decay and release heat. Take pouring the concrete floor of the lab. Barberios team spent six months testing cement samples for radiation levels, eventually settling on a special product from Brisbane. When researchers arrive at the lab they will have to shower, lest their bodies carry tiny radiation-emitting particles from the surface. In the coming months, the crane will carefully bring in the dark matter detector itself, which looks like an oversized oil drum studded with thick cables. Inside, sitting in a chemical bath, are an array of hollow copper tubes. Inside those tubes sit seven ultra-pure thallium-doped sodium iodide crystals - the purest ever made. A cutaway of the dark matter detector. The copper tubes containing the crystals are at the centre. Like dark matter, these crystals are also strange artefacts. Atoms in the crystals are packed so tightly together that, in theory, eventually a dark matter particle has to hit one. If it works, the lab thinks it might get three collisions a month. These collisions will release energy which can be picked up by a set of detectors surrounding the crystals. The crystal will see everything. If it sees dark matter, it will produce light, says Barberio. Loading Which brings us to the lab in Italy, buried under a mountain. For 20 years scientists working in a lab beneath Gran Sasso, a snow-covered peak in the Apennine range, say they have been detecting dark matter. Almost no one believes them. A range of other experiments looking in the same range have found nothing. There are many other experiments on Earth that are looking for dark matter, they have seen nothing, they have not seen a hint, says Egede. That said, no one has been able to offer a good explanation for what the Italians are seeing either. Perhaps the most convincing part of the Italians signal is the way it changes. Imagine the planet Earth as it orbits the sun, as the sun itself moves through the web of invisible dark matter. In summer, the Earths orbital path takes it in the same direction as the sun, and in winter it takes it in the opposite direction. This is exactly what the Italians see: as Earth moves faster through the dark matter in summer, the signal gets stronger, and in winter it gets weaker. Thats why the Stawell lab is being built, using a detector identical to the Italians. If it finds the same signal, that would be pretty strong proof, says Egede, time to start booking your tickets to Stockholm. What happens if they dont find a signal is almost more intriguing. Because we are fast reaching the point where detectors are sensitive enough that there will be no place for dark matter to hide. Science works by putting up a theory and then testing it until it breaks. In perhaps 20 years time, well be at that point with dark matter. If we still havent seen dark matter, it is hard to see how we could, says Egede. When Anna Kiriakopoulos booked a winter getaway to the Gold Coast she didnt know what the next day would involve, let alone the next six weeks. But as Victoria was plunged into its fourth lockdown on her May 28 departure date, the Fitzroy North resident discovered she was ineligible for a refund because she hadnt cancelled 45 days beforehand. Anna Kiriakopoulos is trying to recoup $800 that she paid for an ill-fated trip to the Gold Coast Credit:Joe Armao Had we planned to go a day earlier, things would have been different, she said. How are you meant to predict a lockdown six weeks in advance? Ms Kiriakopoulos and her partner, Andrew, have spent more than two months trying to get a refund for their ill-fated holiday but have had no luck. West Australian authorities have extradited a 62-year-old man from the United Kingdom to Perth accused of committing 36 child sex offences while living in Australia in the 1980s. Detectives allege the man sexually assaulted four teenage boys aged 13 to 15 in Como, Orange Grove, Sorrento and South Perth in the six years between 1983 and 1989. He has been charged with ten counts of aggravated sexual penetration, nine counts of committing indecent practices between males, nine counts of carnal knowledge against the order of nature, five counts of aggravated indecent assault, and three counts of stupefying with intent to commit an offence. Carnal knowledge against the order of nature was repealed as an offence in 1989. It is unprecedented in my experience, Ive never sued a member of the royal family and other than divorce actions Im not aware of anyone who has, Boies told USA TODAY. Boies said his team tried to open settlement talks with Andrews lawyers but they would not engage. (The princes lawyers declined to comment for this story.) He said Giuffre, facing an August 14 deadline to file her lawsuit, ran out of time to further pursue a settlement. Virginia Roberts Giuffre outside a Manhattan court with her lawyer David Boies in August, 2019. Credit:AP Giuffre has been accusing Andrew publicly, in other lawsuits and in the media, since 2015, and has been ignored or dismissed by the palace media operation but embraced by the British tabloids who have long mocked Andrew as Randy Andy. Boies argues Giuffres suit is based on the bedrock principle of the American and English justice systems, that no one is above the law, not even the queens alleged favourite child. It applies equally to everyone and wealth, position, title, family connections none of that insulates someone from being required to answer in court for allegations, Boies says. And part of this is sending a message that you cant, simply by stonewalling and hiding behind castle walls, avoid being held to account for these (accusations). Melville-Brown says formal legal proceedings can be a hammer blow to any vestige of Andrews reputation that remains, regardless of his denials. No matter what he does, the public is likely to react negatively, the lawyer told USA Today. If he speaks out again in his own defence, he will be seen as self-serving or tone-deaf; if he keeps silent, he will be seen as self-protective with something to hide, she says. Meanwhile, the pitiless lenses of the tabloids are once again trained on Andrew, who, with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, were spotted by paparazzi arriving Tuesday at Balmoral, the queens Scottish estate where she spends six weeks every summer and hosts multiple members of her family. Since 2011, Andrew has been been shamed and scorned due to his Epstein and Giuffre links, forced in 2019 to give up his royal roles, seen only occasionally in public since, and mostly relegated to riding his horses on the grounds of his residence, Royal Lodge, close to Windsor Castle. Two consecutive US attorneys in Manhattan have publicly demanded Andrew cooperate with the FBI investigating Epsteins alleged sex-trafficking and Andrews longtime friend Ghislaine Maxwells alleged involvement (for which she is awaiting trial in federal court in New York after pleading not guilty). It never happened: Andrew says he doesnt know anything about those matters. He also has denied ever meeting Giuffre, despite a decades-old picture shared on the internet that shows the two together in Maxwells London home. Prince Andrew pictured with Virginia Giuffre at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell (right) in London in 2001. I can absolutely categorically tell you (a meeting) never happened, he told the BBC in an interview in 2019, which was widely condemned. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever. Giuffre, now a mother of three, a former Floridian and now a resident of Australia, is one of Epsteins many accusers, dating from her teen years in Florida. She claims Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to Andrew three times, in New York, London and the US Virgin Islands, when she was 17, which is the age of consent in New York. She is suing Andrew in federal court, even though she is invoking New York state laws on sexual abuse, because thats where cases involving mixed citizenship are heard, Boies says. Although she had reached the age of consent at the time of her alleged encounters with Andrew, Boies says she was subject to the inherent coercion of sex-trafficking, which trumps the issue of consent, real or alleged. In addition to sexual abuse laws, she is invoking the new Child Victims Act of New York, which extended the statute of limitations for civil suits by adults alleging sexual abuse when they were under the age of 21. If Andrew is served with the lawsuit at his Windsor home, his options would include trying to get it dismissed (before deposition) or a motion for summary judgment (after deposition), settling the case out of court, or defending himself at a trial, says Arick Fudali, managing lawyer at the Bloom Firm in LA, which represents eight other Epstein accusers. Its tough to say how likely it is this case will go to (civil) trial, says Fudali. Trials are rare in these types of cases but they do happen, and if/when he is served, his options in avoiding a trial become limited. One bit of good news for the royal: Because this is a civil case, not a criminal case, Andrew cant be extradited or arrested and frog-marched out of Windsor Castle. Mark Stephens, a specialist in international law at a major London law firm, told the Associated Press that Andrews legal team could seek to delay as long as possible by citing the Maxwell criminal case (criminal matters take precedence over civil matters), or by claiming immunity as a member of the royal family. At best, Boies says, Andrew can only delay the case, not kill it. Ignoring Giuffre and her accusations is no longer an option, he says. So what, ultimately, do he and Giuffre want from Andrew? A vindication of her credibility, an apology and an acknowledgement of what happened, Boies says. Does he expect him to comply? Probably not. Washington: The number of children hospitalised with COVID-19 in the United States hit a record high of just over 1900, as hospitals across the nations south were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. The Delta variant, which is rapidly spreading among mostly the unvaccinated portion of the US population, has caused hospitalisations to spike in recent weeks, driving up the number of paediatric hospitalisations to 1902 on Saturday (US time), according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Children listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in California. Credit:AP Children currently make up about 24 per cent of the nations COVID-19 hospitalisations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine, leaving them more vulnerable to infection from the new, highly transmissible variant. This is not last years COVID. This one is worse and our children are the ones that are going to be affected by it the most, Sally Goza, former president of the American Academy of Paediatrics, told CNN. 2005-04-06 04:00:00 PDT New York -- ABC News anchor Peter Jennings has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will immediately begin a round of outpatient chemotherapy, raising questions about his ability to remain in the anchor chair. The 66-year-old newsman, a former smoker who recently started again, had been feeling ill during the last several days and was diagnosed Monday afternoon. He broke the news of his condition to his senior staff at "World News Tonight" in an e-mail Tuesday morning, saying he plans to continue to anchor throughout his treatment. "There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky!" he wrote. "Almost 10 million Americans are living with cancer. I am sure I will learn from them how to cope with the facts of life that none of us anticipated." Jennings did not anchor the newscast Tuesday evening because of hoarseness. ABC News President David Westin said he expected that Jennings would not be able to do the evening news at times during his treatment. In a taped statement that aired at the end of "World News Tonight" on Tuesday, Jennings told viewers that, while he quit smoking 20 years ago, he was "weak" and took it up again after the Sept. 11 attacks. He expressed appreciation for the outpouring of good wishes from viewers, and he concluded on a typically wry note: "Finally, I wonder if other men and women ask their doctors right away, 'OK, Doc, when does the hair go?' " Jennings' illness will sideline, at least temporarily, one of the last remaining lions of network news, coming on the heels of the recent departures of NBC's Tom Brokaw and CBS anchor Dan Rather from their evening newscasts. Jennings begins treatment next week in New York, where he lives with his wife, Kayce Freed. They have two grown children. Neither he nor ABC executives revealed the seriousness of his condition. Westin told the network's staff Tuesday that he and Jennings both expect the anchor to continue the newscast during his treatment "to the extent he can do so comfortably." Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States. Roughly four out of five people diagnosed with the disease die within five years, said Dr. Cliff Connery, chief of thoracic surgery at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan. Jennings, who has anchored "World News Tonight" since 1983, has been in poor health for several months. He did not travel to Southeast Asia to cover the aftermath of the tsunami in December because the network said he had an upper respiratory infection. But he did cover the elections in Iraq in January. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. WASHINGTON (AP) An innovative program to help people with mental health and substance abuse problems is being primed for a major expansion as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens struggles with drug use, depression and anxiety for many Americans. In this Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, photo Mona Lisa McEachin stands for a portrait outside of BestSelf Behavioral Health in Buffalo, N.Y. McEachin is a peer mentor at BestSelf Behavioral Health and is currently working to train other peer mentors to work with people in recovery. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex) WASHINGTON (AP) An innovative program to help people with mental health and substance abuse problems is being primed for a major expansion as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens struggles with drug use, depression and anxiety for many Americans. Community behavioral health clinics offer 24/7 services to catch people falling into crisis and pull them back. One tactic involves deploying peer counselors who have lived and survived their own trauma. Launched in the Obama administration, the clinics actually got scaled up under President Donald Trump. That's not typical for a government health program in politically polarized times. Now, as Democrats haggle over the details of how to deliver on President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, some backers see that mammoth bill as the best vehicle for a major expansion of the clinics. The estimated cost is close to $3 billion, not huge in the context of the $3.5 trillion budget target just set by the Senate. But with many competing priorities nothing is guaranteed. I'm advocating that this be part of any health care package that moves in the Senate, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. She and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., are considered legislative godparents of the clinics, a yearslong bipartisan collaboration between a liberal stalwart and an old-school conservative. This could be their moment. The COVID-19 pandemic is blamed for a nearly 30% rise in overdose deaths last year, and other indicators show marked increases in anxiety and depression. Young adults and adolescents are of particular concern. Clearly the impact of the pandemic on peoples mental health was significant, said Blunt. If you had any kind of addiction issue, it was likely to get worse as youre more likely to be isolated and have more anxiety. On every health marker Ive seen, things are headed in the wrong direction. Blunt may be in a political bind if the proposal is part of the Democrats' budget bill, unlikely to get Republican support. The program's official name is Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, or CCBHCs in government-speak. Upward of 400 are already operating in more than 40 states. But the program is not yet that well known, and long-term funding is questionable. Stabenow and Blunt would give states the option of incorporating the clinics within their Medicaid programs, securing federal matching funds at an enhanced rate. We are finally putting in place quality, comprehensive services for mental health and addiction that will be funded the same as physical health services, said Stabenow. In the House, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., leads the effort. The lives of people with serious mental health problems and addiction lurch from crisis to crisis and don't align with doctors' office hours. Clinics must offer round-the-clock access to a broad range of services tailored to the client's situation in the moment. Services include medication assisted treatment for addiction but also evaluation of physical health needs. A peer counselor at the clinics can be someone who's gone through addiction or grappled with the inner shadows that drive people into depression and isolation. They connect to clients and help them hold to a steadier course, even when upsets happen like relationship or job problems. The clinics are nonprofits or units of local government. They place special emphasis on assisting veterans. And they coordinate with local law enforcement to help keep patients out of jail. Though government-funded, they also serve privately insured people. The theory is that comprehensive services can help keep people out of crisis, avoiding hospitalization and incarceration, saving taxpayers money in the long run. However, a recent review by the congressional Government Accountability Office found that agency efforts to evaluate the program were hampered by data problems. For their part, state Medicaid directors say they recognize the need and see the value of comprehensive services, but Medicaid can't handle it alone. The initial starter program in the Obama administration involved a limited Medicaid demonstration. Under Trump, funding increased via grants awarded through another health agency. Central to their financial viability, the clinics get paid up front based on estimates of their expected cost of providing services. Before we would only get paid for the therapy and the medication, so we certainly couldnt do anything extra to help with linking up services such as food and housing, said Elizabeth Woike-Ganga, president of BestSelf Behavioral Health in Buffalo, New York, part of the program. And its those social factors that often impact people with mental health problems. BestSelf client Ron Sibley suffers from chronic serious mental illness. Now in his 50s and on disability, Sibley used to enjoy working with his hands. He did woodworking, refinished furniture, and held down an assembly line job. But the effects of his medications have diminished his manual dexterity. Before he connected with BestSelf, Sibley said he would wind up in cycles of depression that could land him in the psychiatric ward of the hospital for weeks. But working with his peer counselor and using Zoom to join a social club sponsored by the clinic have helped him avoid that. Ive learned a lot about staying well, said Sibley. Last winter, he felt himself being sucked into a downdraft. Before, once I started to get sick, I would get sicker and sicker until I went in the hospital, Sibley said. My peer counselor got me through it. She asked, Are you depressed? You seem depressed. She got me to open up more about it. Mona Lisa McEachin was recruited to work at BestSelf by people who knew her life story. McEachin said she had used drugs for 20 years, but turned her back on that after she was handed responsibility for caring for a young grandson. (Her grandson just graduated high school and is headed for college.) At the clinic, McEachin said she found her life's calling being a peer mentor to others struggling with addiction. For the first time in my life I felt like I could take something in my past and use it to help others, said McEachin, now a trainer. "To help give someone else life is just a feeling that you cant describe. We're like the peanut butter to the jelly, she added. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) There are plenty of places to turn for accurate information about COVID-19. Your physician. Local health departments. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Members of the County Council joining over video chat participate in the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a council meeting at the St. Louis County Council Chambers in Clayton, Mo., Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19. (Colter Peterson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) There are plenty of places to turn for accurate information about COVID-19. Your physician. Local health departments. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control. But not, perhaps, your local government's public comment session. During a meeting of the St. Louis County Council earlier this month, opponents of a possible mask mandate made so many misleading comments about masks, vaccines and COVID-19 that YouTube removed the video for violating its policies against false claims about the virus. I hope no one is making any medical decisions based on what they hear at our public forums," said County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, who supports mask wearing and said she believes most of her constituents do too. The video was restored, but Clancy's worries about the impact of that misinformation remain. Videos of local government meetings have emerged as the latest vector of COVID-19 misinformation, broadcasting misleading claims about masks and vaccines to millions and creating new challenges for internet platforms trying to balance the potential harm against the need for government openness. The latest video to go viral features a local physician who made several misleading claims about COVID-19 while addressing the Mount Vernon Community School Corporation in Fortville, Indiana, on Aug. 6. In his 6-minute remarks, Dr. Dan Stock tells the board that masks don't work, vaccines don't prevent infection, and state and federal health officials don't follow the science. The video has amassed tens of millions of online views, and prompted the Indiana State Department of Health to push back. Stock did not return multiple messages seeking comment. "Here comes a doctor in suspenders who goes in front of the school board and basically says what some people are thinking: the masks are B.S., vaccines dont work and the CDC is lying it can be very compelling to laypeople, said Dr. Zubin Damania, a California physician who received so many messages about the Indiana clip that he created his own video debunking Stocks claims. Damania hosts a popular online medical show under the name ZDoggMD. His video debunking Stock's comments has been viewed more than 400,000 times so far. He said that while there are legitimate questions about the effectiveness of mask requirements for children, Stocks broad criticism of masks and vaccines went too far. YouTube removed several similar videos of local government meetings in North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas and Washington state. In Bellingham, Washington, officials responded by temporarily suspending public comment sessions. The false claims in those videos were made during the portion of the meeting devoted to public comment. Local officials have no control over what is said at these forums, and say thats part of the point. In Kansas, YouTube pulled video of the May school board meeting in the 27,000-student Shawnee Mission district in which parents and a state lawmaker called for the district to remove its mask mandate, citing medical misinformation. The district, where a mask mandate remains in effect, responded by ending livestreaming of the public comment period. District spokesman David Smith acknowledged that it has been challenging to balance making the board meetings accessible and not spreading fallacies. It was hard for me to hear things in the board meeting that werent true and to know that those were going out without contradiction, Smith said. I am all about free speech, but when that free speech endangers peoples lives, it is hard to sit through that. After hearing from local officials, YouTube reversed its decision and put the videos back up. Earlier this month the company, which is owned by Google, announced a change to its COVID misinformation policy to allow exceptions for local government meetings though YouTube may still remove content that uses remarks from public forums in an attempt to mislead. While we have clear policies to remove harmful COVID-19 misinformation, we also recognize the importance of organizations like school districts and city councils using YouTube to share recordings of open public forums, even when comments at those forums may violate our policies, company spokeswoman Elena Hernandez said. The deluge of false claims about the virus has challenged other platforms too. Twitter and Facebook each have their own policies on COVID-19 misinformation, and say that like YouTube they attach labels to misleading content and remove the worst of it. Public comment sessions preceding local government meetings have long been known for sometimes colorful remarks from local residents. But before the internet, if someone were to drone on about fluoride in the drinking water, for instance, their comments weren't likely to become national news. Now, thanks to the internet and social media, the misleading musings of a local doctor speaking before a school board can compete for attention with the recommendations of the CDC. It was only a matter of time before misleading comments at these local public forums went viral, according to Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse University who studies social media platforms. Grygiel suggested a few possible ways to minimize the impact of misinformation without muzzling local governments. Grygiel said clear labels on government broadcasts would help viewers understand what theyre watching. Keeping the video on the governments website, instead of making it shareable on YouTube, could allow local residents to watch without enabling the spread of videos more widely. Anytime there is a public arena a city council hearing, a school board meeting, a public park the public has the opportunity to potentially spread misinformation, Grygiel said. Whats changed is it used to stay local. ____ Klepper reported from Providence, Rhode Island. SYDNEY Australias most populous state on Monday reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths. FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 file photo, Students wearing protective masks walk past a "Welcome Back" sign before the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School in Riverview, Fla. Students are required to wear the masks at school unless their parents opt out. President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called the right thing after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) SYDNEY Australias most populous state on Monday reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths. The previous record daily tally in New South Wales was 466 new cases reported on Saturday. Two of the dead had taken a single dose of a two-shot vaccine. The rest were unvaccinated, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Only 26% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Saturday. Australia has one of the slowest vaccine rollouts among wealthy countries, which is making the delta variant outbreak particularly dangerous. The first shipment of one million Pfizer doses that Australia bought from Poland arrived in Sydney overnight. Residents aged 16-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected suburbs will be given 530,000 of the new doses, the government said. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread. MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall A demonstrator holds up a placard that reads, "I want to live to love. Injection= RIP," during a protest in Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Protesters are rallying to show their opposition to vaccinating children against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas) Amid a limited supply of vaccines, tensions arise in Africa between those seeking first and second vaccine shots Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19 Man stabbed at LA anti-vaccination protest leaves hospital __ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lankas government has announced nightly curfew starting Monday to control a surge in the COVID-19 cases. A government statement says curfew will be enforced from 10 p.m to 4 a.m from Monday until further notice. Travel for essential services will be allowed during the curfew. A demonstrator holds up a placard during a protest in Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Protesters are rallying to show their opposition to vaccinating children against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas) Authorities have also banned all public gatherings and wedding receptions. Sri Lanka is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 patients with the doctors warning that medical facilities and morgues in the country are reaching their maximum capacities. The government however has rejected repeated calls from doctors and other health sector associations to announce a full lockdown, because of an ailing economy. Sri Lanka has reported 364,968 positive cases so far including 6,096 deaths. AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Supreme Court has blocked mask mandates ordered by two of the nations largest counties that defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals are stretched thin. Sundays order by the states highest court which is entirely comprised of elected Republican justices halts mask requirements that county leaders in Dallas and San Antonio put in place as new infections soar and students begin returning to school. Texas reported more than 11,500 patients hospitalized with the virus Sunday, the most since January. The ruling is temporary pending a court hearing, though the timing of a final ruling is unclear. Officials in Houston and Austin, as well as public school districts, had also imposed mask mandates despite Abbott prohibiting local governments from reverting back to pandemic restrictions. White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said last week that Texas and Florida accounted for nearly 40 percent of new virus hospitalizations nationwide. The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nations unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than patients typically were during earlier phases of the pandemic. Anti-vaccine demonstrator Stacey Hidalgo, right, comforts an unidentified homeless man in a moment of prayer during an anti-vaccine rally outside City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. The Los Angeles Police Department and local media say a man was stabbed and a reporter was attacked Saturday at a protest against vaccine mandates at Los Angeles City Hall after a fight broke out between the protesters and counterprotesters. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) EASLEY, S.C. -- COVID-19 cases have prompted the largest South Carolina school district already back open to return to virtual lessons as students in more than 60 other districts prepared to return to class. Pickens County school officials made the decision at an emergency meeting Friday, after nine days of in-class learning for its 15,000-plus students, the Greenville News reported. We dont know if its safe to continue as is, and other districts should pay attention, district spokesman Darian Byrd said during the meeting. He said four staffers and one student are hospitalized and 142 students have tested positive for COVID-19. Last school years peak was 85 students in January of this year, Byrd said. The countys remote schooling will last at least this week, with the first two days giving students a chance to pick up laptop-like Chromebooks, officials said. Byrd said the district will announce next weeks plans by Thursday. Most other districts openings are scattered from Monday to Thursday. School leaders have said students and teachers are welcome to wear masks, but they cant mandate them even with another spike in COVID-19 cases. They also cant require vaccines for students who are eligible for the shots. WASHINGTON -- The director of the National Institutes of Health says the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall. Dr. Francis Collins tells Fox News Sunday that federal health officials are looking at the U.S. numbers almost daily but no decision has been made because cases so far still indicate that vaccinated people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant. Pedestrians, center, wear masks out of concern for the coronavirus while walking along Boston's fashionable Newbury Street, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) He acknowledges, though, that there is concern that the effectiveness of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson regimen may wane over months. If so, Collins says that may necessitate a booster maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward with others, such as the elderly. Collins says because the delta variant only started hitting hard in July, the next couple of weeks of case data will help the U.S. make a decision. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government on Sunday banned all public gatherings, its latest move to contain a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases. The ban will be effective from Sunday night and people are urged to avoid visiting public places as much as possible, according to a government statement. Also, restaurants are now allowed to accommodate only 50 percent of their capacity and wedding receptions will be banned beginning Aug. 17. Sri Lanka is witnessing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths over the last two weeks. Doctors have warned that hospitals and morgues are reaching their maximum capacities. The government has ruled out an immediate lockdown because of the countrys ailing economy, despite repeated pleas from doctors. Sri Lanka has so far reported 351,533 COVID-19 confirmed cases and 5,935 deaths. BOSTON The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that every county in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts are the site of high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus. The rise of transmission in the two states mirrors a nationwide and regional trend. A Sri Lankan woman speaks with a member of the army's medical corps as they walk to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly population in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Some health authorities are recommending that even vaccinated people go back to wearing masks indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission. That includes almost all of New England. The CDC reported that every county in the six-state region was the site of high or substantial transmission on Sunday except Orange County, Vermont, and Kennebec County, Maine. In Connecticut, New London, New Haven, Middlesex and Hartford counties were the site of high transmission and the other four counties in the state were listed in the substantial category. In Massachusetts, Suffolk, Nantucket, Dukes, Plymouth, Bristol, Essex, Hampden and Berkshire counties were the site of high transmission and the other six counties in the state were substantial. MOSCOW -- Daily coronavirus deaths in Russia exceeded 800 for the fourth straight day on Sunday, with the authorities reporting 816 new fatalities. The daily tally surpassed 800 for the first time in the pandemic on Thursday and has remained at that level ever since. Russia faced a surge of infections last month that officials have blamed on the spread of the delta variant. New confirmed cases soared from around 9,000 a day in early June to 25,000 a day in mid-July. New infections have since decreased slightly to about 21,000 daily this week, but the daily death toll has remained high. Officials are working to boost vaccine uptake, which has remained lower in Russia than in many Western countries. As of Aug. 6, more than 39 million Russians -- or 26.7% of the 146-million population -- had received at least one dose, while over 30 million, or 20%, was said to be fully vaccinated. Russias state coronavirus task force has reported over 6.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the pandemic and 170,499 deaths. However, reports by Russias state statistical service Rosstat that look at coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively have revealed a much higher number. KAMPALA, Uganda At a COVID-19 vaccination site in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, tempers flared among those waiting for scarce AstraZeneca jabs, with some accusing others of trying to jump the queue. A Sri Lankan army medical corps member walks to administer the vaccine for COVID-19 to the elderly population in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Nurses intervened, telling them the accused had been waiting since the previous day and averting violence in what has become a tense atmosphere as Ugandans jostle for vaccinations. In the aftermath of a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The delta surge has touched off a vaccination rush across Africa that the slow trickle of donated doses cant keep up with, compounding the continents vaccine disadvantage compared with the rest of the world. The urgency to obtain a second dose across much of the worlds least vaccinated continent contrasts sharply with rich countries now beginning to authorize third doses. Dr. Alfred Driwale, the top official with Ugandas immunization program, said the small number of doses will do little to remedy the situation as the 5 million Ugandans eligible for vaccination everyone from soldiers to health workers scramble for shots under a first-come, first-serve system. You cant make a policy when there is no certainty of supply, Driwale said. SYDNEY Poland has sent 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Sydney where the delta variant continues to spread, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. The first of the Pfizer vaccines left Warsaw via the United Arab Emirates and will arrive in Sydney over Sunday night, Morrison said. Australia bought the vaccines after weeks of negotiations between Morrison and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Morrison did not reveal the price. KPCC radio reporter Frank Stolze calls for police officers to intervene as he walks out of the park near City Hall after being assaulted at by anti-mask protesters in Los Angeles on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. The Los Angeles Police Department and local media say a man was stabbed and a reporter was attacked Saturday at a protest against vaccine mandates at Los Angeles' City Hall after a fight broke out between the protesters and counterprotesters. Stolze told a police officer he had been assaulted while trying to conduct an interview, the Los Angeles Times reported. ( AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) A key factor in being able to secure these doses from our Polish friends has been that we have had a significant outbreak in our largest city, Morrison said. Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 due to an outbreak first detected 10 days earlier. Surrounding New South Wales state was entirely locked down from Saturday because of recent infections detected in regional towns and virus found in wastewater in the states north and west. Residents aged 20-to-39 in Sydneys worst-effected areas would be given 530,000 of the new doses. This age group was responsible for most of the virus spread, Morrison said. The remaining doses would be shared with other Australian states and territories. Only 25% of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated by Friday. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Foo Fighters rock band is requiring that people who attend their upcoming shows in Alaska be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a negative test result 48 hours before attending. The 12-time Grammy-winning-band plans to perform in Anchorage on Aug. 17 and 19 at the Denaina Center and in Fairbanks on Aug. 21 at the Carlson Center. Negative test results or proof of vaccination must be provided before entering either the original card or copy of card with an ID to match, according to a statement Saturday from Ticketmaster. PHOENIX Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases for the second straight day. A soldier administers a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to a man, at the Assad Iben El Fourat school in Oued Ellil, outside Tunis, Sunday, Aug.15, 2021. Tunisia has launched its largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign as the country faces a surge of cases. Authorities aim to vaccinate over 1 million of people aged 40 and over in only one day, compared with 30,000 to 60,000 a day previously. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi) The states seven-day rolling averages for cases and deaths also continued to rise along with virus-related hospitalizations. The states coronavirus dashboard reported 1,601 hospitalizations as of Thursday, along with 3,418 additional cases and 27 more deaths. In another development, the superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District said increased spread of COVID-19 threatens to end in-person learning. Also, the Salt-River Pima-Community Indian Community announced residents and visitors must help curb spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks while visiting government offices, businesses and schools on the tribes Phoenix-area reservation. OLYMPIA, Wash. The Washington Department of Health recommended a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people with severely weakened immune systems. The recommendation Saturday comes as the delta variant surges in the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that immunocompromised Americans can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for better protection. The FDAs announcement applies to about 3% of U.S. adults who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. President Joe Biden has called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona, praising them for doing what he called the right thing after their respective boards implemented mask requirements in defiance of their Republican governors amid growing COVID-19 infections. The White House said Saturday that the Democratic president had spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in Florida and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson in Arizona. Biden thanked them for their leadership and discussed their shared commitment to getting all students back in safe, full-time in-person instruction this school year. Bidens phone calls of support come as tensions build over whether local school districts can and should require face coverings for students and school staff as in-person classes resume. In Texas, several school districts along with the states most populous county won temporary legal victories Friday in seeking to override Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico health officials say an increase in hospitalizations across the state has prompted them to put out an urgent call for volunteer nurses to help boost the states medical work force. The New Mexico Department of Health has called on nurses or anyone with a medical license to volunteer to help because they believe hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with patients. They want recently retired health workers or anyone qualified to sign up for the states Medical Reserve Corps. Hospitals in New Mexico and across the nation are seeing increased hospitalizations because of long-postponed surgeries and a surge in COVID-19 patients. The delta variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious than previous strains. The state Friday reported 798 additional COVID-19 cases and five new deaths. They bring the count of confirmed New Mexico virus cases since the pandemic began in early 2020 to 218,569 and the number of deaths to 4,446. State officials said their modeling predicts more than 1,000 new cases a day in the next several weeks. MINNEAPOLIS The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The university will allow medical and religious exemptions to this mandate. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people. System leaders said they will soon share more details about the vaccination requirement, including how much time students will have to get the shots after FDA approval and any consequences for not complying with the mandate. Canadians working to evacuate allies from Afghanistan described chaos, fear and disappointment on Sunday as Canada shut down its embassy in Kabul and suspended diplomatic relations amid a Taliban advance in the capital. A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, further tightening their grip on the country as panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the U.S. Embassy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rahmat Gul Canadians working to evacuate allies from Afghanistan described chaos, fear and disappointment on Sunday as Canada shut down its embassy in Kabul and suspended diplomatic relations amid a Taliban advance in the capital. The federal government said the situation in Afghanistan poses "serious challenges" to its ability to ensure safety and security at the embassy. After consulting with Canadas Ambassador to Afghanistan, the decision was made to temporarily suspend our diplomatic operations in Kabul," the federal ministers of foreign affairs, immigration and defence said in a joint statement. The ministers said safety of Canadian personnel is a top priority, adding that staff are "safely on their way back to Canada." The Canadian embassy will resume its operations as soon as the security situation in Afghanistan allows us to guarantee appropriate service and adequate security for our staff," they said. The Taliban have seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week and breached the capital on Sunday. Officials told the Associated Press that President Ashraf Ghani had flown out of the country earlier in the day, as personnel were evacuated from the U.S. Embassy and other western missions and staff destroyed sensitive documents. Commercial flights out of Kabul's international airport were reportedly suspended amid the rush of people trying to leave. Dave Morrow, a retired corporal with the Canadian-Afghan Interpreters group, said he and other volunteers were receiving panicked messages from Afghans who feared they had been left to fend for themselves. "The level of panic on the ground is indescribable," Morrow said by phone from Montreal. "It's a very dark time for everybody involved." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violence in Afghanistan on Sunday, adding Canada remains committed to the Afghan people and the country. "We are heartbroken at the situation the Afghan people find themselves in today," Trudeau said from Ottawa moments before formally launching a federal election campaign. "This is especially so given the sacrifices of Canadians who believed and continue to believe in the future of Afghanistan. We will continue to work with allies and the international community to ensure that those efforts were not in vain." Canada has committed to taking in 20,000 refugees from the country who have already fled. It also has said it is working to evacuate Afghans who have assisted Canada over the years. On Sunday, the government said it was working with allies such as the United States to keep that immigration program for interpreters going, though Trudeau said that mission would depend on the "extremely fast evolving" conditions on the ground. "We will continue to work to get as many Afghan interpreters and their families out as quickly as possible as long as the security situation holds," he said. Morrow described the situation in Afghanistan as a worst-case scenario, but a predictable one that his group and others had been calling on Ottawa to mitigate for months. He argued that the Canadian government had failed in its response and said his group had begun exploring other alternatives to help contacts on the ground, with diminishing hope for success. "How do you tell somebody that, I'm sorry, but we're probably not going to be able to get you out," he said "A lot of us veterans are having that conversation right now with interpreters that believed in us and it's heartbreaking. There's going to have to be a reckoning very soon about what this means as a country to just let this happen." Others criticized the government for triggering an election instead of focusing on allies who need immediate help. Jack Harris, deputy defence critic for the federal New Democrats, said in a tweet that he was concerned to hear reports of 100 Nepalese workers at Canada's embassy who were not included in the evacuation effort. "Canada must take measures to ensure their safety," Harris said. "Instead of focusing on evacuating those at risk in Afghanistan, today Justin Trudeau is calling an election." Andrew Rusk of advocacy group Not Left Behind also criticized the timing of the election call and the closure of the embassy, a move he said meant "effectively halting the governments extraction efforts" for stranded workers who supported Canada. "As our government pursues a majority, theyve turned their back on both Afghanistan and our Veteran community," he said in a statement. In an interview, Rusk said his group is hearing reports of violence targeting Afghans who worked with Canada, including some recent killings, and of "pandemonium" in Kabul as people scramble for options to get out. He said the Canadian government was too slow to act on calls to rescue people, leaving it to volunteers to field their desperate please for help. "This isn't something that a bunch of veterans and other Canadians should be taking the leadership role on. It has happened because there is a gap in leadership within the federal government," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021. - With files from The Associated Press. OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled the plug Sunday on his minority Liberal government, arguing that Canadians deserve a say on how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back the shattered economy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks with a family following childcare funding announcement in Montreal on Thursday, August 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled the plug Sunday on his minority Liberal government, arguing that Canadians deserve a say on how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back the shattered economy. But opposition leaders blasted Trudeau for putting his quest for a majority ahead of the health and safety of Canadians, plunging the country into what they called an unnecessary and reckless election just as a fourth wave of the deadly coronavirus is gathering steam across the country. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon agreed Sunday morning to Trudeau's request to dissolve Parliament for a 36-day campaign the shortest allowed by law that will culminate in a Sept. 20 vote. Addressing Canadians afterwards outside Rideau Hall, Trudeau said Canada is at a pivotal moment, "maybe the most important since 1945 and certainly in our lifetimes" and Canadians need to choose how they want to proceed. "The decisions your government makes right now will define the future your kids and grandkids will grow up in," he said. "So in this pivotal, consequential moment, who wouldn't want a say? Who wouldn't want their chance to help decide where our country goes from here?" He challenged opposition leaders to explain why they don't think Canadians deserve a say. Trudeau's justification for going to the polls a little less than two years after the last election was greeted with skepticism. Opposition leaders pointed out that the Liberals have been able to pass pandemic relief bills, a throne speech and a budget, surviving every confidence vote along the way. "A leader who cared about the best interests of Canadians would be straining every sinew to secure the recovery right now. Instead, Justin Trudeau has called an election," said Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their children, from left to right, Ella-Grace, Hadrien and Xavier, to meet with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Even so, O'Toole said Canadians "deserve to know what their politicians will deliver, they deserve to know that there's a plan and they deserve a government that will keep its word." He touted his own five-point "Canada recovery plan" that promises, among other things, to create one million jobs and balance the federal budget in 10 years. Launching his campaign in Montreal, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called it a "selfish summer election," triggered because Trudeau is "fed up" with New Democrats forcing his government to do more to financially support people hurt by the pandemic and pushing him to impose a tax on the "ultrarich." "It was New Democrats that delivered the help that people needed," Singh said, taking credit for insisting on more generous emergency aid programs. "Everyone across Canada benefited from New Democrats being in Ottawa and I say to folks imagine how much more we could do with more New Democrats elected." Singh also criticized Trudeau for calling an election just as the president of Afghanistan fled the country as Taliban insurgents entered the capital, Kabul. Trudeau, who announced Sunday that Canadian diplomatic personnel are on their way back to Canada, insisted the election campaign will not impede his government's efforts to evacuate Afghans who helped Canada's mission or to accept 20,000 refugees who've already fled Afghanistan. The Liberals are gambling that general satisfaction with the government's handling of the pandemic a world-leading vaccination rate and the unprecedented billions doled out in emergency aid programs will propel them past the 170 seats needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons. However, public opinion polls suggest a majority is far from certain. Trudeau signalled Sunday that Liberals will use the issue of mandatory vaccinations, a notion that polls suggest is hugely popular, as a wedge against the Conservatives. As an example of the kinds of choices that Canadians need to make, he pointed to his government's decision to require mandatory vaccinations for federal public servants and workers in federally regulated sectors. He noted that Alberta Conservative MP David Yurdiga has called that "tyrannical." "Well, the answer to tyranny is to have an election and I think people who disagree with this government or disagree with this direction should have an opportunity to make themselves heard," he said. But Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet accused Trudeau of contradicting himself. If the pandemic is so serious that vaccinations must be made mandatory, Blanchet said, surely it's too dangerous to call an election. O'Toole accused Trudeau of "trying to divide people" over vaccinations. Nevertheless, he was on the defensive trying to explain why his party does not support mandatory vaccinations and won't require its candidates to be double vaccinated before they start going door-to-door or attending campaign events. "(Vaccines) are the critical tool in turning the page on COVID-19. We have to try and encourage and have as many people as vaccinated as possible and then take reasonable precautions to use other tools to keep all Canadians safe," O'Toole said. Late Sunday night, O'Toole released a statement proposing an alternative to mandatory vaccinations. He said a Conservative government would have unvaccinated federal employees and air passengers pass COVID-19 tests instead. He also said federal public servants who are not vaccinated would need to pass a rapid test every day. Green Leader Annamie Paul launched her campaign emphasizing the need for urgent action on the climate crisis but she also joined the chorus denouncing Trudeau for calling an election amid the pandemic. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We're here because the Liberals have decided that they want all the power, that they want a majority and they think that now is the best time to get it," said Paul at an event in the riding of Toronto Centre, where she is making her third attempt to win a seat in the Commons. The election call comes days after Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, warned the country is in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic. Case numbers have been steadily rising in recent weeks, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. Tam has said she believes Canadians should be able to vote safely in a pandemic election, provided public health protocols are followed. At dissolution, the Liberals had 155 seats, the Conservatives 119, the Bloc Quebecois 32, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were also five Independents and one vacancy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said there are four Independent members of Parliament and included an incorrect spelling of David Yurdiga's last name. OTTAWA - Evidence that a federal election is on the horizon continued to mount on Saturday as the Liberal party unveiled a series of campaign-style advertisements a day before the widely anticipated vote is expected to be called. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a childcare funding announcement in Montreal, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. The Liberal Party says an advertising campaign featuring its leader Justin Trudeau will be launched this week as a federal election call is anticipated tomorrow. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes OTTAWA - Evidence that a federal election is on the horizon continued to mount on Saturday as the Liberal party unveiled a series of campaign-style advertisements a day before the widely anticipated vote is expected to be called. The party's ad blitz features Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who sources have previously indicated will visit Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Sunday with a request to dissolve Parliament and trigger an election that is expected to culminate in a Sept. 20 voting day. The campaign would play out as a fourth wave of COVID-19 begins to unfold across the country, but the Liberal ads hearken back to earlier stages of the crisis and showcase the party's handling of earlier stages of the pandemic. The English-language ad, titled "Relentless," features shots of Trudeau engaging with Canadians before and during the global outbreak as well as a voice-over exhorting Canadians to keep "moving forward." The French-language ad, titled "Solidarity," shows the Liberal leader talking about the resilience of Canadians during the pandemic and his government's work to support them. "Since the beginning (of the pandemic), we helped workers and businesses keep their heads above water," Trudeau said in the French-language ad. "We made sure we had vaccine doses, and we helped the provinces distribute those doses faster." The adds will begin airing on TV over the next week as part of a broader digital engagement strategy, the party said in a statement. New Democrat Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice lost no time in criticizing the contents of the Liberal ad campaign, saying life in Canada under Trudeau's government has become more expensive while the income of working Canadians has not increased. "Justin Trudeau says nice things but has no intention of doing what's needed to truly help people," he said in a statement. The Conservatives have not yet unveiled their full election ad campaign, but have already drawn fire from within their own ranks for a clip released on Friday. The ad, which depicts Trudeau's face pasted on top of an image of a bratty character from classic children's film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," was roundly condemned by sitting Conservative MPs as juvenile and ill-suited to a high-stakes event such as a federal election. Asking to be the Governing Party of Canada is serious business, requiring serious people making good, reasonable and mature decisions, Alberta Tory MP Blaine Calkins wrote in a tweet. "I trust the decision maker who decided to post this tasteless and appalling video will be brought up to speed." The party did not immediately respond to request for comment on the ad. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has previously indicated he doesn't want to campaign during a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that he's ready if Trudeau decides to call an election. "We are going to have a totally different approach from Mr. Trudeau on the economy, on jobs, on emergency programs," he said. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a blueprint for the party's election platform on Thursday, promising universal pharmacare and dental care, a $20 minimum wage and student debt cancellation among other pledges. Titled "Ready for Better," the 115-page document takes aim at high earners and big business while stressing social welfare in an echo of the NDP platform from two years ago. Tax the ultrarich to invest in people. Thats our plan. And really no other party is willing to say those words," Singh told reporters in St. John's, N.L., on Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. After a trip to Kelowna to visit aging in-laws was interrupted by COVID-19, Derrick Hebb said he has no qualms with the federal government requiring domestic air travellers to be vaccinated against the disease this fall. After a trip to Kelowna to visit aging in-laws was interrupted by COVID-19, Derrick Hebb said he has no qualms with the federal government requiring domestic air travellers to be vaccinated against the disease this fall. While in British Columbia, a COVID-19 case sent his father-in-laws personal care home into lockdown and cut short the familys time together, Hebb said as he waited for his luggage at the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport on Saturday. "Its unfortunate," Hebb said. "But what can you do?" And following the close call with the virus while out of province, and experiencing pandemic-era travel aboard a fully loaded passenger jet, the immunized Winnipeg man said vaccination requirements for air travel make sense. "Implementing something like that would take that fear factor away to some degree," Hebb said. "There are so many people who are vulnerable to this disease, the elderly especially, and it doesnt take much to pass it on. "On the aircraft theres no social distancing, when you get off its bumper-to-bumper people, plus youre sitting beside someone you dont know." On Friday, federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced that by the end of October, all passengers on commercial flights, interprovincial trains and cruise ships must be vaccinated against COVID-19. There will be exceptions for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, or due to other protected grounds. Bonnie Bradley arrived from Calgary on Saturday afternoon to reunite with family in Winnipeg, some of whom are at higher risk from COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, in her first trip since the pandemic started. "Youre confined to close quarters. Everybody should be vaccinated to board a plane," Bradley said. She added that her time in the sky would have been more comfortable with reassurance her fellow passengers were immunized, and less likely to pass on the virus. "Someone on the plane could not be vaccinated at all, and that increases my risk of getting it even though Im vaccinated," Bradley said, adding the idea weighed heavily on her mind. "And its not for me, its who else am I infecting thats vulnerable?" Under current public health orders, all travellers to Manitoba, with some exceptions, must quarantine for two weeks on arrival, unless they have been fully vaccinated for more than two weeks. According to Manitoba public health, in the past 14 days there have been COVID-19 exposures on seven flights to Winnipeg, including flights from Calgary, Kelowna, Toronto and Vancouver. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In the arrivals hall at the airport, and from behind her N95 mask, Carol Bender applauded the federal government for moving forward with vaccination requirements on domestic air travel. "I think its a great idea and it really should have been done sooner," Bender said. While travelling from the United States via Calgary, the Beausejour resident said she voluntarily shared her vaccination status with those in the same row as her as a courtesy. "If it puts somebody else at ease, Ill do it," Bender said. According to the province, about 1.3 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 infections in Manitoba about 750 people were acquired while travelling. danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca Taliban fighters entered Afghanistan's Presidential Palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday, a milestone in the insurgent group's assumption of control over capital city Kabul. One unit shared pictures of the palace interior -- intact, but empty and apparently abandoned by Afghan officials -- on an official Telegram account. The Taliban had been in talks with Afghanistan's government over who would rule the nation, following the militant group's strikingly rapid advance across the country, in which it seized power over dozens of key cities, often with little to no resistance. But those talks are likely to have been upended by the sudden departure of President Ghani. With so much territory now in hand, the Taliban appears to have little reason to compromise. In an apparent "handover" ceremony, the Taliban claimed the palace with three Afghan government officials present, according to Al Jazeera, which carried the appearance live. One Taliban security official said there was a "peaceful handover of government facilities ongoing across the country." Another spoke briefly in English to say that he had formerly been held by the US in Guantanamo, a claim that CNN cannot independently verify. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said that Taliban forces would begin entering areas of the city where government officials and security forces had abandoned their posts, to impose order. "This morning the Islamic Emirate released a statement that our forces were outside Kabul city and we did not want to enter Kabul through military ways," he said. "However, now we are getting reports that the district police offices are evacuated, police has left their job of ensuring the security, also the ministries are emptied and the security personnel of the Kabul administration has fled." The Taliban's decisive takeover of the country and the US' drawdown of its forces is a bitter end to nearly two decades of war that cost many lives, resources and little progress in state building. The US' withdrawal from the country opened a clear path for the Taliban to take on and defeat the Afghan security forces. Many major cities fell with little to no resistance, including the key city of Jalalabad, which the Taliban seized on Sunday. The country is now facing the Taliban's return to power, which, if it's anything like it was in the 1990s, would mean a deterioration in civil liberties, particularly for women and girls whose freedoms grew under the civilian government. In a Facebook post following his departure from the country, Ghani said he had chosen to leave in order to avoid bloodshed. The Taliban now face "a new historical test," he added: "Either they will protect the name and honor of Afghanistan or they will prioritize other places and networks." "In order to win legitimacy and hearts of the people, it is necessary for Taliban to give assurance to all the people, tribes, different segments, sisters and women of Afghanistan and to make clear plans and share them with the public," he wrote. Afghanistan's acting defense minister, General Bismillah Mohammadi, slammed the fleeing president in a brief tweet Sunday, writing: "They tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, damn the rich man and his gang." Chaotic scenes as US evacuates staff The US, which launched a major operation to evacuate its embassy staff from the capital, appears to have been caught off guard by the sheer speed the of the Taliban's push toward Kabul. On Sunday, two sources familiar with the operation to evacuate US personnel from the embassy in Kabul said all staff there would be pulled out over the next 72 hours, including the top officials. That deadline is a rapid acceleration of the process that was only announced on Thursday, when US President Joe Biden said he would send 3,000 troops to arrive by the end of Sunday. Over the weekend, Biden increased that number, authorizing 6,000 in total. He is expected to address the US in the next few days about the crisis in Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had requested that Taliban fighters not enter Kabul until the US citizens are evacuated, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Kabul's international airport has become the focus of much attention as foreign governments hurry to evacuate citizens. US troops earmarked for security duty in Kabul will be tasked with securing the entire perimeter of the airport, according to a defense official. This is a result in part of hundreds of Afghans rushing on to the airfield to try to get flights out, as well as the potential for Taliban attacks and growing unrest at the airfield. A witness who spoke to CNN described chaos at the Hamid Karazi International Airport, from where throngs of foreigners were trying to board planes out of the country. "There are big crowds trying to get in and at one stage shooting erupted," the witness said, but could not say where the shooting had come from. "There was also a warning of a ground attack and we were in a bunker for the past hour, but now it is all clear," the witness added. "It's all foreigners here. One young European woman was freaking out." The majority of US Embassy staff are already out of the diplomatic compound now and are at the airport, a US official told CNN. Approximately 500 staff members were flown out of the country on Sunday, with some 4,000 still to go. A small number of core personnel, including the top US diplomat in the country, will remain at the airport for now, two sources who spoke to CNN on the evacuation said. The UK and French embassies are also working to facilitate the evacuation of their citiziens, though the French embassy has been relocated to a site at the airport due to security concerns, according to a statement issued on Sunday by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. A source at the airport in Kabul also told CNN that a number of high-ranking Afghan officials, including some of Ghani's advisors, had arrived at the VIP lounge earlier and were waiting for a flight out of the city. Their destinations were unknown. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. A team of senior women in Southwest China's Chongqing serve as "shared-grannies" to help working parents pick up their children from school and accompany the kids with their homework. [For chinadaily.com.cn] Provincial-level governments should start reporting their progress in reducing students' excessive academic workloads twice a month from the end of this month, a notice released on Wednesday said. The education supervision office of the State Council, which issued the notice, said that based on the reports filed by the provincial-level governments, it will issue national progress reports in the middle and at the end of every month. The provincial-level reports should focus on the progress of schools in reducing students' homework and providing after-school services and the progress of local governments in regulating curriculum-based tutoring institutions and false advertising, the notice said. The office will publicize the provincial-level regions that fail to make rectifications after repeated notifications, it added. The general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued a guideline recently to "effectively reduce" the excessive homework and after-school tutoring burden on students within a year, and to achieve "significant outcomes" within three years. The guideline requires all curriculum-based tutoring institutions to register as nonprofit organizations and bans them from raising money from the public. They are also prohibited from conducting training on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations. Primary and middle schools should reduce the amount and difficulty of homework and offer after-school services with activities including homework tutoring, sports, arts, reading and hobby groups, it said. Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of online education portal EOL, said that by threatening to publish the names of provincial-level regions that make slower-than-expected progress, the new notice aims to make sure the guideline is implemented at the grassroots level. Dong Shengzu, a senior researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences, said that asking provincial-level governments to submit reports twice a month shows the importance of the new guideline and the strong resolve of the central authorities to make sure it will be implemented. While many provincial-level regions have started to issue local guidelines to implement the new policy, some may still find it too difficult and lag behind in their progress, he said. Apart from naming provincial regions with slow progress, the national reports will also include those with good practices, which can incentivize others to follow suit, he added. As well as focusing on how local governments regulate tutoring institutions, the public should also pay more attention to how schools improve their education quality, as that is the key to truly reducing students' academic burden, Chen said. When schools ensure they can meet students' demand for learning, there will be no need to attend after-school tutoring courses, he said. (Source: Xinhua) (CNN) -- Americans are extremely worried about the Delta variant and the spike in Covid-19 cases. A key survey of consumer confidence plunged in August below where it was in April 2020 when the first Covid-19 outbreak slammed the brakes on the US economy. The University of Michigan said that its influential consumer sentiment index plunged 13.5% from July to August and hit a level of 70.2. That's the most bearish reading for this measure since December 2011. The drop was so precipitous since last month that the University of Michigan has recorded only six bigger monthly drops in the index's nearly 50-year history, including a more than 19% plunge in April 2020 and 18% drop in October 2008 during the height of the Great Recession and Global Financial Crisis. "There is little doubt that the pandemic's resurgence due to the Delta variant has been met with a mixture of reason and emotion," said Richard Curtin, the surveys chief economist. "Consumers have correctly reasoned that the economy's performance will be diminished over the next several months, but the extraordinary surge in negative economic assessments also reflects an emotional response, mainly from dashed hopes that the pandemic would soon end," he added. Stocks were flat Friday, despite the huge slide in sentiment, and remain near all-time highs thanks to strong earnings. There is a bit of a disconnect between the current economic data and Wall Street outlook, which are far rosier, and the apparently intense fear of the immediate future on the part of consumers. The government reported last Friday that nearly a million jobs were added in July, the biggest monthly gain in nearly a year. And the unemployment rate fell to a pandemic-era low of 5.4%. But the yield on the 10-Year US bond slid from about 1.37% to 1.3% Friday as nervous fixed income investors sought the safety of stable government debt. (Bond rates fall when investors are buying more bonds.) Consumers reacting to gloomy headlines even as stocks pop One market strategist called the August consumer sentiment numbers a "knee jerk reaction" to negative headlines about the Delta variant. But he understood why consumers are so gloomy. "There is a sense among consumers that the rug has been pulled out from under them," said Thomas Simons, money market economist with Jefferies, in a report. "The promise of vaccines and a return to something at least resembling pre-COVID 'normal' has shifted towards concerns that fear of being sick, masks, social distancing, virtual/distance learning, work from home, an endless stream of booster shots and seeing relatives through glass will instead be the norm going forward," he said, adding that "consumers are just plain sad." Still, consumer sentiment can be remarkably fickle. Emotions can shift on a dime. "What you feel like is different than what you actually do," said Randy Fredrick, managing director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab, noting that consumer confidence is notorious for having many "pendulum swings." The Conference Board reported last month that global consumer confidence hit a new all-time high during the second quarter. And consumer confidence is not exactly the most reliable future indicator of what's next for the economy. Sentiment tends to follow news headlines and the state of the stock market. Consumers have notoriously been way too bullish just before economic or market meltdowns. That was the case in January 2000. Consumer confidence hit a then record high just as tech stocks were about to implode. Sentiment was also at a high level in 2007 before the housing market crashed. So it stands to reason that consumers may also be worrying too much that the economic sky is falling. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Vincent Kartheiser was investigated twice for possible misconduct while filming for the new season of TV's "Titans." The former "Mad Men" star was the subject of internal investigations conducted by Warner Bros. Television's labor relations department, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY on Saturday. Kartheiser, who plays Dr. Jonathan Crane (aka the villain Scarecrow) in the third season of the HBO Max superhero series, was accused of displaying immature behavior of a verbal nature that didnt rise to level of termination but did warrant corrective action, the source says. The 42-year-old actor was addressed directly and counseled on behavioral matters as a result of the investigation. As the production was finishing up weeks later, another complaint was filed against Kartheiser. The second complaint also led to an investigation and resulted in additional measures, including a monitor being hired to watch activity on the set in Canada. The investigations were conducted remotely because of COVID protocols and restrictions on international travel. Vincent Kartheiser was investigated twice on the set of "Titans." "Vincent Kartheiser vehemently denies the allegations," Kartheiser's representative told USA TODAY in a statement. "Warner Bros. investigated this matter and made clear to Mr. Kartheiser its expectations for behavior on the set, and he agreed to comply with their directives." Warner Bros. Television declined comment to USA TODAY. The investigation was first reported by Deadline. The first two seasons of "Titans" premiered on the DC Universe video-on-demand platform, with the third season airing on HBO Max. The show synopsis says the series "follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find where they belong." Kartheiser was previously known for his role as rising advertising executive Pete Campbell in AMC's "Mad Men" and won two Screen Actors Guild ensemble awards with the show. In 2014, he married his "Mad Men" co-star Alexis Bledel in a secret ceremony. Contributing: Kim Willis This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vincent Kartheiser: 'Titans' star investigated for alleged misconduct Sigga Ella/Bloomberg via Getty Iceland is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. But that didnt stop the tiny island nation from catching a whole lot of COVID in recent weeks. Although the natural, immediate response to this news might be panic, experts who spoke to The Daily Beast said that Icelands recent surge in infectionsfueled by the new Delta variant of the novel coronavirusis probably a sign that herd immunity is within reach over there. Whats happening in Iceland right now might be one of the final stages in the long, often painful process by which a country achieves some form of population-level herd immunity against a dangerous virus. This Tennessee Republican Nearly Died From COVID. Now Hes Fighting Masks. Once COVID vaccines hit the market early this year, Iceland quickly secured enough doses for almost everyone. And people dutifully lined up to get their shots. Today, the country has administered 477,000 doses and 275,000 people have gotten at least one jab77 percent of the total population. Add in people with natural immunity from past infection, and its likely that more than 80 percent of Iceland has some level of protection. The 20 percent of Icelanders who didnt get vaccinated or havent already had COVID are now catching Delta, alongside breakthrough cases of vaccinated people. (Children under 16, who arent yet eligible for vaccination, make up most of the unvaccinated population.) A couple thousand people have tested positive in recent weeks, a spike in cases far exceeding the worst weekly case-rates from 2020. But hospitalizations have not surged to the same degree as cases in this latest Icelandic surge. Thats because older Icelanders, as a group, are highly vaccinated. Younger people, who as a group are less vaccinated, are the ones getting infected now. They have a better chance of weathering COVID without serious symptoms. And the antibodies and T-cells their immune systems are producing could represent the lastor close to lastbrick in Icelands wall of immunity. Story continues Now consider what happened in the United States while Iceland was working toward a minimally painful, population-level immunity. Tragically, the U.S. is probably many, many months from achieving the same herd immunity. And as it does, the final surgeor surgesin infections could be much deadlier. Thats because Iceland has done almost everything right to get to herd immunity with the least possible pain. The United States, by contrast, has done almost everything wrong. Icelands health department didnt respond to requests for comment. Likewise, epidemiologists at Icelands biggest universities either didnt respond or declined to comment. But American experts were eager to weigh in on what they described as an effective response to the pandemic. This is a success story for Iceland, Eric Bortz, a University of Alaska-Anchorage virologist and public health expert, told The Daily Beast. To be clear, no one knows for sure what proportion of a population has to get vaccinated, or get infected and recover, before SARS-CoV-2 runs out of transmission pathways. In other words, no one knows exactly where herd immunity really begins. Epidemiologists once assumed that, with the novel coronavirus, it might take two-thirds of the population. New and more aggressive lineages that began appearing late last year convinced some experts to bump up their expectations. Maybe population-level immunity would require vaccination or natural immunity in three-quarters of people, they posited. Deltas rapid spread starting this summer compelled some epidemiologists to revise their threshold estimates even higher. There is no question that the Delta variant has changed the goalposts, Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University global health expert, told The Daily Beast. Wherever the threshold is80 percent, 90 percent, whateverIceland is much closer to crossing it than the United States is. Indeed, Iceland might be crossing that threshold right now. Bortz said Iceland, along with the United Kingdom, is one of the few countries where a modicum of herd immunity against severe infection may be achievable in the short term. Getting there required discipline, sacrifice and mutual care on a national scale. When the pandemic first struck in the spring of 2020, the Icelandic government reacted swiftly. Just letting the virus spread freely through society, no one said that, explained orolfur Gunason, the countrys chief epidemiologist. We need to have some restrictions both at the border and domestically. Authorities limited travel to the rocky, volcanic country and got busy tracing contacts and quarantining exposed residents while also enforcing strong social-distancing measures. Mask-wearing was widespread and uncontroversial. There were waves of infection, but they were never very bad. The first wave, in the spring of 2020, resulted in a few thousand confirmed cases. A second wave that fall added a few thousand more. Going into its third and most recent wave starting mid-July, the country had tallied around 7,000 cases (2 percent of the population) and just 30 deaths (.008 percent). Meanwhile, while Iceland was locking down, Americans were taking to the streets to protest even the most modest social-distancing measures. Where Icelanders dutifully wore masks, right-wing media in the United States convinced millions of followers that masks were symbols of oppression. Heading into this summers Delta surge, the United States had registered 34 million confirmed infections (10 percent of the population) and around 600,000 deaths (.18 percent). Cases and deaths were an order of magnitude worse in the U.S. than in Iceland. As Iceland steadily vaccinated three-quarters of its people, the U.S. vaccination campaign started strong, then hit a wall of right-wing obstinance. The same misinformation-peddlers who castigated masks also conned millions of AmericansSoutherners, Westerners and conservatives, mostlyinto believing vaccines were part of some liberal plot. Today, just 59 percent of the U.S. population has gotten at least one jab. The United States is sitting on tens of millions of unused doses of world-class vaccines while poorer, less privileged countries practically beg for access to shots. No One I Know Is Vaccinated: Sturgis Rally Bikers Are Coming for America Now, its true that tens of millions of Americans have caught COVID and recovered. Their antibodies and T-cells count toward herd immunity. But even taking into account widespread natural immunity still leaves somewhere in the vicinity of 100 million Americansa third of the populationwith zero immunity. No vaccine. No antibodies or T-cells. Nothing. Icelanders are so highly vaxxedand so open to the countrys ongoing vaccination campaignthat a few thousand cases, mostly mild, could push the population into herd immunity any day now. Considering that as many as one in four American adults say they wont ever get vaccinated, it could take millions of additional infections to get the U.S. through that same threshold. Its anyones guess how long it will take for Delta or some future lineage to spread that widely, and how much damage it will do while getting there. Its possible, even likely, that most of those infections will be mild. But even a low rate of serious illness could kill thousands of Americans and leave thousands more with long-term complicationsso-called long COVID. We have to be careful about what our expectations are with herd immunity, Jeffrey Klausner, a former professor of medicine and public health at UCLA, told The Daily Beast. And in the time it takes the United States to rack up the extra infections it needs to get to herd immunity, the novel-coronavirus could produce variantslineages is the scientific termthat are even more transmissible and virulent than Delta. Its even possible some future lineage could partially evade the vaccines, thus imperiling vaccinated individuals alongside the unvaccinated. By allowing the virus to test a myriad of new variants in unvaccinated individuals, we may be naturally selecting the worst strains putting us all at riskboth in the U.S. and abroad, Elias Sayour, a University of Florida professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics and director of the schools Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Initiative, told The Daily Beast. Were in trouble, Bortz said. The U.S. vaccination rate is nowhere near what is needed for broad immunity in the population, to limit the spread and consequences of [variant-of-concern] Delta and other COVID-19 variants. As Americans brace for another infectious fall, many of them might glance toward Iceland with envy. It wasnt a foregone conclusion that the United States, despite possessing every material advantage, would fail so badly to build widespread immunity against the novel coronavirus. It was possible to do better. Iceland is proving that. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. JD Vance addresses a rally on July 1, 2021 in Ohio. Ohio author J.D. Vances latest political reincarnation brings to mind the contrasting careers of Richard Rich, a successful politician in Tudor England, and Saint Thomas More, a more principled but in the end less successful Tudor leader, at least in material terms. Thomas More refused (as a matter of principle) to take King Henry the VIIIs oath of supremacy. Richard Rich, however, had no principles. Rich is assumed to have lied at Mores treason trial, resulting in Mores martyrdom and eventual sainthood, and Richs appointment as Wales attorney general. Or, as More (in the movie A Man for All Seasons) says to Richard Rich: "For Wales? Why Richard, it profit a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world but for Wales?" Rich switched sides many times over the course of his career and betrayed many people, eventually rising to become lord chancellor of England. The distinguished historian Hugh Trevor Roper called Rich a man "of whom nobody has ever spoken a good word." On the other hand, Rich died of old age as a very wealthy member of the English establishment. Who says a complete lack principles doesnt pay? Rewards and no risks for groveling Richard Rich seems to be the role model for Republicans who denounced Donald Trump when they thought it was politically safe and prudent to do so, but now rally to Trump because of his continuing appeal within their party. Theyre clearly people who can, and will, adjust their consciences to fit this years political fashion. People like Vance, who once once called Trump cultural heroin but now seeking the GOP nomination for an open Senate seat in Ohio has deleted his critical tweets and apologized for them. Abuses and corruption: Will Garland hold Trump accountable? 4 decisions hold out hope. Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election and tried to stage a coup. Hes clearly unfit for office and a danger to our republic but he remains popular with the GOP base. So, with only a few honorable exceptions, most GOP politicians genuflect before Trump. Story continues Vance, author of the best-seller "Hillbilly Elegy," is just the latest of Trumps GOP critics to bend the knee and offer to kiss Trumps hand (or whatever part of Trumps anatomy is required) for an endorsement. By flattering and groveling to Trump, Vance makes himself politically relevant in the modern GOP. Even if Vance isnt nominated in Ohio (which has a crowded field of Trump sycophants), hes positioned himself for future advancement in Trumps GOP. As the distinguished American economist and statesman John Kenneth Galbraith pointed out in his book, "The Affluent Society," trying to explain why conventional wisdom is so hard to change, It is far, far better and much safer to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought. Vance has sided with the majority of the GOP in choosing the safety of nonsense. But if the GOP base eventually turns against Trump, Vance (and others like him) will pay no penalty for supporting Trump provided they jump ship at the right moment. As with Rich, Vance and the other Trump lackeys will likely die wealthy and comfortable, after long careers as political weather vanes. If that sounds harsh, consider some recent American history. Various Americans who supported segregation up until the 1960s werent excluded from public life just because theyd been racists. USA TODAY Opinion newsletter: Analysis and insight in your inbox In 1957 (when official segregation was common), National Review founder and editor William F. Buckley published an essay Why the South Must Prevail where he said: The central question is whether the White community in the South is entitled to take such measures as are necessary to prevail, politically and culturally, in areas in which it does not predominate numerically? The sobering answer is Yes the White community is so entitled because, for the time being, it is the advanced race." Third-rate careerists in shifting winds This racist psychobabble didnt do Buckleys career any harm. After civil rights legislation was passed and legally enforced segregation ended, Buckley graciously conceded he was wrong and supported policies reflecting his evolution. But what if the white South had prevailed? Would Buckley have changed? And this isnt just about Buckley. Until the passage and enforcement of basic civil rights legislation, the norm in the South (and too often in the North) was elected officials with dirty hands concerning segregation and suppression of Black Americans. But by the end of the 1960s, whether in an honest reckoning or a bow to prevailing political winds or both, most of these elected officials had recanted their views and smoothly moved on with their careers. Eric Swalwell: Trump abused power for revenge and personal gain. This can't be our new normal By contrast, the many brave Americans who fought for civil rights when it wasnt safe often suffered assaults, loss of jobs, ended up with criminal records, spent years fighting in court and some were murdered for what they were trying to accomplish. Maybe Vance and company truly believe theyre doing whats best for America. Maybe theyve convinced themselves that even more awful people will take their places if they dont serve Lord Trump. Or, maybe they assume someone else will stand up for our country and do the right thing, since theyre too busy doing whats best for their own careers. In any event, theyll be fine. What's not certain is whether our American Constitution will survive the damage caused by these third-rate political careerists. Steven Strauss, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, is a lecturer and visiting professor at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Follow him on Twitter: @Steven_Strauss You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump sellouts: No principles, no penalties for ambitious Republicans Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. New Delhi: Indias 75th Independence Day has made extra special, thanks to the launch of Ola Electrics S1 and Simple Energys Simple One electric scooters, a completely new range of two-wheelers that are expected to change Indias automobile ecosystem. Both the newly launched electric scooters offer segment-first features, packed with new-age technologies, at extremely competitive prices. While Ola Electric has been able to create a better hyper with the launch of the S1 electric scooter, Simple Energy has been able to grab eyeballs with its 236 km range on a full charge. Heres a comparative analysis between Ola Electric S1 and Simple One: Booking fees of Ola Electric S1 and Simple One Ola Electric is allowing the customers to book the Ola Electric S1 by simply paying Rs 499. On the other hand, Simple One has given a patriotic touch to the bookings, as the Bengaluru-based startup has set the booking fee at Rs 1947. Range comparison of Ola Electric and Simple One Ola Electric is offering a range of 181 km on a full charge while Simple Energy is offering a complete range a range of 236 km range on a full charge. Price comparison of Ola Electric and Simple One Ola Electric S1 has been launched at a price point of Rs 99,999 while the S1 Pro has been launched at a price point of Rs 1,29,999. On the other hand, the Simple One electric scooter has been launched at a price point of Rs 1,09,999. Also Read: Aadhaar card address change process changed! Check new steps here Top speed comparison of Ola Electric and Simple One Ola Electric claims to be offering a top speed of 90 km/h while the bike can offer 121 km on a full charge. On the other hand, Simple One can offer a top speed in the range of 98 kmph to 105 kmph. Also Read: Xiaomi removes THIS feature from Mi Mix 4 feature, check why Live TV NEW DELHI: An Air India plane with 129 passengers landed in Delhi, the AI-144 flight had flown out of Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul on Sunday evening (August 15, 2021), ANI reported. While, a senior Afghan Interior Ministry official informed that President Ashraf Ghani had left the city for Tajikistan. Asked for comment, the president`s office "cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani`s movement for security reasons". Currently, India has closed its consulates and visas are only being issued from the Indian embassy in Kabul. Earlier, India had announced that it was closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and the evacuation of its diplomatic personnel from Kabul will take place shortly. "The government is closely monitoring the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian embassy in Kabul at any risk," said a person familiar with the developments. Specifically asked when the Indian staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, they said decisions will depend on the ground situation. Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History As the situation deteriorated in Kabul, the United States and the embassies of several other countries began evacuating their staff from the Afghan city. The Afghan Presidential Palace on Twitter informed that that the situation in Kabul is under control. Though sporadic instances of gunshots have been reported. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had a telephone conversation with security officials regarding the security of the citizens in Kabul, it said. The BBC reported from Kabul, quoting the country's acting interior minister, that a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government is being prepared. In the last few days, the Taliban fighters have swept through most parts of Afghanistan, seizing control of around 25 of the 34 provincial capitals, including cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad. Live TV Ahmedabad: Amid speculation over a change of leadership in the Gujarat government, state unit president of the ruling BJP, C R Paatil, on Sunday said the party will contest the next year's Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel. Speaking to reporters, Paatil gave a thumbs up to the leadership of Rupani-Patel duo. "Both Nitinbhai and Vijaybhai are working with full force for the development of Gujarat, and the upcoming election will also be contested under their leadership," he said in response to a question about the speculation over change in leadership in the government. The state BJP chief was speaking after the flag hoisting programme held at the party headquarters Kamalam in Gandhinagar on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day. He made the statement a few days after Rupani celebrated his five years in office as the chief minister. Also read: AAP to contest on all seats in 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly Polls, says Arvind Kejriwal Live TV New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information relating to the death of Dhanbad Additional District Judge (ADJ) Uttam Anand. The CBI in a notice said, "If any person is having any kind of information of importance related to murder of Uttam Anand, he/she may kindly inform CBI, Special Crime-I, New Delhi, camp CSIR Satkar Guest House, Dhanbad on the phone numbers. Cash reward of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the person who will furnish worthwhile information relating to the crime." "The name of the informant will be kept secret," it said. The CBI registered a case on August 4 in connection with the death of Dhanbad Additional District Judge Uttam Anand on the request of the Jharkhand government and constituted an SIT. A 20 member SIT is camping in Dhanbad to probe the case. A case was earlier registered by the Dhanbad police on a complaint from Anand`s wife against an unknown auto driver. Uttam Anand was killed after an auto-rickshaw hit him on July 28 while he was on a morning walk. After the CCTV footage surfaced, the Jharkhand government had formed an SIT to probe the matter. But, later it recommended the CBI probe into the death. The special investigation team has so far not made any headway, despite arresting a total of 17 people in the case including auto-rickshaw driver Lakhan Verma and his associate Rahul Verma. On Tuesday, the Jharkhand High Court directed the CBI to start the probe into the death of the judge at the earliest, so that no evidence is destroyed. The court directed the state government to provide all logistics support and documents to the CBI. The court also directed the Jharkhand Director General of Police to ensure security to the judicial officers in the state, and ensure deployment of security guards at their houses. It also wanted to know about the delay in the filing of the FIR as the incident took place at 5.08 AM and the FIR was lodged at 12.45 p.m. Live TV New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday (August 15) extended the curfew imposed due to COVID-19 till August 21. The decision has been taken as more than half of the districts in the state have been reporting a good number of new cases of coronavirus every day, PTI reported. Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said the 10 pm to 6 am curfew has been extended after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the state. He informed that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC would remain in place even during non-curfew hours. Singhal also directed the district Collectors, Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to enforce the orders scrupulously. Amid other curbs, gatherings at marriages, functions and religious events have been restricted with only 150 persons in attendance. "Following Covid appropriate behaviour is a must at all congregations. Any violation will attract action as per the Disaster Management Act and the IPC," Singhal said. Andhra Pradesh logged 1,535 new cases and 16 fatalities due to COVID-19, as per the state health bulletin on Saturday (August 14). The total cases tally mounted to 19,92,191 and death toll reached 13,631. East Godavari reported 299, Chittoor 237, SPS Nellore 211, West Godavari 177, Guntur 173, Krishna 109 and Prakasam 107 new cases in last 24 hours, while the rest six districts logged less than 70 new cases each, with Kurnool reporting eight cases, as per PTI report. Meanwhile, AIIMS Delhi chief Randeep Guleria has warned that the second wave of coronavirus, which wreaked havoc in India, is not yet over. In addition, he assured if people adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, the third wave will not strike. "I would suggest that people should understand that the second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. Daily, we are getting more than 40,000 cases. It is important for everyone to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour. If we follow this, then another wave will not come," Guleria told ANI. (With inputs from agencies) Live TV New Delhi: Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana has said that tight security arrangements have been made in the national capital for the countrys 75th Independence Day on Sunday (August 15) and counter-drone technology has been deployed in sensitive areas in the national capital to thwart any untoward incident. Asthana, who took over as Delhi Police Commissioner last month, told ANI in an interview that they have been talking to farmer leaders and Delhi borders have been sealed to make sure that past incidents are not repeated. He said security arrangements for Independence Day have been done as in the past and steps have also been taken keeping in mind the different nature of threats this year. "There are more reinforcements considering all this. Counter-drone technology has been deployed in sensitive areas to thwart any attempt (to disturb the function)," he told ANI. He was asked about security concerns in view of the threat posed by the misuse of drones. Asthana said that the cyber team of Delhi Police is keeping a close watch on social media to prevent its misuse. "Those who make attempts to provoke and incite people will be identified and appropriate legal action will be taken against them," he said. Asked about protesting farmers who have been carrying on with their agitation on Delhi borders against farm laws, the Delhi Police chief said that the officers have been told that anyone who tries to disturb law and order should be dealt with firmly. "Were talking to farmer leaders. Weve told our officers that anyone who tries to disturb law and order should be dealt with firmly and with determination. Weve sealed Delhi borders, to make sure past events are not repeated," he said. The tractor march by protesting farmers on January 26 this year had deviated from the approved routes and turned violent resulting in vandalism and clashes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the Independence Day celebrations from Red Fort on Sunday. A series of events are being organised across the country to mark the occasion. Live TV New Delhi: On the morning of the country's 75th Independence Day on Sunday, balloons and flags of Pakistan were found in the fields of Sandoa village in the Rupnagar district of Punjab, ANI cited police as saying, The incident led to panic among the residents. The balloons had Pakistani flags and 'I love Pakistan' imprinted on them, the news agency reported. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Rupnagar Dr Akhil Chaudhary said it can be activities of some miscreants, adding that a probe is underway in the matter. It looks like balloons came from the nearby place but we can't rule out other angles. A probe has been initiated, Chaudhary was quoted as saying. Punjab: Balloons with Pakistani flag & 'I love Pakistan' imprinted on it found from agricultural field of Sandoya village in Rupnagar It looks like balloons came from the nearby place but we can't rule out other angles. A probe has been initiated: SSP Rupnagar, Akhil Choudhary pic.twitter.com/UQYDXnsmx4 ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021 Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh during his address on the 75th Independence Day called an extreme vigil against Pakistan and warned "we will teach them (Pakistan) the lesson of their lifetime if they try to be adventurous". The CM further vowed to protect Punjab from "nefarious designs" of Pakistan and said, "We want peace but will not tolerate any aggression or attack on our territory". Talking about the use of drones by Pakistan to smuggle arms and drugs into Punjab, Singh noted that Pakistan will not let go of any opportunity to take advantage of any of the state's vulnerabilities. Furthermore, he underscored the need to ensure peace in the state to promote the development of industry and the progress of its people. CM Singh added his government would not tolerate any threat, including those from gangsters and terrorists. "We will deal with them squarely. Any threat to Punjab would be a danger to our entire nation, the CM said after unfurling the tricolour. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: 1,380 police personnel have been awarded Gallantry and Service Medals on the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day on Sunday (August 15, 2021). According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, among the majority of the 628 Gallantry Awards, one President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) has been awarded to Jammu and Kashmir Police and one to CRPF (Posthumous). The Ministry of Home Affairs also informed that 398 personnel have been awarded medals for their gallant action in Jammu and Kashmir region, 155 personnel for their brave action in Left Wing Extremism affected areas and 27 personnel for their valiant action in the North-East Region. Among the personnel receiving Gallantry Awards, 256 are from J&K Police, 151 are from CRPF, 23 are from ITBP and 67 are from Odisha Police, 25 are from Maharashtra and 20 are from Chhattisgarh and the remaining from the other states, UTs and CAPFs. Click here to check the complete list Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in celebrating the 75th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi. He hoisted the national flag and delivered nearly a one and half hour-address to the nation. Malkangiri: A special anti-Naxal operations squad of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday marked Independence Day by hoisting the national flag for the first time at a newly-created base in a remote Maoist violence-hit region of Odisha, officials said. The company operating base (COB) of the border guarding force is located at Mohupadar, about 90 km from the district headquarters here and deep inside the jungles along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. The base, manned by the troops of the 160th BSF battalion, was operationalised on May 28 as part of expanding the footprints of the security forces in some of the most troubled Naxal violence-affected regions of the state and simultaneous ushering of development works. The Mohupadar region and its adjoining areas have been witness to numerous Naxal violence incidents, including destruction of schools, panchayat buildings and even a police station some years back, a senior BSF officer said. The security forces have also faced a number of Naxal ambushes and attacks here. After the paramilitary force decided to create this base, he said link roads to connect it were created and bettered. BSF deputy inspector general based at its sector headquarters in Malkangiri, S K Singh, and Commandant of the 160 battalion Tirtha Acharya along with the village 'sarpanch', police officials and locals participated in the flag hoisting ceremony at the new base, the officer said. "This is the first time the flag is being hoisted at this base on the occasion of the Independence Day as it has been established and operationalised only in May this year. "The force aims to enhance the sense of security among the locals and bring development in the region," the officer said. The BSF, the country's largest border guarding force with a strength of about 2.65 lakh personnel, is primarily tasked to guard Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also deployed for conducting anti-Naxal operations in the Left Wing Extremism affected states of Chhattisgarh and in Odisha, where it was deployed from 2010. Live TV New Delhi: India's daily COVID-19 cases on Sunday (August 15, 2021) saw a slight dip as vaccination coverage crossed the 54-crore mark. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there were 36,083 new infections in the last 24 hours, while 73,50,553 people took vaccine jab in the same time period. The country also saw 37,927 coronavirus recoveries and 493 related deaths. With this, the total number of cases has increased to 3,21,92,576, of which, more than 3.13 crore people have recovered and 4,31,225 have died due to the virus. India's active count currently stands at 3,85,336 and constitutes 1.20% of the country's total positive infections. The Health Ministry also informed that a total of 19,23,863 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours across the country, which took the cumulative total to 49.36 crore. India's weekly positivity rate is now at 2.00% while the daily positivity rate is at 1.88%. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the efforts of the 'corona warriors' of the nation during his Independence Day speech. He said that Indians have fought the COVID-19 battle with a lot of patience. "We had many challenges but we worked with extraordinary pace in every area. It's a result of the strength of our industrialists & scientists, that today India doesn't need to depend on any other nation for vaccines," PM Modi expressed from the Red Fort in Delhi. "During COVID-19, our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, sanitation workers, scientists who were developing vaccines and crores of citizens who were working with a sense of service - all those who devoted every moment to serve others in this period, deserve our appreciation," the Prime Minister added. Nagpur: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray claiming that local leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena were creating obstructions for several road projects undertaken by his ministry in the state. If the `harassment' of contractors and officials by local leaders continued, the Union ministry will have to consider if these projects should continue, he warned in the missive, dated July 25. The letter went viral on social media on Saturday. A source close to the Union minister confirmed its authenticity. Incidentally, Gadkari was PWD minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in the 1990s. Several projects of four-laning of national highways and bridges are underway in Akola, Nanded, Washim and Osmanabad districts, but public representatives from Thackeray-led Shiv Sena were obstructing these works, the senior BJP leader said. Contractors and officials are being harassed with "illegal demands" and in some cases work has been stopped by local leaders, he alleged. The four-laning of the 202-km National Highway between Akola and Nanded including the construction of a 12-km bypass from Gedshi to Washim has been stopped by local Shiv Sena leaders, Gadkari claimed. Work of Malegaon to Risod National Highway has been completed except for a bridge over the Painganga river as local leaders threatened the contractor and stopped the work, he said. The Pulgaon-Karanja-Malegaon-Mehkar-Sindkhedraja National Highway is in a very bad condition and his ministry had started repair work at the cost of Rs 135 crore, Gadkari said. "This work is almost complete. I was informed that the Shiv Sainiks had stopped the work in Washim district, particularly that of the road through Seloo Bazar village. When the contractor resumed work as per people's demand as the road was in dangerous condition, Shiv Sena workers set machinery on fire and terrorized officers, employees and workers. As a result, the work has stopped again," the letter alleged. "Therefore, should the National Highway work in Washim district continue? We are seriously considering this....If this continues, our ministry will have to think about sanctioning of works of National Highways in Maharashtra. This will harm Maharashtra and its people," Gadkari said. CM Uddhav Thackeray should intervene and find a solution, he said. Shillong: Curfew was imposed in Shillong and mobile internet stopped in at least four districts of Meghalaya on Sunday amid vandalism and arson over the police encounter of a top militant leader, who had surrendered, officials said. The curfew was imposed in Shillong from 8 pm on Sunday till 5 am on Tuesday, they said. Mobile internet was stopped for 48 hours, beginning at 6 pm, in East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts, they said. Stray incidents of vandalism and arson were reported, having the potential to disturb public peace and tranquility and cause a threat to public safety, Home Secretary CVD Diengdoh said, quoting reports from the police headquarters. Violence was reported from these areas as Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, a militant who had surrendered, was laid to rest at a cemetery in Shillong after being killed by police in an encounter at his home on August 13. Thangkhiew was suspected to be the mastermind of a spate of IED attacks since his surrender in 2018, police said. Director-General of Police R Chandranathan said there was ample evidence against Thangkhiew when he sent his team to arrest the "retired" general-secretary of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC). Thangkhiew allegedly attacked the police with a knife when his home was being raided, provoking a retaliatory shot in which he was killed, Chandranathan had said. Hundreds of his supporters carried black flags as his body was taken to the cemetery. Government vehicles were vandalised and a police vehicle was set on fire at Jaiaw area of Shillong allegedly by his supporters, police said. Banning mobile internet, the chief secretary said, "Messaging systems like SMS, Whatsapp and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are likely to be used for transmission of pictures, videos and text and have the potential to cause serious breakdown of law and order." The curfew was imposed in Shillong through an order issued by East Khasi Hills district administrator Isawanda Laloo. The Meghalaya Human Right Commission has also taken suo moto cognisance of the encounter, noting, "The instant case appears to have resulted in gross human rights violation which according to Article 21 of the Constitution mandates for protection of life and personal liberty for every person within the territory of India." The commission has directed the chief secretary to submit a detailed report on the incident within 15 days, failing which the commission has said it will conduct its own investigation into the matter. Lucknow: Celebrating the 75th Independence Day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (August 15) asserted that there hasnt been even a single instance of communal riot since BJP formed the government in the state. He also said that the state has become a role model when it comes to law and order. In the 53 months, not a single communal riot took place and there is a feeling of security in every citizen, Adityanath was quoted as saying by PTI. Once associated with anarchy and known as a state of riots, UP today has become a role model in terms of law and order, he added. The CM further said that under his tenure, the state attracted investment worth Rs 4 lakh crore and became the second biggest economy in the country. A new era of investment has started in the state and in the past four years, there has been an investment of Rs 4 lakh crore, he said after unfurling the tricolour outside the UP Vidhan Bhavan. "The state, which was the sixth biggest economy in the country, has become the second biggest," he added. Adityanath also spoke of primacy of "rashtra dharm" over all other duties. "Our duty is our biggest 'rashtra dharm'. Our styles of worshipping may be different but our duty towards our nation is 'rashtra dharm'," he said. "After prolonged freedom struggle and countless sacrifices, the country got freedom. The price of Independence can be gauged from the numerous memorials built in the memory of martyrs and freedom fighters across the country. They are living proof of this," he said. The CM paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters on this occasion. The UP chief minister also said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dreams of new India are being realised. "Modiji has envisioned a healthy, prosperous and clean new India, and it will not take time to realise it," the CM said. On COVID-19, he said the capacity to test four lakh samples has been developed and UP has administered the highest number of vaccines. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Kumar, and UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were present on this occasion. Also read: 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' will invoke patriotism, instill passion to do something for the country: CM Yogi Adityanath Live TV New Delhi: Seven Union ministers met Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday and demanded action against some Opposition members for their alleged unruly acts in the House on August 11. The ministers met Naidu and described the Opposition members' actions as "unprecedented, extreme and violent", sources said. They said the ministers handed over a memorandum to the chairman in this regard. During the meeting with Naidu, the delegation also referred to marshals being prevented from discharging their duties inside the House. Naidu said he will look into the matter and take a decision regarding the appropriate course of action. The ministers who called on the Rajya Sabha chairman were Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh was also present at the meeting. Naidu also held a meeting with Panel Vice Chairman Sasmit Patra, who was in the chair when the unruly incidents took place in the Rajya sabha. The chairman visited the Parliament House on Saturday and watched the entire video recording of the scenes in the House, including the scuffle involving some members and marshals, on August 11. Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have discussed the matter earlier and have hinted at strong action against the erring MPs. The sources said the Rajya Sabha chairman is exploring various options, including the setting up of a high-powered committee, to look into the incidents and recommend steps to avoid their recurrence in the future. New Delhi: Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of only making announcements about schemes in his Independence Day speeches and not implementing them, even as it hit out at him for not withdrawing the three agri laws against which the farmers have been protesting. The senior Congress leader said for seven years the country has been listening to the "same speeches" by the prime minister but nothing is being done for any aggrieved section, including small farmers. "He announces new schemes but these are never implemented or seen on the ground. He says a lot of things but never adheres to them. And now, by bringing the three new farm laws, he has spelt doom for the farmers," he told reporters after the prime minister's Independence Day speech. Kharge also took exception to the prime minister targeting the previous regimes on the issues of small farmers and development, saying the country will not progress by criticising the Congress from the ramparts of the Red Fort again and again. ALSO READ | PM Modi continues with flamboyant 'pagadi' tradition, sports Kolhapuri Pheta style safa this I-Day, take a look at his colourful turbans "The Congress has done a lot of work for this country during its regime like providing irrigation systems for the farmers. Manmohan Singh Ji and Sonia Gandhi Ji waived farmers' debt when the UPA was in power," he said. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also took a swipe at the prime minister over his announcement of Rs 100 lakh crore investment in the infrastructure sector, saying it was the same two years ago. "It has been two years since August 15, 2019. At least, the 100 lakh crore figure could have been changed," he said in a tweet in Hindi while posting the news of the prime minister's I-Day speech in 2019. Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said it would have been a historic day had the prime minister announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws. New Delhi: Expressing concern over the lack of debate in Parliament and state legislatures, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana Sunday said it is a "sorry state of affairs" as the absence of quality debate leaves many aspects of laws unclear and increases the burden on courts. He said that an elaborate discussion during the law-making process reduces litigation as when courts interpret them, "we all knew the intent of the legislature". Speaking at the 75th Independence Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association in the lawns of the top court, the Chief Justice exhorted the members of the legal fraternity to participate in public life and share their experience about laws. He said the country's long freedom struggle was led by lawyers. "Whether it is Mahatma Gandhi or Babu Rajendra Prasad, they were legal luminaries, who sacrificed their property, family and life and led the movement." ALSO READ | 'Judges life is easy' is a false narrative, it must be refuted: Chief Justice NV Ramana "Most of the members of first Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were all lawyers and members from the legal fraternity. Unfortunately, we know what is happening now in the Parliament with respect to debates on laws," CJI Ramana said in his address to the bar members. He said there used to be debates in Parliament on various constitutional amendments and how they will affect the people. "Long ago, I have seen a debate during the introduction of the Industrial Disputes Act and a member from Tamil Nadu used to discuss the law so elaborately as to how the law will affect the working class. It used to reduce the burden on the courts, as when the courts interpreted the law, we all knew the intent of the legislature," the Chief Justice said. "Now, it is a sorry state of affairs. There are a lot of gaps and a lot of ambiguity in the law-making process due to a lack of debates. We don't know what the intent of the legislature is. We don't know for what purpose the laws are made. This causes great inconvenience to the people. This happens when members of the legal fraternity are not in the Parliament and state legislature," he added. The Monsoon session of parliament was short-terminated last week following days of relentless protest by the Opposition over the Pegasus snooping row, farm laws, price rise and other issues. The CJI told the lawyers, "Don't confine yourself to your profession, earning money and living comfortably. Please think over it. We should actively participate in public life, do some good service and share the experience with the country. Hopefully, goodness will come out of it in the country." ALSO READ | Threat to human rights highest in police stations: CJI N V Ramana on custodial torture The CJI added the Supreme Court has played an active role in the country and has given more than what the Constitution has thought of, but he expects the legal fraternity to contribute more. "There are small issues but around 75 per cent of the people in need of justice have got legal aid. You (lawyers) all should participate in the legal aid movement. On November 26 and 27, we may have two-day workshops on Constitution Day on legal aid," he said. At the outset, the chief justice said it is a historic day and an occasion for all to rethink and review the policies to understand "what we have achieved and what we have to achieve in the future". "Seventy-five years is not a small period in the history of the country but we have to also consider the vast landscape and geographical condition of our country," the CJI said while recalling his childhood days when they were given jaggery and murmura (puffed rice) in school on the occasion of Independence Day. "Since then, a lot of development has taken place. Small things given to us in school made us very happy but in today's time when we have so many facilities, we are not happy. I think this is due to our saturation level," he said. Supreme Court Judges AM Khanwilkar and V Ramasubramanian were also present on the occasion alongside several lawyers and members of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was also present on the occasion, said the Chief Justice of India is the 'karta' (guardian) of the Indian legal family and thus he does not wish to say anything more. "India is a young democracy and when we look around the neighbouring countries and they call themselves democracy and we all know how they have failed. In contrast, we have been able to sustain it the way it was envisioned by the framers of our Constitution," Mehta said. The Chief Justice of India unfurled the national flag after which the national anthem was played by a police band. Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh welcomed the guests and said that it is a historic day as the country is celebrating its 75th Independence Day. He thanked the Chief Justice and other judges for gracing the occasion. New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sena alleged that her convoy was attacked near Belonia town in South Tripura district where she had gone to hoist the national flag on Sunday (August 15). She alleged that the police stood as silent spectators even as she along with her party leaders came under attack. Some TMC leaders and I were attacked in Sabroom and Belonia in Southern Tripura where we had gone to hoist the tricolour on the occasion of Independence Day. The police were silent spectators, Sen was quoted as saying by ANI. Earlier this month, the partys national general secretary and Mamata Banerjees nephew, MP Abhishek Banerjee, was attacked in Agartala as he along with other party leaders camped at Khowai police station seeking the release of 12 party members. Following the incident, West Bengal CM had alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah was behind the attack on Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders. Abhisheks car was attacked last week. He was saved because the (Tripura) government had provided a bullet-proof car. Had it been an ordinary car, the windshield would have shattered into pieces. He could have suffered a head injury, she said. Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb does not have much courage. I firmly believe that the instructions came from Amit Shah and the Union home ministry, she added. Live TV New Delhi: At least two people reportedly died in a fire at a hotel in Delhis Dwarka area on Sunday (August 15, 2021). A massive fire broke out at Hotel Krishna located in Sector 8 of Dwarka. A senior fire official said that the fire call was received around 7:25 AM, following which a total of eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze. "Two persons have died due to fire in the hotel. So far two bodies have been recovered. Rescue operation is still under way and more people are suspected trapped," said a fire official. Additionally, Delhi Police officials from South Dwarka police station also reached the incident spot and found that the facility was being run by Oyo Rooms. "After extinguishing the fire, two bodies were found on the staircase of the ground floor. So far, it has emerged that fire occurred due to a short circuit," police said. The police also revealed that no hotel staff was found at the premises and subsequently. Live TV New Delhi: India has put in place contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul that has been gripped by fear and panic following reports of Taliban fighters entering the outskirts of the Afghan capital city on Sunday. People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation. "The government is closely monitoring the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian embassy in Kabul at any risk," said one of the persons cited above. Specifically asked when the Indian staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, they said decisions will depend on the ground situation. Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History It has emerged that a fleet of the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions. According to reports from Kabul, Taliban fighters have entered the outskirts of the city, triggering panic and fear among the residents. In the last few days, the Taliban fighters have swept through most parts of Afghanistan, seizing control of around 25 of the 34 provincial capitals, including cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad. The Afghan Presidential Palace said on Twitter that the situation is under control in Kabul and it has not been attacked, though there were instances of sporadic gunshots. It said the Afghan security forces are working with their international partners to ensure the security of Kabul. "Kabul has not been attacked. The country's security and defence forces are working together with international partners to ensure the security of the city and the situation is under control," the statement in Pashto said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had a telephone conversation with security officials regarding the security of the citizens in Kabul, it said. The BBC reported from Kabul, quoting the country's acting interior minister, that a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government is being prepared. As the situation deteriorated in Kabul, the United States and the embassies of several other countries began evacuating their staff from the Afghan city. Live TV Srinagar: Muzaffar Wani, the father of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, hoisted the national flag at a school in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district as part of Independence Day celebrations on Sunday. Muzaffar Wani, who is a teacher by profession, unfurled the national flag on the premises of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Tral. Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter by security forces in July 2016 in South Kashmir. His encounter had triggered a massive five-month summer agitation in Kashmir that leftover 100 people dead and thousands injured. As part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Union Territory administration has directed all departments including the education department to ensure that flag hoisting is held in all offices on Independence Day. In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Indias 75th Independence Day. While addressing the nation from the fortified ramparts of the historic Red Fort, PM Modi also possibly delivered his second-longest speech. The PM spoke on a wide range of issues and, while sharing his vision and the roadmap for the country, made several big announcements in his nearly one hour and 27 minutes long speech. This was PM Modis 8th Independence Day address to the nation. Noting India`s development journey in the past 7 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said political will is required to bring in big changes and reforms. Addressing from Red Fort on 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister said today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. "Political will is required to bring in big changes, big reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. Good and smart governance is needed to bring reforms. The world is a witness to how India is writing a new chapter of governance," noted PM Modi. He said the government`s priority will be to ensure that all services reach the last person seamlessly. "For the all-round development of the nation, it is essential to end the unnecessary interference of government and government procedures in the lives of people," he stated. PM Modi noted that earlier, the government was sitting in the driver`s seat. "Maybe it was needed at that time. But the time has changed now. Efforts have increased in the last seven years to free the people from the web of unnecessary laws and procedures. Several unnecessary laws have been scrapped so far," he said. Talking about the development journey of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after the abrogation of Article 370, the Prime Minister said, "The balance of development is now visible on the ground in Jammu or Kashmir. Delimitation Commission has been constituted in Jammu and Kashmir and preparations are on for Assembly elections in the future." "On the one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand, Indus Central University will make Ladakh a centre of higher education," he added. Live TV Srinagar: There was no internet shutdown or restriction in the Kashmir Valley for the first time in the past three years on Independence Day, said Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar on Sunday. This is for the first time in three years that internet services remained unaffected in Jammu and Kashmir on Independence Day. In a tweet, the Kashmir Zone Police said that counter-drone technology is deployed at all sensitive places as a prevention measure. "There is neither internet shutdown nor restrictions on the eve of Independence Day. Counter drone technology deployed at all sensitive places," tweeted Kashmir Zone Police citing the IGP. There is neither internet shutdown nor #restrictions on the eve of the #IndependenceDay: IGP Kashmir Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) August 14, 2021 Deployment of counter-drone technology happened in the backdrop of a low-intensity explosion through a drone at Jammu Air Force Station in June. In the attack, two IAF personnel were injured. In 2019, the Central government had abrogated Article 370, special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the state has been interrupted internet services. Meanwhile, netizens said that it is for the first time since 2003 when all phones, SMS, and internet services are functioning at full speed in Kashmir. "All phone, SMS and internet services are functioning with full speed in Kashmir for the first time on the Indian Independence Day on 15 August since 2003," wrote a Twitter user. Another user, who claimed to be a resident of the valley said, "A very Happy #IndependenceDay to India from proud NayaKashmir!! It's for the first time in the last 20 decades, that today on Independence day there is no internet shutdown, no bandh, no restrictions. This is Naya Kashmir moving forward for a brighter and peaceful future." Meanwhile, the clock tower in Srinagar`s Lal Chowk was illuminated in tricolour on the eve of Independence Day. As part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Union Territory administration has directed all departments including the education department to ensure that flag hoisting is held in all offices on Independence Day. In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Indias 75th Independence Day. While addressing the nation from the fortified ramparts of the historic Red Fort, PM Modi also possibly delivered his second-longest speech. The PM spoke on a wide range of issues and, while sharing his vision and the roadmap for the country, made several big announcements in his nearly one hour and 27 minutes long speech. This was PM Modis 8th Independence Day address to the nation. Noting India`s development journey in the past 7 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said political will is required to bring in big changes and reforms. Addressing from Red Fort on 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister said today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. "Political will is required to bring in big changes, big reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. Good and smart governance is needed to bring reforms. The world is a witness to how India is writing a new chapter of governance," noted PM Modi. He said the government`s priority will be to ensure that all services reach the last person seamlessly. "For the all-round development of the nation, it is essential to end the unnecessary interference of government and government procedures in the lives of people," he stated. PM Modi noted that earlier, the government was sitting in the driver`s seat. "Maybe it was needed at that time. But the time has changed now. Efforts have increased in the last seven years to free the people from the web of unnecessary laws and procedures. Several unnecessary laws have been scrapped so far," he said. Talking about the development journey of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after the abrogation of Article 370, the Prime Minister said, "The balance of development is now visible on the ground in Jammu or Kashmir. Delimitation Commission has been constituted in Jammu and Kashmir and preparations are on for Assembly elections in the future." "On the one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand, Indus Central University will make Ladakh a centre of higher education," he added. Live TV New Delhi: On Saturday (August 14), Anil Kapoor's younger daughter Rhea Kapoor got hitched to her longtime beau Karan Boolani at an intimate wedding ceremony at her Juhu residence in Mumbai. Post all the wedding rituals, Anil was seen distributing sweets among the paparazzi and thanking them for their visit. The proud father was all smiles while distributing the sweets and the paps also wished the actor on the special occasion. The video was shared by the celebrity paparazzo Viral Bhayani on his official social media handle. For the unversed, according to a report in the Times of India, the wedding was to be solemnised in the presence of family and close friends. The Kapoors had remained tight-lipped about the upcoming event. At their wedding, many celebs were seen such as Masaba, Khushi Kapoor, Shanaya Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, Reena Kapoor, and others. Although its heavily raining in Mumbai, nothing stopped the preparations as all the festivities. Rhea looked absolutely gorgeous in a red lehenga while Karan opted for a golden sherwani. Rhea is a producer and stylist, meanwhile, Karan is into direction. Rhea is the younger daughter of veteran actor Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor. She also has two siblings- sister Sonam Kapoor and brother Harshvardhan Kapoor, both of them are actors by profession. Last month, Sonam landed back in the bay from London and now her hubby Anand Ahuja is also in India for the big day in the family. New Delhi: On Independence Day (August 15), Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to praise Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff's version of the song Vande Mataram. The actor had released the reprised version of the song on August 10. A day before Independence Day (August 14), he had taken to Twitter to repost the song and express what Vande Mataram means to him. He wrote, "Vande Mataram...these are not mere words, but emotions. Emotions which drive us to strive to contribute towards our nation. This Independence Day, dedicating a small effort to 130 crore Indians." Replying to his tweet, PM Narendra Modi praised him for his 'creative effort' and expressed that he agreed with what Tiger said about Vande Mataram. He wrote in his tweet, "Creative effort. Fully agree with what you say about Vande Mataram!" Check out the PM's tweet below: Creative effort. Fully agree with what you say about Vande Mataram! https://t.co/we0PufWryY Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2021 Here's the music video of Tiger Shroff's song: You may be surprised to know that the song was sung by Tiger and released as India was gearing up to celebrate its 75th Independence Day. The song is produced by Jackky Bhagnanis Jjust Music and directed by choreographer Remo D`souza. The melodious song was composed by Vishal Mishra. All in all, the song is a cinematic delight with the patriotic spirit of Independence Day. It is an ode to the armed forces in our country and all those who fought battles to keep our country safe. Interestingly, the music video also features Prime Minister Narendra Modi in form of previously shot footage from Amar Jawan Jyoti, Delhi. Banking frauds have increased especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to alert citizens of this country, the Reserve Bank of India has come up with a cautionary circular that is related to fraudulent methods being used by fraudsters to dupe customers and extract confidential information. Taking note of that, the State Bank of India (SBI) has further uploaded the notice on its official website to inform customers about the new fraud. As per the circular, the fraud comes under the category of social engineering and it is done via mobile numbers which are quite similar to the toll-free numbers used by major banks. Using a very similar feature to that of Supervised Entitys (SE) Toll-free Number, the fraudsters use phone numbers so that they can register these dubious numbers on mobile caller identification applications like TrueCaller. Supervised Entities are seen as those institutions which possess legal credibility, be it banks, insurance companies, or other financial institutions and these frauds are made in such a way that if the victim doesnt apply his presence of mind, he can be easily cheated by giving classified details. Picture this, the toll-free numbers start with codes like 800, 888, 844, 855, etc., with a 1 attached to it as a prefix. Generally, it looks something like 1800 223 464. It happens in a way that a fraudster tries to get a number which is quite similar to a toll-free number, barring prefixes. The number appears to be 800 223 464 and then he gets it registered on a caller identification application under the name of a particular supervised entity, revealed State Bank of India. Uninformed customers can easily fall into this trap as they will call the fake number instead of the actual number for solving their queries. As and when the fraudster gets in touch with the customer via this fraud number, the person asks the victim to reveal sensitive information which can range from debit/credit card details, PAN card details, username, OTP, etc. This new fraud has created a ruckus among the citizens and to tackle that, the supervised entities will take adequate actions to curb the damage done by the fraudsters as much as possible. They are spreading awareness about the whole fraud process via websites, social media, e-mails, and SMS. Live TV #mute New Delhi: Microsoft is planning to launch a new feature for Microsoft Teams that will allow teachers to connect with parents and guardians, the media reported. The feature works with School Data Sync (SDS), which gathers data from a school`s Student Information System, reports Windows Central. Working with SDS reduces the time required to find information for parents and guardians of students. According to the report, an upcoming feature for Microsoft Teams will help teachers connect with parents and guardians of students. An entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap states that "Parent connection in Teams for Education" is in development. The feature could arrive as soon as October 2021, but that date could change, the report said. "Parent connection in Microsoft Teams for Education" utilises automated systems that keep contact details up to date. "With `Parent connection in Teams for Education`, educators can easily connect and engage with the parents and guardians of their class using Teams chat, "the company was quoted as saying by the website. "All parent and guardian data is provisioned using SDS, saving educators and IT staff valuable time," it added. According to the report, support for SDS should make it easier for teachers to get in touch with parents and guardians. SDS is a free service in Office 365 for Education that gathers information from a school`s Student Information System. Also Read: Xiaomi removes THIS feature from Mi Mix 4 feature, check why A Microsoft support document explains how SDS helps import and sync data automatically with Office 365. Also Read: Ola Electric bike versus Simple One: Compare top speed, range, and specs before booking South Korean smartphone maker Samsung has come up with the Independence Day Delights sale which offers huge discounts on fitness trackers and smartwatches. Owning a fitness tracker or a smartwatch can be useful in achieving fitness goals by keeping a track of the quality of workouts. During the Samsung Independence Day Delights Sale, the company is offering deals across a wide range of its products, from smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, household appliances and much more. Among some of the wearable devices on sale are the original Samsung Galaxy Watch, the Galaxy Watch 2, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (including the 4G model), the Galaxy Watch 3, and the companys fitness tracker, the Galaxy Fit 2. Check the best offers here: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (Steel) The Galaxy Watch Active 2 Steel model is up for sale at a discounted rate of Rs 28,490 instead of Rs 33,990. In terms of features, the watch comes with a 1.4-inch display, a 1.15GHz processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity and comes with an accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, light sensor, and an optical heart rate sensor. Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm, 4G model) The Samsung Galaxy watch is sold for Rs 18,990 against the market price of Rs 34,990. It comes with health monitoring features like heart rate monitoring and sleep monitoring. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 LTE (41mm, 4G model) The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 LTE is up for sale at Rs 34,490 instead of Rs 34,990. It comes with IP68 rating, built-in GPS, fall detection, workout tracking, blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring Spotify support and comes with Smart Reply for messages. Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 is sold at Rs 3,999 against Rs 4,199 during the sale. It allows for a variety of workout tracking, is water and sweat resistant, and allows for heart rate monitoring, stress tracking and reminders to wash your hands regularly. New Delhi: On Day 7 in the Bigg Boss OTT house, host Karan Johar brought the heat in the Weekend Ka Vaar episode as he asked contestants about their strategies, relationships, and controversies. While there was a whole lot of drama, today was also the day when Urfi Javed got eliminated from the show. The bubbly actress attributed her early elimination to her former partner in the show Zeeshan Khan's lack of support. The two who entered the show as friends parted ways as bitter enemies. Later, when Karan Johar entered the show, he grilled the contestants over their behaviour in the show. He asked Divya why she's taking the show for granted and claiming that she does not need the show. He also pokes fun at her and says that this show isn't anything like the show that she's acted in before as Bigg Boss doesn't have a script. Then Karan moves on to Pratik Sehajpal and asks him why he had two different personalities in the house. Later, other housemates go on to give their opinions on Pratik and most of them label him as an understanding person. Raqesh was criticised for his diplomatic approach in the show and people asked him to be more assertive. Neha Bhasin even called him 'spineless'. He also gets in hot water with Shamita as Karan Johar revealed that Raqesh had 'bitched' about Shamita with Divya Agarwal. This led to a huge fallout between Divya and Shamita. Rumoured couple Shehnaaz Gill and Sidharth Shukla made the show even more special with their smashing entry in the show. The duo was seen chatting with Karan Johar on stage and even dancing to the iconic song Twada Kutta Tommy. The two were even questioned about their relationship and they revealed that they are very close. After their stint on stage, the Bigg Boss 13 contestants went inside the Bigg Boss OTT house to interact with the contestants. They asked the housemates to perform a task where they had to choose two housemates one who deserves a boost in ratings and one who doesn't deserve ratings. This exercise portrayed the true colours of what the contestants felt about each other. Some bonded over the exercise, and others revealed how their opinions have changed after the Weekend Ka Vaar chat with Karan Johar. In the one week that the show has aired, housemates are still trying to understand each other and see who they gel with. For more updates on Bigg Boss OTT, stay tuned with us and watch out for this space. Kabul: Taliban insurgents entered Afghanistan`s capital Kabul on Sunday and an official said President Ashraf Ghani had left the city for Tajikistan, capping the militants` lightning push for power. A senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said Ghani had left for Tajikistan. Asked for comment, the president`s office "cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani`s movement for security reasons". A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani`s whereabouts. American diplomats were evacuated from their embassy by chopper after a swift advance, who were poised to run Afghanistan again 20 years after they were toppled by U.S.-led forces following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Taliban fighters were reaching the capital "from all sides", a senior Afghan interior ministry official told Reuters. But there were no reports of fighting and the group`s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they were waiting on the outskirts and were in talks with the Western-backed government for a peaceful surrender. "Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed," he said. Representatives from the two sides were due to meet in Qatar on Sunday, Fawzi Koofi, a member of the Kabul negotiating team, told Reuters. A source familiar with the matter said they would discuss a transition of power and U.S. officials would also be involved. Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History Live TV Kabul: Taliban insurgents entered Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Sunday as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter and a government minister said power would be handed over to an interim administration. A senior interior ministry official told Reuters the Taliban rebels were coming "from all sides" into the capital but gave no further details. There were no reports of fighting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the group was in talks with the government for a peaceful surrender of Kabul. "Taliban fighters are to be on standby on all entrances of Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed," the statement said. The entry into the capital caps a lightning advance by the Islamist militants who were ousted from Kabul 20 years ago by the United States after the September 11 attacks. The collapse of the Afghan government defence has stunned diplomatsjust last week, a US intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months. There was no immediate word on the situation from President Ashraf Ghani. A palace official said he was in emergency talks with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and top NATO officials. Power would be handed over to a transitional administration, the government's acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, said in a tweet on the Tolo news channel. "There won't be an attack on the city, it is agreed that there will be a peaceful handover," he said without elaborating. The head of the Taliban's political bureau, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is heading to Kabul from Doha, a Taliban source in the Qatari capital said. A tweet from the Afghan presidential palace account said firing had been heard at a number of points around Kabul but that security forces, in coordination with international partners, had control of the city. Many of Kabul's streets were choked by cars and people either trying to rush home or reach the airport, residents said. "Some people have left their keys in the car and have started walking to the airport," one resident told Reuters by phone. Another said: "People are all going home in fear of fighting." Afghans have fled the provinces to enter Kabul in recent days, fearing a return to hardline Islamist rule. Early on Sunday, refugees from Taliban-controlled provinces were seen unloading belongings from taxis and families stood outside embassy gates, while the city's downtown was packed with people stocking up on supplies. Choppers at embassy US officials said diplomats were being ferried by helicopters to the airport from its embassy in the fortified Wazir Akbar Khan district. More American troops were being sent to help in the evacuations after the Taliban's surge brought the Islamist group to Kabul in a matter of days. "Core" US team members were working from the Kabul airport, a US official said, while a NATO official said several EU staff had moved to a safer, undisclosed location in the capital. Earlier on Sunday, the insurgents captured the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, giving them control of one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. They also took over the nearby Torkham border post with Pakistan, leaving Kabul airport the only way out of Afghanistan that is still in government hands. "There are no clashes taking place right now in Jalalabad because the governor has surrendered to the Taliban," a Jalalabad-based Afghan official told Reuters. "Allowing passage to the Taliban was the only way to save civilian lives." A video clip distributed by the Taliban showed people cheering and shouting Allahu AkbarGod is greatestas a convoy of pickup trucks entered Jalalabad with fighters brandishing machine guns and the white Taliban flag. After US-led forces withdrew the bulk of the their remaining troops in the last month, the Taliban campaign accelerated as the Afghan military's defences appeared to collapse. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorised the deployment of 5,000 US troops to help evacuate citizens and ensure an "orderly and safe" drawdown of military personnel. A US defence official said that included 1,000 newly approved troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. Popularly accepted In a statement late on Saturday, the Taliban said its rapid gains showed it was popularly accepted by the Afghan people and reassured both Afghans and foreigners that they would be safe. The Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban calls itself, "will, as always, protect their life, property and honour, and create a peaceful and secure environment for its beloved nation", it said, adding that diplomats and aid workers would also face no problems. Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in talks in Qatar that any action that put US personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response". He has faced rising domestic criticism as the Taliban have taken city after city far more quickly than predicted. The president has stuck to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to end the US military mission in Afghanistan by August 31. Biden said it is up to the Afghan military to hold its own territory. "An endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me," Biden said on Saturday. Qatar, which has been hosting so-far inconclusive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said it had urged the insurgents to cease fire. Ghani has given no sign of responding to a Taliban demand that he resign as a condition for any ceasefire. New Delhi: Taliban insurgents have made rapid advances across Afghanistan in recent months as the US and other foreign forces withdraw. Following is a list of provincial capitals that have fallen to, or are being contested by the Islamist militants. Afghanistan has 34 provinces. PROVINCIAL AFGHAN CAPITALS FALLING TO THE TALIBAN: - Aug. 6 - ZARANJ. The Taliban take over the city in Nimroz province in the south, the first provincial capital to fall to the insurgents since they stepped up attacks on Afghan forces in early May. - Aug. 7 - SHEBERGHAN. The Taliban declare they have captured the entire northern province of Jawzjan, including its capital Sheberghan. Heavy fighting is reported in the city, and government buildings are taken over by the insurgents. Afghan security forces say they are still fighting there. - Aug. 8 - SAR-E-PUL. The insurgents take control of Sar-e-Pul, the capital of the northern province of the same name. It is the first of three provincial centres to fall on the same day. - Aug. 8 - KUNDUZ. Taliban fighters seize control of the northern city of 270,000 people, regarded as a strategic prize as it lies at the gateway to mineral-rich northern provinces and Central Asia. Government forces say they are resisting the insurgents from an army base and the airport. - Aug. 8 - TALOQAN. The capital of Takhar province, also in the north, falls to the Taliban in the evening. They free prisoners and force government officials to flee. - Aug. 9 - AYBAK. The capital of the northern province of Samangan is overrun by Taliban fighters. - Aug. 10 - PUL-E-KHUMRI. The capital of the central province of Baghlan falls to the Taliban, according to residents. - Aug. 11 - FAIZABAD. The capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan is under Taliban control, a provincial council member says. - Aug. 12 - GHAZNI. The insurgents take over the city, capital of the province of the same name, a senior security officer says. - Aug. 12 - FIRUS KOH. The capital of Ghor province was handed over to the Taliban on Thursday night without a fight, security officials said. - Aug. 13 - QALA-E-NAW. The Taliban have captured the capital of the northwestern province of Badghis, a security official and the Taliban said. - Aug. 13 - KANDAHAR. The Taliban have captured Afghanistan`s second-biggest city of Kandahar, government officials and the Taliban said. - Aug. 13 - LASHKAR GAH. The Taliban have captured the capital of the southern province of Helmand, police said. - Aug. 13 - HERAT. The capital of Herat province in the west was under Taliban control after days of clashes, a provincial council member said. - Aug. 14 - PUL-E-ALAM. The capital of Logar province fell to the Taliban without much resistance, a local provincial council member said. - Aug. 14 - MAZAR-I-SHARIF, the capital of Balkh province and the biggest city in the north has fallen to the Taliban, a provincial council official said. - Aug. 14 - MAYMANA, the capital of the northern province of Faryab was handed over to the Taliban, a provincial official said. - Aug. 15 - JALALABAD. Taliban insurgents took control of the key eastern city and capital of Nangarhar province without a fight on Sunday, leaving the territory controlled by the crumbling government to little more than the capital Kabul. PROVINCIAL AFGHAN CAPITALS BEING CONTESTED BY TALIBAN AS OF AUGUST 14: - FARAH. Capital of the western province of Farah. - SHARAN. Capital of Paktika province. - ASADABAD. Capital of Kunar province - GARDEZ. Capital of Paktia province. - NILI. Capital of the central province of Daykundi ALSO READ | Why Afghanistan is facing wrath of Taliban; a brief history of dreaded extremist group Kabul: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is going to step down from his post as the Taliban took over the capital city Kabul on Sunday (August 15). As the Taliban entered the gates of capital city Kabul, Ghani is expected to abdicate within the next few hours, Sputnik reported. Ali Ahmad Jalali will serve as the head of the new interim government, media reports claimed even as negotiations are going on in the Afghan Presidential Palace to transfer power to the Taliban. The Khaama Press News Agency reported that the Head of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah is said to be mediating the process. Meanwhile, Acting Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal in separate video clips assured the people of Kabul will be secured as they are protecting the city along with international allies. Mirzakwal said Kabul will not be attacked and that the transition will happen peacefully. Mirzakwal assured Kabul residents that security forces will ensure the security of the city. The Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of Kabul today as panicked workers fled government offices. The Taliban have said that they didn't plan to take the capital by force. The United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter and a government minister said power would be handed over to an interim administration. Despite the pledges, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing. Rapid shuttle flights of Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters near the embassy began a few hours later after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the Taliban has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. Military. Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History Live TV